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Make a Decision
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Decisions,
decisions, decisions! Now that you have finished with your
self-assessment and career exploration activities, it is
time for you to narrow down your options and make a decision.
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| This
can be an intimidating task. Sometimes decisions can be
as easy as choosing a TV channel or picking a flavor of
ice cream. These decisions have little impact on the way
you live your life. Other decisions have a bigger influence
on your life and so you may be hesitant to decide, feeling
nervous that if you pick incorrectly you will end up feeling
unhappy. Examples of these types of decisions include choosing
a spouse or determining what you want to do with your life
in regards to work. |
| Let's
look at decision-making styles, tasks associated with the
decision-making process, and some career myths that can
interfere with effective decision making when it comes to
selecting a major or choosing a career. |
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WHAT
KIND OF A DECISION MAKER ARE YOU?
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Decision-Making
Styles
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all individuals approach decision making in the same manner.
There are different styles of decision making. There are
"Inner Reliant" decision makers who take responsibility
for their decisions and "Outer Reliant" decision makers
who try and transfer the responsibility to others for their
decisions. The following list identifies a number of different
decision-making styles. As each of these styles is described,
decide whether that style is "inner reliant" or "outer reliant."
Examine your own style of decision making. |
| Impulsive
Decider |
One
who takes the first alternative that is presented: "Decide
now; think later. Don't look before you leap." |
| Fatalistic
Decider |
One
who leaves the resolution of the decision up to the environment
or fate: "Whatever will be will be." |
| Compliant
Decider |
One
who goes along with someone else's plan rather than making
an independent decision, especially when that plan doesn't
agree with one's own beliefs: "If it's OK with you, it's
OK with me." "Anything you say." |
| Delaying
Decider |
One
who delays thought and action on a problem: "I'll think
about it later." |
| Agonizing
Decider |
One
who spends much time and thought in gathering data and analyzing
alternatives only to get lost amidst the data gathered:
"I can't make up my mind. I don't know what to do." |
| Intuitive
Decider |
One
who decides based on what is felt, but cannot be verbalized:
"It feels right." |
| Paralytic
Decider |
One
who accepts the responsibility for decisions, but is unable
to do much toward approaching it: "I know I should, but
I just can't get with it. I can't face up to it." |
| Escapist
Decider |
One
who avoids a decision or makes up an answer to end the discussion.
For example, if asked by a relative about a college major,
this type (although still undecided, but considering teaching),
would respond, "I'm thinking about pre-med." This allows
the escapist to give a socially acceptable answer without
taking responsibility. |
| Play-it-Safe
Decider |
One
who almost always picks the alternative with the perceived
lowest level of risk: " I like anthropology, but I can get
a job in accounting." |
| Planner |
One
whose strategy is based on a rational approach with some
balance between the cognitive and emotional: "I am
the captain of my fate; I am the master of my soul." |
(Dinklage,
as referenced by www.byu.edu/ccc/Career_Planning/assistance/decision.htm)
| If
you are currently satisfied with your style, then congratulations!
If you feel a need to make some changes, now is the time
to begin. For example, the next time you are asked, "What
would you like to do?," offer your opinion rather than avoiding
a commitment. Ultimately, making decisions and taking a
stand are ways of forming and establishing an identity.
Whenever you make statements about yourself (e.g. "I am
majoring in nursing or I am joining the Peace Corps"), you
define yourself for you and others. |
| Whether
choosing a major, career path or deciding what to do about
a job offer, the following 7-step Career Decision-Making
Model will help give you structure while working through
your decision. |
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Career
Decision-Making Model
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Step
One: Identify the Decision to be Made
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| Before
you begin gathering information, it is important that you have
a clear understanding of what it is you are trying to decide.
Some decisions you might be facing could include: |
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1.
What will I choose for a college major?
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2.
What do I want to do after graduation?
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Step
2: Know Yourself (Self Assessment)
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| Before
you begin exploring college majors and careers which will prove
satisfying, you must first develop a true understanding of yourself:
your skills, interests, values, and personality characteristics.
Questions you may want to ask yourself are: |
| Skills:
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| 1.
What are my strengths and weaknesses? |
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2.
What skills do I need to acquire?
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Interests:
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1.
What am I interested in doing?
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2.
What activities have I enjoyed the most?
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Values:
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1.
What is important to me in a career?
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2.
In what ways must I be challenged and rewarded?
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Personality:
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1.
What personal qualities do I possess that will help me in
the classroom?
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2.
How will my personal style influence my career choice?
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| In the
self-assessment section of this website, you learned about your
interests, skills, and values. We encourage you to meet with
a career counselor to further explore these dimensions and how
they relate to your academic and career plans. |
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Step
3: Begin Identifying Options (Career Exploration)
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continue gathering information and researching careers, you
will need to start identifying options. Questions you might
ask yourself are: |
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1.
At this point in time, what college majors and career paths
am I considering?
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2.
What other types of options am I considering?
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In the
Generate Options section of this website, you identified Rutgers
University majors and/or career options which related to your
interests and skills.
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Step
4: Gather Information and Data
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you completed the first three steps, you should have a list
of majors and careers that you plan to explore and research
in more depth. You will now: |
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1.
Examine the information and resources you already have.
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2.
Seek out and utilize new information.
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In
the Gather Information section of this website, you found many
links which provided information on Rutgers University majors
and/or career options which related to your interests, skills,
and values.
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Step
5: Evaluate Options
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| If
you have completed your career research, you are now ready to
evaluate each of the options you have identified: |
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1.
Identify the pros and cons of each college major or career.
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2.
Explore how each major or career relates to your interests,
skills, and values.
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4. Project the probable future consequences of each major or
career choice. |
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Step
6: Select One of the Options
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| Based
on the information you have gathered and analyzed, you should
now be able to choose one of the options. |
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1.
Do you have enough information to choose one option over another?
If not, you might need to do more research.
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Step
7: Make a Plan and Implement the Decision
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| Having
chosen one of the options, you can begin developing a plan of
action. Ask yourself: |
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1.
What information or resources do you need to follow through
on your decision?
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2.
What are the obstacles to implementing your decision and how
can you overcome them?
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Some
Final Thoughts about Career Decision Making
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You need
to monitor your decision so that you can assess whether you
are achieving your goals. Reevaluating your decisions allows
you to make adjustments and to see if your desired outcomes
are being achieved. This does not mean that your initial decision
was "bad." You may have learned more or things may have changed
so that a different decision is required. Change is becoming
a "constant" in our day and age. Everyone must be willing
to reexamine, readjust and remain flexible. Reevaluation may
lead to slight changes in your career choices or total revisions.
Should
you find that you are unable to identify any college major
or career options at this time, or if you are having problems
with implementing your decision, we recommend you schedule
an appointment to meet with a Rutgers University career counselor
at Career Services.
At this
point we encourage you to move to the last section of this
career planning site, "Next Steps." If you are finished
using the site, please complete our online
evaluation and help us make future improvements to this
site.
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Try
our other online guidance tool, Focus, a career interests, skills,
& values assessment.
Updated: 4/12/07
Questions?
Comments?
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have questions?
Ask
the Director
Send comments
to: 
Rutgers
University - CAREER SERVICES - New Brunswick
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