Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

How to Choose a Career

When you decide to go to college, people will ask you “What kind of job are you going to get after you graduate?” For most of us, this is a tough question – how do you know you like something before you even get a chance to study it?  You’re probably also wondering what classes should you take. How will they prepare you for your future? For a career? The How to Choose a Career track was designed for just these questions. In this track, you will find helpful tips on:

  • Taking a career assessment
  • Researching possible careers
  • Determining the path for some of your favorite career opportunities
  • Choosing a career and making a plan to get there

With a little guidance from this track and the many options you have at PCC, we can set you off on your academic journey on the path to success.

Now vs. later

Why figure out career choices now instead of waiting and figuring it out as you go? Waiting may seem easier, but here’s how choosing something early on will help you:

Make a decision now

Illustration, see description

Think about it later…

Illustration, see description

The graphic shows two figures making different decisions. Person 1 decides to choose a goal now, Person 2 decides to wait and see what happens. If you choose a goal like person 1, you’ll take classes that lead to your career, choose a major that fits your interests, only pay for classes you need, and land a great job right after graduation. If you decide to wait like Person 2, you’ll take random classes hoping to find a fit, change your major over and over, run out of financial aid before finishing, and drop out with lots of debt and no job.