Overview

Before you begin looking for a job, you need to identify your career interests and goals. It is also very important to recognize your strengths so you can find jobs that allow you to use those strengths. When you can use your strengths in a job, you are more likely to be successful and happy. It is also important to be aware of the types of jobs and work environments that would not be a good fit with your skills, interests, and personality.

In the following sections, you can take a social skills assessment, interests quiz, and work environment assessments to help guide you towards specific careers. You can also learn much more about specific jobs in our job descriptions section.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself as you explore these sections: 

Determining Interests Guiding Questions

What are my talents and strengths?  How might these talents and strengths help me do my job better? What types of jobs am I interested in? Based on my skills, experience, and education level, what kind of jobs could I obtain right now? What are my long-term career goals?  Are my career goals realistic?  Can I create a clear, step-by-step plan to make my career goals a reality? What specific steps do I need to take in order to meet my career goals? What types of jobs would make me feel satisfied? What types of jobs would not be a good match for me? What strategies or accommodations might I need to help me perform a job successfully?

When you work to answer these questions and begin taking steps to make your goals happen, you are demonstrating self-advocacy skills.  When you are a self-advocate, you know what your strengths and interests are, you speak up for yourself, and you actively seek out information to help you make the best decisions for yourself.