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Dear  Farieda

Thank you for your question regarding Channell’s career exploration process. It is quite normal for young people to change their minds a number of times before they finally settle on something. What is important is to help her understand herself (interests, values, academic performance and personality) and to relate this knowledge to what she finds out about the various careers she explores. She will then be considering careers on the basis of what is important to her and not the values of other people.

So how does a person go about finding out what they enjoy? I suggest you work through the tried and trusted steps developed by the Father of Career Guidance, Frank Parson:

Self-knowledge: Help Channell to explore her interests, values, personality, academic record and attitudes towards studying. There are a number of books, websites and professional people you can get help from. The book “A to Z of Careers in South Africa” by Don Nelson has some information on interests and values in the front section. Your local public library will probably be able to suggest other useful books too.  Some websites which you may find are useful include:

• UNISA: Bureau for Counselling, Career and Academic Development; self-knowledge:  http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=15144
• Umsobomvo Youth Portal:
• Career Development and Planning Guide; http://www.youthportal.org.za/ur/EducationandTrainingCareerPlanningUFVersion.pdf

You could also consult a professional (psychologist, psychometrist or career counsellor) to assist you with your career development process. This process often includes a career development assessment. Try the Yellow Pages to find contacts in your area.

Knowledge about the world of work: Help Channell find out about the different careers that suit her interests, values and personality. Help her to use her self-knowledge to come up with a list of potential career opportunities to explore further. Make use of the career resources like the Careerplanet website, the Umsobomvu Youth Portal,  “The Ultimate Career Guide” produced by A&O Vision (this book is a wonderful source of up-to-date South African career information) and the “A to Z of Careers in South Africa” by Don Nelson.

Once Channell has narrowed down her potential career list to 3 to 4 choices, it will be helpful for her to talk to people already employed in these careers and to “job shadow” or gain work experience as a volunteer; so that she really gets to experience what the career entails in reality. Find out what sort of courses are required for entry into these careers, as well as what school subjects she needs to take in order to satisfy the academic entry requirements.

We hope this information will help you help Channell with her career exploration process.

The Career Planet Team