COUN 57 – Career & Life Planning

Power-packed, all-inclusive, for-credit Merritt College career course guiding students in completing a series of assessments and exercises to identify a major and career path.

HOW TO DO IT:
Go to your student portal > Campus Solutions > Manage Classes > Enroll as you would any other class.

The Good Project Values Sort

Tool created by Harvard University to identify, sort, and rank your values using your phone to slide cards around the screen. If you're struggling with decision-making, this is the assessment to start with.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.thegoodproject.org/value-sort > [Click Here to Access the Value Sort Tool] > [Log in] > Sign up > create an account > [Values] > [Join Event] > enter code: O5HID9

Pro Tip: Take a screenshot of the results, then you'll have your values in your pocket wherever you go.

California Career Zone

All-in-one website that allows you to do some quick assessments to figure out your career interests and work skills (as well as pick a major and build a resume).

HOW TO DO IT:
www.cacareerzone.org/request/code/djhetp > create an account > [Proceed] > scroll to the bottom of the page > [Start exploring] (in the “Complete activities” box)

We recommend: Work Importance Profiler, Interest Profiler, and Skills Profiler (in that order). Also, check out Make Money Choices to figure out how much money you need to live your lifestyle.

Eureka

Nationally recognized assessments so you can understand your learning styles, interests, personality preferences, and core work skills. Fun fact: Eureka was created by counselors right here in the East Bay! 

HOW TO DO IT:
www.eureka.org > [Create an Account] > enter the site ID code LSQZFKN > [Submit] > create your account > select "Student" for User Type > check the box next to “Cliff Flamer”

Check out the Links in the Self Assessments Box. We recommend “How Do I Learn”, “Inner Heroes”, & “Microskills” (in that order). Once you complete an assessment, you can access it forever in "My Stuff."

• Values Exercise – Review a list of values and circle your top 5-10 so you know what to look for to find meaningful work.

• MBTI Personality Assessment – Figure out which of the 16 personality types you are in 10 minutes

• Interests Assessment – Answer some questions to identify your dominant interest themes, which will immediately point you to majors and careers.

Talk to a Merritt Counselor

Make a 1-hour appointment with one of our career counselors to do some exploration together and find out what you're good at.

For your convenience: If you're not able to get to campus, we can do virtual and phone career counseling appointments.

Roadtrip Nation

Award-winning videos explaining all kinds of careers, from Nursing and Computer Science to Entrepreneurship, Education, Law, and U.S. politics. Listen to real folks like you talk about how they found fulfilling careers.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.roadtripnation.com > "Sign in" > create an account > "What We Have to Offer" > “Videos & Stories” or “Podcasts”

Remember: Discovering what you DON'T want to do is part of the process of discovering what you DO want to do. It’s all helpful!

My Next Move

This federally funded research site tells you everything you need to know about careers, including required skills, knowledge and abilities, personality types, technology, education, job prospects, and salary. No login necessary.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.mynextmove.org > fill in one of the boxes (or use the drop-down options) and click the arrow

Pro Tip: If you're not sure what careers are out there, click on the [See all careers] button and check out an alphabetical list of all the careers you never knew about.

California Career Zone

All-in-one website that invites you to research job roles, salary range, and level of preparation required. You can sort jobs by pay, growth potential, and volume of opportunities in the current market.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.cacareerzone.org/request/code/djhetp > create an account > [Proceed] > scroll to the bottom of the page > [Start researching] (in the “Do Research” box)

We recommend starting with “Explore Industry Sectors.” If you're picking a major, try “Choosing a Field of Study.”

Eureka

Nationally recognized career site showcasing jobs and careers through videos and descriptions. Fun fact: Eureka was created by counselors right here in the East Bay!

