10.1: Your Career Profile

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Identify your motivations for attending college as it relates to your future career goals
Review your individual career profile
Explore activities to gain knowledge and experience about your future career

College & Career: What It Really Means for You

College isn’t just about checking off classes—it’s your chance to figure out who you are, what you care about, and what kind of future you want to create. And being “college and career ready” is way more than choosing a major.

Today, success is about learning how to think, not just memorize. It’s being able to break down problems, ask the right questions, share your ideas confidently, and work with people who see the world differently than you do. These are the skills that help you stand out—whether you want to transfer, jump into a career, or explore something totally new.

Across California—tech, healthcare, education, community organizations, agriculture, the trades, digital media, even AI—employers want students who can stay curious, adapt fast, and collaborate like pros.

When you build these skills now, you’re not just getting through school—you’re preparing yourself for internships, interviews, real-world experiences, and the kind of career that actually excites you. No matter what direction you’re heading, you’re already leveling up for a future you’ll be proud of.

Photo looking down on a crowded convention hall during a job fair

Stay focused, go after your dreams, and keep moving toward your goals. —L L Cool J, musician

What Does It Mean to Be Ready for College and a Career?

Being “college and career ready” goes beyond finishing high school or choosing a major. It means you’ve built the knowledge, skills, and professional habits you need to take your next big step—whether that’s completing a degree, going through career training, or jumping straight into the workforce.

If you’re entering a college program—whether you’re aiming for a skilled trade certificate or a bachelor’s degree—being college-ready means you can read, write, think, solve problems, and use math at the level your program expects. These are the tools that help you not only get in, but thrive once you’re there.

Being career-ready is similar but focuses more on the technical and professional skills that prepare you for a real job in your field. For example, a community college student preparing to become a nurse has learned essential concepts, passed their required courses, and earned the proper license—making them ready for an entry-level role.

Finding Your Path Isn’t Always a Straight Line

For many students, choosing a major or career path takes time—and that’s completely normal. I used to think I would become a kindergarten teacher, but once I got to college, everything changed. I switched my major three different times, influenced by family, friends, and whatever career seemed secure at the moment. Eventually, I realized I was building my education around other people’s expectations instead of my own interests.

My turning point came when a mentor encouraged me to take a career exploration class. I learned more about myself in that one course than in the previous three years of college. It helped me connect the dots between my strengths, values, and long-term goals. That experience opened my eyes to a field I had never seriously considered but had always been drawn to: Higher Education Administration. It was the moment everything finally made sense.

—Adapted from Jamie Edwards, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom

The Marriage of College and Career

Harvard University, founded in 1636, is often called the oldest college in the United States. Its early purpose was to teach arts and sciences so students could qualify for jobs in both church and government. But is preparing students for “public employment” still the main goal of college today? It’s part of the picture, but college is also about personal and intellectual growth.

A 2011 Pew Research Center survey showed how Americans see the purpose of college:

47% said college is mainly to teach work-related skills.
39% said it’s to help students grow personally and intellectually.
12% said college should do both.

With more than 5,300 colleges and universities in the U.S., offering a wide variety of programs, it makes sense that people see college differently.

Employers also weigh in on what matters. A 2014 survey by Hart Research Associates found that employers value both field-specific knowledge and broader skills for career success. The skills they look for most include:

Strong written and oral communication
Teamwork
Ethical decision-making
Critical thinking
Applying knowledge in real-world situations

In short, college isn’t just about learning your major—it’s about gaining skills that prepare you for both work and life.

Employment Rates and Salaries

Consider, too, the following statistics on employment rates and salaries for college graduates. College does make a big difference!

