Thinking of Changing Your Program?

You are the expert when it comes to knowing yourself! When exploring your program options, it is important to identify your core values, skills, and interests. Think about: What interests you? What skills do you have or want to gain? What motivates you?

Below are resources that can help you get started in exploring your values, skills, and interests.

Visit Career Services!

• Career Counsellors can support you with identifying your values, abilities and interests. A Career Counsellor can also discuss whether you would benefit from career assessments, and interpret the results with you.

TypeFocus

• This is an online self-assessment tool with resources to help individuals learn more about themselves. It can be used to assess strengths, research occupations, set career goals, and plan for success. You can access TypeFocus through mySuccess.

***Please note that Type Focus is a method of sorting preferences, not a test (i.e. no right or wrong answers). When completing this inventory think of how you are when you do not have outside pressures to behave in a particular way. Choose the response that best reflects how you would typically behave.

mynextmove.org

• This is another online assessment that can be taken to gain a deeper understanding of interests, skills and abilities that align with difference careers.

Values Inventory

• Values are elements that are important to you when choosing your degree program and understanding what your values are can help guide you through your research when deciding on what to study. You can complete this exercise with one of our Career Counsellors.

*If you choose to take on online assessment to learn more about your personality or your interests it is essential that you meet with a Career Counsellor to discuss the results.

By gaining a better understanding of your values, skills and interests, you will be able to identify specific program options available to you. You can learn about different programs of interest by researching online, through people, or by trying it out!

Online:

Going online can be a great way to start your research and get valuable information that will help you learn about your program options.

• Explore the Admissions Office webpage to get an overview and information regarding all of the degree programs that Carleton University has to offer.
• Make sure to check out the Undergraduate Calendar to review and read about the different courses offered as well as identify the prerequisites required to enroll in those courses.
• Explore Your Degree, Your Future for information regarding skills and potential career possibilities for most of the degrees that Carleton has to offer.
• To research degree programs that connect to specific career paths, review the Career Cruising website (password available through mySuccess).

Through People:

Talking to knowledgeable staff and faculty can provide you with greater insight about the various degree programs and what career paths they can lead you to. You can also get valuable information from your friends and classmates regarding their programs.

• Peers – Ask you friends or classmates about what courses they found interesting or talk to them about their program to get an idea of what they like or what they find challenging.
• Departmental Advisor – Meet with an advisor in the Department to help you learn more about specific programs and discuss the courses path or experiential learning opportunities with the program.
• Academic Advising Centre – An academic advisor can go over your options and review changes to your academic audit before you decide to choose a program.

Experiential Learning:

Try things out! Before you officially choose your program, you can test it out.

• Enroll in courses that you are interested in to see whether or not you like it. This will give you an idea of what the program is like.
• Test it out! If you are unsure about a course, ask a professor if you can sit in on their class before you register.

Review what you have learned from your research and reflect.

• Identify some short-term and long-term plans that will utilize the skills that you will gain from your degree.
• Set SMART Goals to help yourself move forward with your academic and career goals!

This step is action-oriented! It is time to word towards your well thought-out plan, which can be: completing the TypeFocus, reviewing an academic audit with an advisor or trying a specific course.