HOW TO DO IT:
www.eureka.org > [Create an Account] > enter the site ID Code LSQZFKN > [Submit] > create an account > select "Student" for User Type > check the box next to “Cliff Flamer”

Click on “Career” in the menu, then “Occupations.” We recommend starting with the "By Cluster" tab. You can also search careers by your 3-letter Interest Theme if you figured that out in a previous online assessment.

Learn How to Become a…

Nonprofit site devoted to showing you career paths, from entry-level roles to senior executives in Science & Tech, Medical, Trades, Finance & Business, Arts & Humanities, and more… with real salaries and job duties revealed.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.learnhowtobecome.org > “Careers” (with the briefcase icon) > select a line of work or job title from one of the lists

Note: Don't use the "Are you ready to discover your college program?" tool. It's a deep-cover advertisement for colleges.

EduMed

Education site for people interested in learning about the steps involved in getting into Medical & Healthcare professions, as told by people who already do that kind of work.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.edumed.org/how-to-become > scroll down to the tiles of medical professions

Note: We advise against clicking on the links to schools or using the "find a school" feature. Just stick with the research.

Salary Surfer

Website created by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCO) to allow students to compare salaries across jobs and industries, based on the actual salaries of recent community college graduates.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.salarysurfer.cccco.edu/SalarySurfer > [Click to Select Program of Study] > pick a program of study

Pretty cool: You can view salaries before they got their degree, 2 years after they received it, and 5 years later.

Indeed Salary Calculator

Indeed is a trusted for-profit job-listing site with decades of data, including salary ranges, for every job imaginable.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.indeed.com/career/salaries > enter your job title and enter a city > [Search]

There's more! Scroll down to see the highest-paying cities near you, compare pay between cities, and identify related careers that may pay more.

Comparably

Evaluate a company's culture, CEO ratings, and employee satisfaction metrics to see if they align with your values, or check out their "best places to work" lists to see who stands out (www.comparably.com).

Teamblind

Listen to verified employees talk about their company, in terms of salary, news, culture, leadership, and layoffs (www.teamblind.com).

Great Place To Work

See the top 100 companies in the nation according to employee satisfaction, potential for upward mobility, and respect for leadership (keep in mind that everyone pays to be on this list) (www.greatplacetowork.com).

Newsweek Workplace Rankings

Read this year's "Best of" Lists for different industries, states, parent/family-friendliness, level of diversity and inclusiveness, and hiring of People of Color (www.rankings.newsweek.com).

Fairygodboss

Join an online community of women professionals to ask questions and get answers about companies, careers, and jobs. Forever free (www.fairygodboss.com).

InHerSight

See what women think of companies in terms of sense of belonging, flexible hours, ability to telecommute, equitable salaries, paid leave, family support, paths to leadership, and employer responsiveness (www.inhersight.com).

Merritt Majors by Department

Clickable alphabetical list of all Majors and Certificates at Merritt by Department

Merritt Majors by Career Pathway

8 Career Pathways you can choose from to find Majors that line up with your interests

Merritt has over 30 majors and certificates to choose from, but the following majors are *only* available at Merritt (and not at Laney, CoA, or BCC)

• Nursing

• Clinical & Administrative Medical Assisting

• Radiologic Science (X-rays)

• Histotechnician / Microscopy

• Emergency Medical Technician

• Administration of Justice

• Paralegal Studies

• Cybersecurity

• Fire Science (Firefighter Training)

• Real Estate

• Child Development

• Landscape Horticulture

• Landscape Design & Construction

• Sustainability

Berkeley City College (BCC)

BCC Majors by Department

Clickable alphabetical list of all Majors and Certificates at BCC by Department

BCC Majors by Career Pathway

5 Career Pathways you can choose from to find Majors that line up with your interests

BCC has over 20 majors and certificates to choose from, but the following majors are *only* available at BCC (and not at the other Peralta colleges)

• Multimedia Arts

• Digital Arts & Animation

• Biotechnology

• Teacher Preparation

• Social Work

• Gender Studies / Women's Studies

• American Sign Language

College of Alameda (CoA)

