Constructing a list of promising alternatives for further exploration.

Goal:
The world-of-work offers a great variety of educational, occupational, and employment opportunities. In order to avoid "drowning" in the vast array of possibilities, this first stage aims to reduce the number of potential career alternatives to a short list of 5 - 7 promising alternatives that are worth further exploration.

• The first step is clarifying what you are looking for. Careers may differ in a great number of attributes, such as income level, amount of traveling, work environment (indoors or outdoors), and length of training.
• Start by making a list of 10 - 15 attributes that you find important. Then, for each attribute, indicate your specific preferences. For example, you may prefer a high level of income, no traveling, working mostly indoors, and an intermediate length of training.
• Next, rank the attributes you listed according to their importance, beginning with the most important attribute.
• Start with the most important attribute and compare your preferences in that attribute with the characteristics of potential career options. Eliminate alternatives that are not compatible with your preferences in this attribute.
• Repeat the elimination process with the attribute next in importance, reducing the list of remaining career alternatives as you move down the attribute list, in order of importance.
• Stop the process when your list has been reduced to about 7 (5-10) promising alternatives.

Collecting information about each promising alternative and examining whether it indeed fits you and whether you fit its requirements.

Goal:
The aim here is to find out which of the promising alternatives are actually suitable and are feasible options. You will be examining both whether the alternative suits you and whether you fit its requirements. Thus, this stage involves in-depth exploration of each of the promising alternatives that remained at the end of Stage 1.

Steps:
First, collect information about the promising alternatives. You can talk to people who work in the occupation or job, visit career counseling centers or career information websites that contain descriptions of occupations, training courses, and jobs.

Use the information you collected to answer the following questions:

✔ Does this career option also compatible with what I am looking for in the less important attributes?
✔ Do I fit this career option?
(a) Am I ready to comply with the career's requirements (e.g., working in shifts for a paramedic)?
(b) Do my abilities and past achievements fit the prerequisites required for being admitted to the training required?
(c) What are my chances of being admitted to the required training programs?
Aim to remain with 2-4 alternatives at the end of this stage.

Identifying the most suitable career option.

Goal:
This stage aims to help you decide on the alternative that fits you best.

Steps:
Go to Compare and Choose (C&C) that will help you to systematically compare the alternatives, identify the alternative that fits you best and will give you a feedback (8 - 12 minutes).

Once you have located the best alternative, check your chances of realizing it. In case of uncertainty, you should identify a second-best alternative as well.

If you find that your chances of being accepted to one or more of the training programs are slim, you may consider improving these chances - ask yourself whether you are ready for the effort involved in increasing the likelihood of being admitted to the relevant training.

Are you comfortable with your decision? If not, you should to collect additional information and go through the prescreening or the in-depth exploration stages again. You may consider consulting a professional career counselor.