Do You Know About Career Coach?

NHTI – Concord’s Community College has access to an online program called Career Coach. This program is a great way to discover majors and in-demand careers and education based on your interests. A lot of students begin their college career knowing the exact field and profession they want to enter, however, a good portion of students don’t, and that’s okay! Career Coach is here to help and this is how it works:

1. Start by taking a career assessment. There are two versions you can take: a short 6-question version, or a more detailed 60-question version. These questions will ask you about your interests-- whether you’re more of a leader, if you like working in areas of biology or mathematics, and so on. This is a great resource to really make you think about what you like to do and might enjoy doing as part of your career. Once you’ve answered all the questions, your results will include your top personality traits and which career fields you best match up with. Don’t worry if your suggested career fields seem out in left field! These results are meant to give you some career choices to think over and dig deeper into before making a full commitment. Remember, college is a time to explore your interests and NHTI offers dozens of classes in various subjects, try some out!

2. Next, browse some careers. Maybe you already have an idea in mind for your future career, or you’re really interested in a topic area but have no idea how to turn that into a career. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Career Coach has a section where you can browse through careers in various topics areas like education, law, government, and so on. Did you know you can do so much more with a criminal justice degree than become a police officer? Scroll through some of the career fields and see if you find anything that might interest you.

3. Try browsing some of the programs. So you’ve decided you really like the medical field but don’t really know where in that field you would like to work. Career Coach allows you to browse through all the programs that are offered at NHTI. Did you know we have a Rad Tech program? What about Nursing? Maybe you’re interested in more of the business side of the medical field? This section breaks down the various programs into groups so you can easily work your way through each program to determine which is the best fit for you.

4. Are you a Veteran? Career Coach provides a great resource to help match a civilian job with the skills you learn while serving the United State’s military. Did you spend a lot of times with computers, learning various programs and how to develop programs? A career in IT might be the perfect fit for you! This tool can be an excellent resource if you are looking to make a transition into a new career, or continue expanding upon an area you’ve already qualified in based on your years of service.

5. You can also build your resume! What does a good resume look like? How many pages should it be and what font should you use? Do you include your experience in high school or not? Resume building tends to be the area people need the most help because you just never really know what a future employer might want to see. This resource will walk you through adding your experience, education and skills to a comprehensive document that can be sent to hiring officials. Plus, once you’ve built your resume once, you only need to tweak it with each new experience and skill you gain-- that’s awesome!

The main point to take away from this is to not be intimidated because there is plenty of help to go around. You don’t have to have it all figured out on day one of your college career. Try a new class or check out a program you never thought you would be interested in. Career Coach is here to help you figure out who you want to be and what you want to do with your life, so give it a try!