Taking a career assessment is a great starting point if you are feeling undecided about what career path you are interested in pursuing. A career assessment can help you determine potential careers that might bring job satisfaction. A variety of assessments are available to give you a better idea about specific aspects of yourself as related to career planning, such as interests, personality, values, and skills.

Take a career assessment using one of the assessment tools below and find out what majors and career paths might be a good fit for you. We recommend you schedule a 30-minute appointment with a career counselor after completing an assessment to debrief and synthesize your results.

• CCC Career Coach- Use this website to take an interest-based career assessment to learn about yourself, discover majors and in-demand careers, and learn more about academic programs offered through the California Community College system: https://ccc.emsicc.com/ 
• California Career Zone- Take an interest or values assessment to learn more about potential career paths that align with you. This website allows you to browse through California’s 15 leading industry sectors/career pathways and discover your possibilities: https://www.cacareerzone.org/
• Career OneStop- Take an interest, skills, or values assessment to learn what kind of career might be a good fit. While you’re there, take a moment to explore their collection of videos on hundreds of different careers: https://www.careeronestop.org/
• 16 Personalities- Take a personality assessment based on the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) to assess yourself, how you work with others, and what work environments are a good fit: https://www.16personalities.com/

Do you feel like you need more time to explore your options? Mendocino College offers courses that can help you explore majors and careers while developing a better sense of self and clarifying academic, career and personal goals. Consider taking one of the following courses while earning college credit! These courses are offered during the fall, spring & summer semesters.

• CCS-100: Career Planning Success (1.5-3.0 units): Begin your career planning process and find the best career options, based on their strengths, interests, and values. Earn CSU transferable elective credit. Want to learn more about the course content? View the Course Outline of Record here: https://www.mendocino.edu/academics/resources/curriculum 
• CCS-101: Career & Life Planning (3 units): Establish and achieve education, career, and life goals through a comprehensive approach to effective planning. Meets CSU General Education Transfer requirement Area E and Mendocino College Wellness degree requirement. Want to learn more about the course content? View the Course Outline of Record here: https://www.mendocino.edu/academics/resources/curriculum 

Whether you want to declare a major, change your major, or explore careers that relate to a major, there is a lot to discover about your potential options. Here at the college we offer degrees and certificates from seven Career and Learning Pathways: https://www.mendocino.edu/academics/programs/guided-pathways

Use the following resources to help you identify areas of study that are right for you:

• Explore Mendocino College program options: https://www.mendocino.edu/academics/programs/degrees-and-certificates
• Visit a department’s program page to learn more about the classes, faculty, organizations, and activities: https://www.mendocino.edu/about/administration/academic-departments 
• Get to know your program of interest by reviewing the required coursework for your degree or certificate: https://www.mendocino.edu/academics/resources/college-catalog 

• California Community Colleges Find a College- Find degrees and certificates offered through the California Community College system: https://www.cccco.edu/Students/Find-a-College
• California State University (CSU) Degree Search- Search for Baccalaureate (B.A. or B.S.) degrees offered through the CSU system: https://www.calstate.edu/attend/degrees-certificates-credentials/Pages/search-degrees.aspx
• University of California (UC) Degree Search- Search for Baccalaureate (B.A. or B.S.) degrees offered through the UC system: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses-majors/majors/

After you start identifying potential career paths and occupations of interest, it is important to continue gathering information to determine if it's the right fit for you. Informed career decisions benefit from in-depth research to obtain an understanding of day-to-day experiences, work environment, regional location, upward mobility, and more. Be sure to consider additional details for positions you are researching, such as job tasks, educational requirements, skills and qualifications, job outlook and employment projection, and wages and salary. Use the following websites to help you gather this information:

• Occupational Outlook Handbook- An online government source listing hundreds of occupations with job descriptions, education, training, median pay & projected job growth rate: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
• O*NET Online- A primary source of occupational information, offering detailed and up-to-date descriptions on U.S. occupations: https://www.onetonline.org/
• North Far North Careers- Research and explore industries and programs in the northern region of California. You'll learn what each industry is about, what job-readiness skills and education are needed, and what career paths are possible: https://northstatecareers.org/
• CCC Career Coach- In addition to taking a career assessment, you can also gather information about various career sectors, including median salary, top entry-level education, annual job openings, and daily tasks: https://ccc.emsicc.com/ 
• Salary Surfer- Provides potential wages of community college graduate earnings for certain majors after two and five years of graduating.  Does not include salary information about students who transfer to a 4-yr university: https://salarysurfer.cccco.edu/SalarySurfer.aspx
• My Skills My Future- Matches you to new jobs using your skills from current and previous jobs:  https://www.myskillsmyfuture.org/

Looking for additional resources for career exploration or need help with searching for a job and gaining work experience? Visit the Career Hub and Work Experience Education (WEE) pages to learn more: https://www.mendocino.edu/support-services/services/career-hub

Career Hub services include:

• Career Assessment
• Job Searching
• Resume & Cover Letter Assistance
• Mock Interview Coaching
• Employment Connections On- & Off-Campus
• Career-Related Workshops & Events
• Career Fairs

• Credits/Units can be applied to certificates and degrees and are transferable to CSU system  
• Practicum/Internship/Completion of Studies  (Hours of Paid and Unpaid Work = Credits/Units)  
• Open enrollment throughout the semester & courses can be repeated for up to 4 semesters 
• Paid/unpaid internships and externships, job shadowing, and volunteering are all part of the approaches to WEE 
• No class attendance other than a mandatory orientation at class start