CoA Majors by Department (Catalog)

Clickable alphabetical list of all Majors and Certificates at CoA by Department

CoA Majors by Career Pathway

7 Career Pathways you can choose from to find Majors that line up with your interests

CoA has over 20 majors and certificates to choose from, but the following majors are *only* available at COA (and not at the other Peralta colleges)

• Aviation Maintenance Technology

• Automotive Technology

• Automotive Body & Paint

• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

• Modern Making (Makerspace)

• 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, Digital Fab

Laney College

Laney Majors by Department (Catalog)

Clickable alphabetical list of all Majors and Certificates at Laney by Department

Laney Majors by Career Pathway

7 Career Pathways you can choose from to find Majors that line up with your interests

Laney has over 30 majors and certificates to choose from, but the following majors are *only* available at Laney (and not at the other Peralta Colleges)

• Carpentry, Construction, Architecture

• Machining, Welding, Woodworking

• Electrical & Electronics, HVAC

• Cosmetology

• Culinary Arts / Cooking

• Artificial Intelligence

• Foreign Languages

Remember: You can choose a major at any of the 4 Peralta Community College Districts and then take classes at any of the other colleges. Just remember, you have to take at least 12 units at the college that hosts your major.

What Can I Do With This Major?

List of career options and career paths for every major, prepared by the University of Tennessee. If you find a career path you like, you can work backwards to choose a major.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.whatcanidowiththismajor.com > select a major category > click a major

Note: The first thing you see will be career paths and information for one specific area of work. Don't forget to scroll down to see several other areas (colored bars) you can pursue with that same major.

Majors Categorized by Interest Themes (RIASEC)

Downloadable list of majors across all 4 Peralta Colleges broken up into 6 interest areas: Realistic (hands-on), Investigative (science), Artistic (creative), Social (community-oriented), Enterprising (business), and Conventional (administrative)

• List of Majors by Interest (RIASEC) – Color-coded list of majors by Interest Area

• Interest Assessment to Identify Your Interests – If you don’t already know your 3-letter RIASEC code, here’s a fast exercise to help you zero in on them.

• RIASEC Interest Themes – Explanation of the 6 RIASEC Interest Themes.

California Career Zone

All-in-one website that allows you to create a resume and download it as an editable Microsoft Word file.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.cacareerzone.org/request/code/djhetp > create an account > [Proceed] > scroll to the bottom of the page > [Start exploring] (in the “Complete activities” box) > scroll down > “Job Application Tools” > [Visit Resume Builder] > [Create a Resume]

Pro Tip: For a snazzier format, take your content and put it into one of Microsoft Word's resume templates (see below)

Indeed

Indeed is a trusted for-profit job-listing site that allows you to build a PDF resume for free in a few minutes by following step-by-step prompts

HOW TO DO IT:
www.indeed.com > create an account > click the account icon (person’s head) > Profile > Build a resume

Note: Indeed will only give you an Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf), which you will not be able to edit further after downloading.

Merritt's DIY Resume Kit

Downloadable files to teach you all you need to know about building a resume. Just work in the order we’ve provided, and feel free to use one of our templates in the Resume Templates section of this site.

1. Resume Basics - Start Here

2. Skills Identification

3. Gathering Resume Content

4. Creating a Summary Statement

5. Building Accomplishments

6. Action Verbs for Resumes

Microsoft Word Free Templates

Free resume templates included with your Microsoft Word student account

HOW TO DO IT:
Go to your student portal > [Microsoft Word] > File > New > type “resumes” in the search bar.

Presto! Just click the template you like and start filling in your information.

Merritt College Resume Templates

Use our custom resume templates designed for Merritt College students to take the guesswork out of formatting your document.

• Resume Template 1 - Education Section First

• Resume Template 2 - Experience Section First

• Resume Template 3 - Projects

AI-Assisted Resume Development

Use tried-and-true AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT) to quickly build a resume outline.

