Information for secondary students and school leavers
A step-by-step guide to making a career decision
People make career decisions in all kinds of ways. Sometimes things happen by chance, or opportunities open up along the way.
But many career decisions come after lots of thought and planning. Here are some suggestions to get you thinking about your career. Give yourself a good block of time to work through the steps – perhaps a few weeks for each.
On this page
Step 1: Get to know what you like doing
Deciding on a career is easier if you take some time to get to know yourself. A good starting point is to think about what you are interested in doing.
For example, do you like working with your hands? Are you good with numbers? Or are you creative, preferring drawing or writing?
Other questions to ask yourself are:
- What am I good at?
- What do I like to do in my spare time?
- What have I achieved already?
As you do things throughout your day make a note of when you are most happy and what you are doing at that time. You may even want to draw yourself doing something fun. What is it?
Find out more about yourself
- Tools to help you decide what job might be right for you
Other things you can do
- Talk to people you trust, and who know you well. Ask them what they think your strengths and skills are.
- If you have a part-time job, think about asking your employer what parts of the job they think you do well.
You can also download the following resources, print them out, and fill in the parts about yourself:
Action – Make a job list
After doing these activities you will probably have a list of at least three to six job ideas, maybe more. Jot these down on a piece of paper.
Step 2: Find out more about the jobs you like
Now you've got some ideas about jobs you might like to do, it's time to find out more about them – particularly the qualification or training you might need. That way you can make an informed choice about the job.
Research questions
Three questions to keep in mind when you are finding out about a job are:
- How can I get into the job?
- Do I need to study or train?
- What are the future opportunities and pay like?
How to start your research
Find out more about the jobs you're interested in and what training you might need.
- Jobs - search for information about more than 600 jobs
- Use our database to find out more about courses and training providers
- Industries - find out if an industry is growing and if it offers good job opportunities
Other things you can do
- Talk to your careers adviser at school about your job ideas.
- Look for information in the careers section of your school or local library.
- Talk to someone who has done the job or course you are thinking of doing. This is valuable for finding out what the job or course is really like.
- Contact employers, industry representatives or professional associations to find out the latest news from the industry. They usually have contact people listed on their website.
- Visit a careers expo or careers evening to get information.
- Contact tertiary education providers for course information or visit their websites. You could even make an appointment to see a course adviser to talk to them about a specific course.
- Attend polytech and university open days.
- Do some work experience in the job you are interested in. You may be able to do this along with your school work, so talk to your careers adviser or Gateway co-ordinator to find out more.
- Read more about how work experience can help you
- Find contact details for industry training organisations
Action - Revise your job list
Revise your job ideas list, keeping the jobs you like best, and taking out jobs you have decided against. You may have discovered new jobs you want to include. You should now have a list of two or three job choices that you really like.
Step 3: Make a choice about which option is best
Tip
You might want to keep your options open if you’re not sure about a specific job. Many types of training can lead to a variety of careers. For example, management studies may lead to jobs in accounting, economics, computing, marketing or project management.
Now that you have a shortlist of job choices, it’s time to figure out the best option for you, as well as a backup.
Comparing your choices
When you are making your choices remember that everyone makes choices differently – some people choose fast, and some take their time.
If you are stuck, remember that your instinct about what feels right is important and may help in your decisions.
To help you make your choice you could try:
- making a list of pros and cons to evaluate each option
- talking to someone about which option might be best – they might come up with some information you haven't thought of
- using our What if I do? What if I don't? worksheet to help you compare one choice with another. Download What if I do? What if I don’t? worksheet (PDF - 44KB)
People you could talk to include:
- your family
- friends – about where they are heading and how they made their choices
- a Modern Apprenticeship co-ordinator or industry contact if you are thinking about a trade or job covered by an industry training organisation (ITO)
- your careers adviser at school
- course advisers at universities and polytechs
- Career Services staff.
Action - Decide on a first and second choice
Now that you have compared your job choices, decide which is your first choice, and which is your second.
"I talked to a horticultural consultant about whether it would be better to do a horticulture degree or a diploma. I decided on a degree, because that could lead into orchard management, rather than just orchard work."
Nick Arnst, Horticulture Student
Step 4: Make a plan to help you reach your goal
Tip
Not ready to make a decision just yet? You could take a gap year. This is when you take a year out between school and tertiary study, to try new things.
Now that you have a firm idea about what you want to do, it’s time to plan how you will get there.
Action - Write down your goal
Write down your goal. Be specific. Then think about the steps you need to take to achieve your goal. Add a date to your goal as you are more likely to stick to it.
An example of goal setting
Goal: To become a horse trainer.
Steps I'll take to achieve this goal:
- I'll do a National Certificate in Equine at the local polytech, which I will apply for in November.
- I'll try to find a part-time job next month as a stablehand so I’m getting experience in the industry.
One of the guides or worksheets below may help you to plan your next steps.
Applying for courses and training
Applying for an apprenticeship or industry training
- A step-by-step guide to getting into industry training
- A step-by-step guide to becoming a Modern Apprentice