The average college graduate earns about 75 percent more than a non-college graduate over a typical, forty-year working lifetime. (U.S. Census Bureau)^[2]
In 2014, young adults ages 20 to 24 with a bachelor’s degree or higher had a higher employment rate (88.1 percent) than young adults with just some college (75.0 percent). (NCES)
The employment rate for young adults with just some college (63.7 percent) was higher than the rate for those who had completed high school. (NCES)
The employment rate for those who completed high school (46.6 percent) was higher than the employment rate for young adults who had not finished high school. (NCES)
Employment rates were generally higher for males than females at each level of educational attainment in 2014. (NCES)^[3]
Over the course of a forty-year working life, the typical college graduate earns an estimated $550,000 more than the typical high school graduate. (PEW)
The median gap in annual earnings between a high school and college graduate as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010 is $19,550. (PEW)^[4]

Perhaps most important, an overwhelming majority of college graduates—86 percent—say that college has been a good investment for them personally. (PEW)

Differences in Earnings between States

You may wish to use this Earnings and Educational Attainment (2011) interactive table to see how earnings for college graduates vs. high school–only graduates in your state compare with those in other states.

All in all, college imparts a wide and deep range of benefits. The short video Why College, below, shows that with a college degree you are more likely to

Have a higher salary
Have and keep a job
Get a pension plan
Be satisfied with your job
Feel your job is important
Have health insurance

Vidro: There are many benefits to getting a college degree - here are just a few. https://youtu.be/-N6nru0nThg

Success in College

Success in college can be measured in many ways: through your own sense of what is important to you; through your family’s sense of what is important to your collective group; through your institution’s standards of excellence; through the standards established by your state and country; through your employer’s perceptions about what is needed in the workplace; and in many respects through your own unfolding goals, dreams, and ambitions.

How are you striving to achieve your goals? And how will you measure your success along the way?

Career Profile

As you make a commitment to your college career, let’s review your career profile, a self-assessment of your goals, values, personality, skills and interests in order to start researching specific careers and explore activities to give you more hands-on experience.

Activity 5.1: Your Career Profile

Goals

Reflecting on your career exploration, identify one long-term career goal.
Then, identify 2-3 short-term goals for this semester to achieve your long-term goal from #1.

Values

From Chapter 3, what are your top 3-5 work values?
Name 2 career titles that you are most interested in that will allow you to express your values.

Interests

From Chapter 4 and your SII inventory results, what are your top interests (Holland Code)?
Name 2 career titles that you are most interested in that will allow you to express your interests.

Personality

From Chapter 4 and your MBTI results, what is your 4-letter personality type?
Name 2 career titles that you are most interested in that will be best fit with your personality type.

Skills

From Chapter 4, what are your 5 skills?
Name 2 career titles that you are most interested in that will allow you to utilize your skills.

Research activity:

Of all the career titles you have explored, which career would you be interested in researching more in-depth?

Below is the second part of Jamie Edwards’s essay (former student at State University of New York). Her advice is to make connections between the “now” of college experience and future career possibilities. She thinks that the more informed you are about your career options through real-life conversations and experiences, the better prepared you will be for your future—and the more confident you will be in your career decisions.

From where I sit now—my former personal and professional struggles in tow—I offer up some pieces of advice that were crucial to getting me where I am today. Whether you’re an undecided major who is looking for guidance or a student with a clearly defined career path, I suggest the following:

Find a mentor—For me, everything began there. Without my mentor, I wouldn’t have done any of the other items I’m about to suggest. Finding the right mentor is crucial. Look for someone who can complement your personality (typically someone who’s the opposite of you). My advice would be to look beyond your direct supervisor for mentorship. It’s important to create an open forum with your mentor, because there may be a conflict of interest as you discuss work issues and other job opportunities. Potential mentors to consider are an instructor on campus, your academic advisor, a professional currently working in your prospective field, someone you admire in your community, or anyone in your network of friends or family that you feel comfortable discussing your future goals with.

Enroll in a Career Exploration/Planning course, or something similar—Even if you do not see the effects of this course immediately (such as dramatically changing your major), you will notice the impact down the road. Making educated career choices and learning job readiness skills will always pay off in the end. Through my career exploration class, I learned how to relate my personality and values to potential career fields. These self-assessments changed my entire thought process, and I see that influence daily. Beyond changing the way you think, the knowledge you gain about effective job search strategies is invaluable. Learning how to write purposeful résumés and cover letters, finding the right approach to the interview process, and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses are just a few of the benefits you can gain from these type of courses.

