College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Psychology
Department of Psychology

Personal Exploration

Psychology is a broad field, appealing to students with many different interests, strengths, and goals.  While some students may have specific career goals in mind, others are not yet sure what they might want to do after graduation.  Careful planning can help you find your way to a career in which you thrive. This can be an iterative process, of course – people change jobs and even career pathways over their lifetime, so this needn’t be stressful.  You aren’t deciding your entire future right now.  But it is worth doing some thinking and planning during your college years to get a good start on that journey.

One way to get started is to explore your interests, strengths, values, and life goals.  In thinking about career pathways, look for the intersection between what you enjoy doing, what you are good at, and what you find meaningful.  Finding your “element” (the place where the things you love to do, the things you are good at, and what you find meaningful come together) can help you generate a vision for your career (Hettich & Landrum, 2014) Within that space, you can then include other considerations (e.g., geographic preference, desired income).  

Thinking about what you enjoy doing can help you identify the kinds of job structures that would fit with your preferences.  Simple things like whether you like greater variety or a more consistent routine, for example, can be helpful in identifying the kinds of occupations that would be a better fit for you.  

Considerations of your strengths can help you identify where you are likely to succeed.  While you don’t want to limit yourself to just what you can do now – you are certainly able to grow your skills and abilities through experience – it does make sense to at least broadly consider your areas of strength in choosing your career.  For example, you might think about your general approach to problems (e.g., analytic and/or creative thinking skills) or your specific skill sets (e.g., strong interpersonal and/or technical skills).  

Meaning also matters.  We spend a lot of hours at work and our level of sustained engagement is enhanced when we find the work personally meaningful.  In other words, at the end of the day (or the work week), what would feel like it was worth all the effort and time you put into your career?  

Here’s an example:  A student enjoys travel (preference), is good at photography (strength), and wants to help communities tell their unique stories (meaning).  One career path that exists in this sweet spot would be a photojournalist (say, at National Geographic).  Other options could include organizing cultural education tours for artists or providing photography classes for young people to help them tell the story of their community.  

In addition to enjoyment, strength, and meaning, it is important to consider your career goals within the context of your broader life goals.  Think about your life priorities and what you want your life to look like with regard to living situation, daily structure, time spent on work and non-work activities, financial status, and relationships.  

Journaling and more structured exercises can help you identify your strengths, values, and preferences.  You can find relevant self-exploration guides here: