LOVE Your Career

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and love is in the air!  I admit that I am one of those sappy people who love this holiday.  Why not celebrate love?  Life is so busy that it’s nice to have a day set aside for us to show our love and appreciation for the important people in our lives.  While you are planning how you will be spending your time celebrating with your friends, family and loved ones, just know your search for love shouldn’t stop there.  I admit I am also one of those sappy career counselors who believe you should love what you do.  Why not love your career?  Most people spend most of their waking hours at their job.  So, think of me as your career cupid (minus the diaper and wings).  This Valentine’s Day, my gift to you are a few helpful tips on how to find a career you love.

     Careers are like a good relationship; it’s all about the fit.  In order to find out which careers are a good fit for you, you need to get to know yourself.  So start paying attention and getting involved in the things you like. So, join clubs, volunteer, or come to The Career Center for an assessment; do whatever gets the ball rolling.

     Put some time and effort into your search.  Happy relationships take time and effort, and so should your career search.  Set aside some time to research the careers and fields you are interested in.  If you need some resources for your search, come to The Career Center and we will show you what you need.

     Get some feedback.  When we date someone new, we always ask the people who we trust what they think.  So why not ask a professional in the career you are interested in what they think about the field?  Conduct informational interviews and ask people what they love about their career and what they don’t like about it.  Some of you are shy about this, so come to The Career Center for a pep talk. 

     Spend some time trying out the career.  Just like dating, you need to see if the reality of the career matches the idea of it.  The best way to “date” your career – get an internship!  The Career Center can help you with your internship search, so make an appointment.

     Just remember, there are many fish in the sea.  So, if you find you don’t like a career after all, cast another net and try again.  There is a career out there for everyone and our career counselors are here to help you fish through the opportunities! 

You can show us some love any day of the year:

The Hofstra Career Center, M. Robert Lowe Hall

Phone:  463-6060, Email: CareerCenter@hofstra.edu

Website:  www.hofstra.edu/career

Facebook, Twitter, Blog

Happy Valentine’s Day!