Exercise 1: Life History Interview

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From the course by Wesleyan University

Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact

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Wesleyan University

Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact

1 rating

I am an adult developmental psychologist by training and a career counselor by trade, currently the Director of the Gordon Career Center at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In this course, I draw from my decades of experience as well as research from the fields of psychology, organizational behavior, and sociology to help you understand best practices for making career decisions. This content will help you develop the tools you need to make the right choices for you, from deciding an area of study to exploring potential lines of work to pursue—and knowing when to pivot at any time in your career.

From the lesson

Your Motivations, Part One

This module will introduce you to the course and ask "What is insight? Why is it important? What impact can personal insight have on your academic or professional goals?" We will also look at why people tend to prematurely foreclose on career options due to choice paralysis and occupational stereotypes. The exercises will help reveal how you go about making decisions.

Introduction3:28

A note on the exercises1:44

What Is Insight?7:34

Exercise 1: Life History Interview2:57

Meet the Instructors

Sharon Belden Castonguay
Director, Gordon Career Center

Choose someone to conduct an interview with you about your life so far.

It may be a friend or family member, a classmate,

or work colleague, or even your computer,

if you wish to keep your answers private.

In any case you should plan to answer the questions out

loud and I encourage you to record the session if possible,

such as via webcam,

so you can go back to it later.

Please plan to allow plenty of time at least one to two hours.Where did you grow up?

Who are the most influential adults in your life?

And what did they do for a living?

How did your academic interest develop?

What seemed to be influencing your decisions?

What other things were you involved in outside the classroom?

How did those interests change over time?

What seemed to be influencing your decisions?

Did you go to college?

How did you decide where to apply?

What seemed to be influencing your decisions?.

If you went to college what was your intended major when you applied to school?

Did your academic interests change?

If so how did that change come about?

What do you feel have been your most influential academic experiences todate?

What were your interests outside the classroom?How did they change over time?

What types of work experiences did you have while still in school?

These could include internships, summer jobs,

volunteer work etc.. What did you learn from these experiences about your interests

outside the classroom?What did you do after leaving school?

How did you go about making that decision?

What did you do next and how did that lead to what you're doing now?

Overall, what have been the most influential experiences you've had so far?

Why? Overall, who have been the most influential people you've met?

Why? As you look back over these experiences what are your happiest memories?

What is it about those experiences that made them enjoyable?

What are your least happy memories?

Why? What are some careers that you know you don't want to pursue?

What is it about these jobs as you perceive them that turn you off?

What is your source of knowledge about these careers?

Do you have long term career goals that you know you wish to achieve?

What do you think that you're good at?

Do you enjoy using those skills?

What are you not good at?

Do you care about developing those skills?

As you think through your answers to these questions,

what patterns or themes do you see?

Do you see any inconsistency contradictions or conflicts in these themes?

How might they be resolved?

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