Complete a Job Shadow and/or Informational Interview—No amount of online research is going to give you the same experience as seeing a job at the front line. In a job shadow or an informational interview, you’re able to explore options with no commitment and see how your in-class experience can carry over to a real world setting. Additionally, you’re expanding your professional network by having that personal involvement. You never know how the connections you make might benefit you in the future. My only regret about job shadowing in college is that I didn’t do it sooner.

Do an Internship—A main source of frustration for recent grads is the inability to secure an entry-level position without experience. “How do I get a job to gain experience when I can’t get a job without experience?” This is how: do an internship or two! Most colleges even have a course where you can obtain credit for doing it! Not only will you earn credits towards graduation, but you’ll gain the necessary experience to put on your résumé and discuss in future interviews. Having completed four internships throughout my college career, I can’t say they were all great. However, I don’t regret a single one. The first one showed me the type of field I didn’t want to work in. The second confirmed that I was heading in the right direction with my career. My third and fourth internships introduced me to completely different areas of higher education which broadened my knowledge and narrowed my search simultaneously.

My takeaway is that sometimes you have to learn what you don’t want in order to find out what you do want. The more informed you are about career options through real-life conversations and experiences, the better prepared you will be for your future and the more confident you will be in your career decisions. Always explore your options because even if you learn you hate it, at least you’re one step close to finding what you love.

—Jamie Edwards, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom

Activity 5.2: Informational Interview

As recommended in Part 2, #3 above, try the following activity from a virtual career center for CA community college students:

Activity 5.3: resources for career research

After you have identified career titles you are most interested and have conducted informational interviews, check out the following resources to help research careers more in-depth:

California Labor Market Information
- The Labor Market Information Division (LMID) is the official source for California Labor Market Information. The LMID promotes California’s economic health by providing information to help people understand California’s economy and make informed labor market choices. We collect, analyze, and publish statistical data and reports on California’s labor force, industries, occupations, employment projections, wages and other important labor market and economic data.
Occupational Outlook Handbook from US Department of Labor
- The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations.
Additionally, for in-person help, go to the college’s career center to get more help with your search

Key Takeaways

Labor research indicates that as educational attainment increases in individuals the unemployment rate decreases.

A college degree affects other personal factors you may have not considered such as retirement plan, health care insurance, and higher lifetime salary.

Selecting the right career involves thorough research such as, informational interviews, online research, and utilizing the Career Center located in your college.

"Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success." Hart Research Associates, 20 Jan. 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. ↵
"Workplace, Office Blogs, Articles & Advice - Experience.com." Workplace, Office Blogs, Articles & Advice - Experience.com. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. ↵
"Fast Facts." Fast Facts. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. ↵
"Is College Worth It?" Pew Research Centers Social Demographic Trends Project RSS. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. ↵

Contributors and Attributions

The Big Picture. Authored by: Linda Bruce. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution

Image of job fair. Authored by: Public Information Office. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/ardWgX. License: CC BY: Attribution
Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom. Authored by: Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by: Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at: http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Student Voices: What Does it Mean to be College and Career Ready?. Authored by: Achieve. Located at: https://youtu.be/9pYqsShxqD4. License: CC BY: Attribution
First University in the United States. Provided by: Wikipedia. Located at: https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/First_university_in_the_United_States. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

What Does College and Career Readiness Mean?. Provided by: Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Located at: http://osse.dc.gov/service/what-does-college-and-career-readiness-mean. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright
Chart of Earnings and Unemployment. Provided by: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Located at: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright
Interview. Provided by: Pixabay. Located at: https://pixabay.com/en/interview-job-skills-employment-607713/. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright
Provided by: California Career Cafe. Located at: http://www.cacareercafe.com/experience/conversations/. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright
Provided by: Bureau of Labor Statistics . Located at: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright

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Activity 5.1: Your Career Profile

Activity 5.2: Informational Interview

Activity 5.3: resources for career research

Key Takeaways