USE THIS PROMPT:
"I am pursuing a job in [Job title you are pursuing]. Build me a 1-page resume to include my [List the degree/certificate you have or are pursuing or have obtained] at Merritt College, which I will complete/have completed by [Year you expect to finish your degree; it's okay to guess]. Create bulleted job duties for the jobs I've listed below. Include a summary section with a list of keywords and skills related to the job titles I've included. Create placeholders for my name (in large font) and contact info."

Then, under this prompt and before you hit return, list your employers, location, job titles, and dates of employment.

NOTE: You should only use AI to get you started in building a basic resume. Make sure to review it and add in more details. Use Merritt’s DIY Resume Kit (above) to guide you.

Handshake

Job posting and networking site that specializes in helping college students find jobs, internships, and on-campus work opportunities.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.merritt.joinhandshake.com/login > [Merritt College Students] > create an account > "Jobs" (from the menu in the left column)

Pro Tips: Filter the jobs using the "Sort by" drop-down menu, or simply describe what you want. You can also search by [Location] and look through [Merritt College Collections], which are subcategories we've created.

NOTE: Be sure to fill in information for Job Type, Location, and Job Roles so Handshake's AI tools can suggest jobs and people to you.

LinkedIn

#1 job board and networking site in the world with over a billion users, and counting.

HOW TO DO IT:
www.linkedin.com > create an account > "Jobs" (in the top menu) OR describe the job you want in the search bar

FYI: LinkedIn is powered by AI and will suggest job opportunities based on your profile and behavior on the website. The more detail you put in your profile, the more accurate the suggestions and advice.

Google Jobs

Good ol' Google has a great Jobs Portal

HOW TO DO IT:
www.google.com > search for any job and write "near me" after it > "Jobs" (in the top menu) > filter as you wish by clicking the buttons

Note: Google searches the entire Internet, including all the job boards and job listing sites as well as company websites, to turn up every opportunity available, so you can look for all jobs in one place. Pretty Cool.

Zip Recruiter

Reputable job board with tons of job listings, plus articles about looking for work and reviews from other job seekers (www.ziprecruiter.com).

Indeed

Tried-and-true job board allowing you to search for any job by job title, keyword, company, and location (www.indeed.com).

Craigslist

Community-centered site that is great for part-time work, 1-time projects, and informal arrangements between parties (www.craigslist.org).

Snagajob

Website that specializes in part-time work, short-term assignments, and gig work (www.snagajob.com).

CareerSpring

Resources and job opportunities for First Generation Low Income (FGLI) students (www.careerspring.org)

Robert Half

National temp agency with a broad range of entry-level and administrative positions, paid by the hour (www.roberthalf.com).

McCall Staffing

Local Bay Area staffing company with tons of temporary work opportunities, plus a phone number so you can actually talk with someone (www.mccallstaffing.com).

Oakland OneStop

List of in-person career centers and resources in Oakland to help you find jobs, including career pathways in the trades (carpentry, electrical) (www.oaklandca.gov).

Alameda County Jobs

Government jobs working directly for Alameda County, which encompasses 14 cities, including Oakland, San Leandro, Alameda, and Berkeley (www.acgov.org/careers).

USA Jobs

Job site with positions working for the U.S. Federal Government, including full-time careers, internships, and scholarships (www.usajobs.gov).

TBD

Downloadable Interview Handouts

Advice, strategies, and suggested answers to help you ace any interview.

• Strategies to Answering the Toughest Interview Questions

• How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

• Questions to Ask the Interviewer

• How to Stay Relaxed in an Interview

Meet with a Career Counselor

1-on-1 Interview Coaching, Tips, Tricks, and Advice from a Merritt Career Counselor. We can do virtual and phone interview coaching appointments, too.

The bottom line is we're here to help you build up your career and tell your story in a way that will make people sit up and listen.