Most students have difficulty choosing their career at some point during their college journey.

Academic Advising Director Tamara Madden said Student Employment and Career Services offers a tool that can help guide those students — Kuder Journey.

“… Kuder Journey … [is] an interest and values inventory, basically,” Madden said.

To use the program, she said, students must get the Kuder Activation Code from Student Employment and Career Services.

Once there, Madden said, students can fill out a personal interests and values inventory.

From there, they are given access to a network that connects them with people who have similar interests and shows them the careers those people have chosen.

“Kuder Journey can connect to … a job outlook, and you could detail into a specific job you want to investigate, get information about that — what the job outlook is as far as how many jobs are going to be available in the future,” she said.

After taking a Kuder assessment, Madden said, students will then meet with someone in Academic Advising and talk about their results.

“In February, Academic Advising will start using that and help the students kind of investigate and talk about career options, [that] there are majors here at OCCC … they could consider,” she said. “We will do that career advising with them.”

Madden said a class that can really assist students with choosing a career is Success in College and Life.

“They are introduced to a lot of different opportunities that the college has as far as resources to do that career exploration …” Madden said.

Student Yanira Thomas said she used the program to find something she has a passion for — nursing.

“I like to help people,” Thomas said.

Madden said the sooner students figure out which career to pursue, the better off they will be.

“Every person is different as far as their journey toward their career,” she said.

“If they are undecided coming in, the sooner they start exploring and investigating, and really getting an idea of what they want to do, the more beneficial it is for them, because they start getting focused and motivated.”

When given a purpose, Madden said, students are more likely to enjoy their classes and put more effort into their work.

“Sometimes it’s hard to be motivated to take the general education classes if you’re not sure what the purpose is,” she said.

Madden said students often end up changing their major, but said it isn’t the end of the world.

“The sooner you can figure that out, the better, but if it changes as you go, that’s okay,” she said.

“ … It’s all about your passion. What is it that you want to do?”

For more information about the Kuder Journey program or finding a career, visit the Student Employment and Career Services Website at www.occc.edu/es or call Madden at 405-682-7897.

To contact Lauren Daniel, email editor@occc.edu.