Career counseling and exploration can help you at any stage in your student journey. We're here to help you develop your career goals and support you through the decision making process.
Let's explore: career counseling and development
We offer in-person and online tools that can help you dig deep on what career opportunities may be best for you based on your:
- Interests
- Goals
- Personality traits
- Values
We can even help connect you with GRCC alumni or professionals that currently work in the fields you're interested in, or we can help you figure out what you want to do with your major.
What is Career Counseling?
Career counseling is a process that helps you learn more about yourself and the world of work so that you can make well-considered decisions about your education and career. It occurs in the context of a collaborative, confidential, therapeutic relationship with a counselor who will apply counseling skills, career development knowledge, and awareness of educational and career information sources to help empower you to overcome barriers to decision-making.
Career Counseling does not Involve:
- Being told what goals you should pursue or what major or career is best for you.
- Academic advising. Be sure to work with your academic advisor in the Academic Advising & Transfer Center, TRIO Programs, Disability Support Services, or Occupational Support Program, or with a faculty advisor in your chosen academic program.
- Course scheduling. Admissions & Student Services can help!
- Resume development or job search services. Check out Student Employment Services!
What to Expect
- Your first meeting with us will be an initial screening appointment. This is a brief, individual appointment with a counselor to assess your needs and goals, and to plan next steps based on that information. You may receive referrals to online resources for self-guided, career-related assessment and exploration, group-based services, individual career counseling, and/or a variety of other campus and community resources.
- For career counseling, your next appointment will focus more in-depth on your goals and expectations, and explore your career-decision making readiness, as well as influencing factors such as academic, family, and employment history.
- Follow-up appointments are typically scheduled every two weeks or less frequently, depending upon appointment availability and your pace. Preparation may include between-appointment tasks such as completing assessments of your values, skills, personality preferences, and interests, and learning more about careers through written materials, videos, interviews, and/or job shadowing.
- Career counseling often involves:
- Talking about your thoughts and feelings about your academic and career choices
- Discussing assessment results to enhance your self-understanding
- Learning how to access and consider reliable information about careers of interest
- Engaging in a guided process to help you reach a decision about your academic pathway, major, and/or career goal, considering the factors that are important to you.
Make an Appointment
To schedule an initial screening appointment with a counselor, call or visit our office, (616) 234-4130, 368 SCC or schedule online:
Schedule an Initial Screening Appointment
Explore online
Use any of our online resources to take personality assessments and learn more about various careers right here in West Michigan.
Focus 2
Use FOCUS 2 for a self-guided career, major, and education planning system.
- Watch a tour on what FOCUS 2 CAREER is all about!
- Register as a new user with access code: raiders.
- Complete the career-related self assessments.
- Explore careers and areas of study.
- Save your findings and discuss with an advisor!
Additional resources
- O*NET — Occupational Information Network. Find occupations using keywords or use a list of your skills to find matching occupations
- Occupational Outlook Handbook — Career information from the US Dept. of Labor
- Career One Stop: Pathways to Career Success — Tools to help job seekers, students, businesses, and career professionals. Also provides links to employment statistics by state. Sponsored by the US Department of Labor
- Michigan Labor Market Information — Prepares employment outlook by careers. This is a great way explore the demand in the work force and wage information.
- Vocational Information Center — Explore vocational and technical careers; includes links to career descriptions, educational sites, directories, associations, and more.
- NACADA Clearing House — An organization that has identified several university websites with career resources
- Discover job opportunities and more with UNCW's 'What can I do with a major in?' from University of North Carolina at Wilmington, learn about careers available for different majors.
- PayScale's Guide to Early Career Success — How to find a job that aligns with your strengths and passions.