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Career Coaching
Selecting a career path is one of the most significant decisions a person will make in his/her life. Many students are puzzled by the career decision-making process. A career counselor will help you determine the appropriate steps you may take in order to achieve your goals.
To learn more about career counseling you may contact the Career Center or click on the following questions:
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How Can I Enroll If I Am 'Clueless' About a Major?
An admission counselor will assist you in applying as an undecided student. After acceptance, a career counselor will help you plan your first semester class schedule. During the semester, you will work with a counselor to explore your career interests.
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Why See a Career Counselor?
Counselors are trained professionals who assist enrolled students with the challenging decisions about their career and educational goals. If you are undecided and have no idea about what career to pursue, a counselor will coach you in defining a career path. A counselor will also assist you with investigating your interests if you have an idea about your major but would like additional career information.
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What is Career Planning?
Career Planning is a multiple step decision-making process. Since each student's situation and needs are unique, the process and format varies. The process may include assessment, exploration, selection, and employment. As a "career coach", the counselor will instruct the student through the appropriate phases.
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What is Assessment?
Assessment begins the process of understanding who you are: your interests, values, aptitudes, and personality. The purpose is to assist you in examining the strength of your likes or dislikes for general areas of work, not to indicate whether you would necessarily "be good at" that type of work. Areas of greatest interest form the basis for further exploration or research. Information about skills, preferences for work environment, and personality are usually combined for an overall evaluation of the individual's career path. Understanding who you are is a critical step in the career decision-making process.
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What are Career Center Assessments?
- CDM (Career Decision Making) A self-scored assessment that helps students explore their interests, abilities, and goals and identify their career clusters, and provides a list of occupations for each career cluster.
- Strong Interest Explorer is a self-scored assessment in workbook form that examines interests and highlights steps to help identify appropriate education and career options.
- SDS is an assessment inventory that helps students to focus their interests on career choices and refers them to additional sources of information.
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What is Exploration?
This phase requires that students have a “curious mind” when using the vast resources in the Career Center to learn about careers of their interests. When appropriate, other avenues of research such as informational interviews and job shadowing in the community are suggested.
Career Center Exploration Resources:
- O*NET provides a detailed description of more than 1000-plus jobs in their database.
- Vocational Biographies offer an inside look at careers through the eyes of people who work in them.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook provides information on salaries, education and training, employment outlook and resources for various occupations.
- Reference Books and Manuals are available for students to read at the center to further explore their career interests.
- Senior Institution and Community College materials include videos, catalogs, applications and view books.
Selection
Once the student is satisfied that he or she has enough information to make a decision, steps can be taken to pursue a certificate, diploma, or degree at Wake Tech that is related to the student's career interests. Visit the College Catalog site to see the Wake Tech Associate degree, diploma, and certificate opportunities. The career counselor will recommend Wake Tech college courses related to the individual's career goals and, when appropriate, discuss further educational opportunities.
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What about Employment?
Once you complete a program of study, Wake Tech's Job Placement Office can help you with resume-building, interview skills, and tips on the job hunt.
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How Do I Contact a Counselor?
The Counselors can be contacted by telephone, walk–in, or email. Students can make an appointment by contacting:
The length and number of appointments depend on student needs. It is not unusual for students to meet with the career counselor throughout two semesters.
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What Career Resources are Available Online?
There are numerous career resources available on the internet. Below are links to great web sites that can provide you with additional information on career planning. WTCC Counseling Services does not own or maintain the following web sites. We provide links as a service to WTCC students. These links open in a new browser window.
Individual Assessment Resources
These links provide additional information to help you investigate your career interests.
 Choices Planner by Bridges
You will need to create a free account through CFNC. Bridges tools provide the latest available information on career, school, and program with easy-to-use tabs and connections to related careers and programs.
https://www1.cfnc.org/Career_Center/CFNC_Bridges_Tools/_default.aspx
Personality Type.com
Knowing your "type" unlocks powerful insights that help you understand yourself and others.
http://www.personalitytype.com
Humanmetrics
May help you to identify your life style in general and with respect to
specific career fields.
http://www.humanmetrics.com
Keirsey Temperament Sorter
Helps you identify your temperament type. This will provide you with clues to careers of your interest.
http://keirsey.com
Work Interest Quiz
Helps you know what type of work you enjoy doing.
www.myfuture.com/toolbox/workinterest.html
Career Exploration Resources
These links provide additional information to help you investigate your career interests.
America's Career InfoNet
Career Education
Major Resources Kit
NC Health Careers
NC SOICC
NCSU's Career Center
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Princeton Review
Salary Information
Holland Codes
UNC-W's Career Center
Career Voyages - This website is a collaboration between the US Department of Labor and the US Department of Education. It is designed to provide information on high growth, in-demand occupations along with the skills and education needed to attain those jobs.
Vocational Biographies - Explore careers by telling the stories of persons working in those careers. The biographies track workers from their school experiences through their current jobs and lifestyles. Please contact a counselor to get user id and password to login.
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What Career Resources are Available in Wake County?
The JobLink Career Center helps individuals seek employment opportunities or training resources.
- 220 Swinburne St, Raleigh
919-250-3770
(Social Services Building, behind Wake Med)
- 742 East Chadham St, Cary
919- 469-1406
(Employment Security Commission Building)
- 3351 Carl Sandburg St, Raleigh
919-212-3849
(Employment Security Commission Building)
BIC (Business & Industry Center) offers career counseling for people in the community who are not enrolled at Wake Tech. For more information please contact Mary Brady 919- 881-3895.
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