Many first- and second-year students think that career planning is just for seniors. On the contrary, career planning is a process that should begin early in your undergraduate experience and continue throughout your professional life.

Career Services assists first and second-year students with the initial steps in career planning. Our professionally trained career counselors help you explore your interests, skills and values, and make your big decision at Rutgers: choosing a major. Our counselors assist you in making a smooth transition to life at Rutgers, and getting you "on track" toward your academic and career goals.

Career Services provides the following services, programs and publications for first- and second-year students:

• First-Year Action Plan and Sophomore Action Plan: one-page checklists with specific, manageable steps to take in order to begin the career planning process
• Individual career counseling: one-hour in-depth sessions with professional career counselors
• Interests, skills and values assessment
• Rutgers Online Career Planning site
• Workshops on choosing a major, deciding on a career, summer jobs and internships, and skills identification
• Explore our Career Planning/Counseling section.

Career planning and decision-making involve several key phases. Early in your college career, self-assessment and
the exploration of college majors are important steps in this process.

Below are 10 questions that are central to the decision-making process. While career counselors cannot answer the
questions for you, they can work with you to help you find some answers and directions.

1. What career decisions do I need to make?
2. What are my interests, skills, values and goals?
3. What are the academic and career choices available to me?
4. What are the pros and cons of each choice?
5. Which option do I want to pursue?
6. If I am not able to choose, what makes it difficult for me to decide?
7. What steps do I need to take to implement my choice?
8. What plans do I need to make?
9. How satisfied am I with my decision?
10. Do I need to develop new goals or adjust my plans?
    

Answer the above questions on our "Decision-Making Process" form.

• Get an early start with Career Services.
• Seek our guidance and assistance.
• Keep your ears and eyes open to opportunities for networking with a variety of people.
• Find the right balance between work and fun, learning and living.