Published on Nov 10, 2021

Two Roads diverged in a yellow wood (Frost, 1915), but you don’t know where you’re going. And that’s totally fine. Figuring out what exactly you’d like to do with your degree, or your values, can be difficult. It takes time and everyone figures it out at their own pace. The University of Missouri has a few options for you to explore that can be helpful during your search for the right path.

How Can Mizzou Help?

First, MU offers daily mini-career workshops at 3pm on Zoom. Here, you’ll be able to chat face-to-face with someone  who can assist with your questions, direct you to exploration resources and talk about any career-related topic you might have. You could also speak with a Career Specialist on campus, who has been trained specifically to guide students like you through a major decision like this. You can make appointments with them on MU Connect.

If you’d like to tackle the issue on your own, then we suggest taking… the test. Or rather, taking two tests. Don’t worry, though, they’re not graded. The Focus 2 and the CliftonStrengths assessments both give you an opportunity to evaluate yourself a little deeper than you might have been doing. They give you insights on what you value in a job and what your personal strengths are so that you can consider them during your search. If you prefer not to take a test, there are plenty of other career tools available for you to browse.

What Can I Do?

No matter how you approach the issue, it can be helpful to keep these things in mind:

• Know what you don’t Sometimes it can be significantly easier telling someone what you don’t like. Figure out what exactly you want to avoid in a job, and then look for career that is the opposite of it.
• Do your research. You want to know what’s out there, and in any career you look at there will probably be many, many branches. Dig a little deeper into each one so you can get a grasp of what you might be going into. You could also do some informational interviews with professionals in the industry so that you get a more personal point of view or the career. You could also find a mentor, who might be able to give you even more personal suggestions or anecdotes on how to succeed. Visit Mizzou Mentoring for more information on how to find the right alum.
• Dip your toes in the water. Once you narrow down your interests look for a few internship opportunities. These can be beneficial during your search because their risk factor is a lot lower than a regular job. Handshake is a great way to get started on your internship search with MU. You could also look for shadowing opportunities, which has even less risk and can help you build your network.