Self-Reflection

Reflect on your...

What activities do you enjoy? What subjects are you fascinated by? Reflecting on these questions can help you discover your interests and find major and career paths that will allow you to embrace them. 

  • Think about the courses you’ve taken and extracurricular activities you’ve participated in. What did you like – and not like – about these experiences? Use this information to guide you as you explore majors and careers. 
  • Take the O*Net Interest Profiler to see how your interests align with different occupations.
  • Try new things! After all, how can you know if you enjoy something unless you test it out? There are so many ways to get involved at UW-Madison. Here are some resources to get you started: 

Your experiences both in and outside the classroom help you develop crucial skills to become career-ready. As you explore majors and careers, reflect on which skills you feel confident about and which you feel motivated to strengthen.

What’s important to you? Our values are the principles that guide our behavior and decisions, and understanding them can help you get in touch with who you are and what you want from your major, career, and life.

Here’s an exercise to help you begin thinking about what’s important to you in your future work life. Print out this values list and grab a pencil! 

  1. Put a checkmark by every value that resonates with you. Don’t overthink it; just mark every one that feels important. If you think of a value that’s not on this list, add it.
  2. From the values you checked, circle your top four most important ones. 
  3. Rank those values from one to four. 

What did you discover? Any surprises? Or did this activity help confirm what you already knew about yourself? (If so, great!)

Values can shift with time and experience. What seems important to you at this stage of your life may change as you learn more about yourself and the world of work. That’s normal! It pays to keep checking in with yourself about your values so you are always aware of the principles that guide your decisions. 

Want to talk over your values and learn what they might mean for your major and career decisions? Schedule an appointment with a CEC career advisor – we’ll be glad to help!

Your purpose is the central motivating theme of your life, the reason you get up in the morning. As a student, your reason for getting up may be as simple as your chemistry lab or your Spanish class. But if you could choose why you get out of bed and start your day, what would your reasons be then? 

Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers at this point. Many people older than you are still finding their purpose. But starting to think about it now can help guide your decisions. Here are some questions to get you started:

  1. What brings you joy (activities, projects, people, hobbies, etc.)?
  2. What are you naturally good at?
  3. Who inspires you the most, and why? (It could be someone you know or don’t know: friends, family, artists, leaders, etc.)
  4. What would you regret not doing, being, or having in your life?

Your answers to these questions will probably change over time, so don’t feel you need to set your life purpose in stone right now. If you’d like to go deeper into purpose and talk over these questions with a career advisor, we’re here for you!  

Identity-Based Exploration

The Career Exploration Center (CEC) strives to provide a welcoming, inclusive space for all students. We value and embrace the ways that identity and culture intersect with the process of exploring majors and careers. We also recognize that individuals who hold underrepresented and marginalized identities often face systemic barriers on their path to success.

CEC career advisors are here to listen to your story and help you make informed decisions that honor and celebrate your unique identities.

Schedule an Appointment

 

Additional Resources

Additional career development resources for students who identify with the following populations are available on the SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science Identity at Work page:

  • LGBTQIA+
  • Multicultural students
  • Students with disabilities
  • Undocumented students
  • Veterans & service members
  • Women
  • First-generation students
  • Religious identities
  • International students

International Students

The Career Exploration Center recognizes that immigration rules and work restrictions can make major and career planning more challenging for international students. CEC staff are here to support you in your exploration and decision-making process. 

Other campus offices provide excellent career resources for international students as well. Below, find an overview of the services available to you through the CEC, International Student Services (ISS), and individual school/college career centers.

The Career Exploration Center can help you:

  • Identify your values, interests, and skills
  • Explore major and certificate options at UW-Madison
  • Explore your career interests 
  • Connect your major to your career goals
  • Find ways to get involved outside the classroom

International Student Services can help you:

  • Understand how immigration laws, rules, and regulations affect you
  • Maintain your visa status and benefits
  • Determine eligibility for Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Your school/college career center can help with: 

  • Resume/cover letter reviews
  • Job and internship-search strategies
  • Interview preparation and practice
  • Tips on building your professional network