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Career Decision Worksheet

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Have people been asking you: "What are you going to do with your life?" More likely, you’ve been asking yourself this question. As you know there are more than a few opportunities to make decisions in life. Here is a set of steps that have helped others make decisions.

The goal here is to show you one process for making decisions with the expectation that you will craft your own specific process. You are encouraged to put significant effort into developing your own process for making decisions. 

For sure there are many significant decisions to be made over a life time. With a consistent reliable process, people typically are more satisfied with their decisions.

Step 1: Define what you want to change. This may involve examining what is not working for you. Are there problems with your current career or lifestyle?

Step 2: Discover and clarify your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS).

Step 3: Describe your goals (needs and wants based on your VIPS). Career goals? Lifestyle goals?

Step 4: Gather career/industry information or lifestyle information and compare it to what you already know.

Step 5: Brainstorm the options that might create the change. Get observations from others. Think big. Think outside of the box.

Step 6: Write the consequences of each option in two categories:

  1. What are the Risks (long and short term)? Time? Money? Energy? Sacrifices?
  2. What are the Rewards (long and short term)? Does it meet your goals?

Step 7: Rank the options according to risk. Consider your comfort with risk.

Step 8: Choose a set of consequences which are in your comfort zone.

Step 9: Develop a strategy for getting what you want and then make it happen.

Making decisions is an essential life process; a skill which requires on-going problem definition, goal development, information gathering, reward/risk assessment, prioritization, and strategy implementation.

Making a decision involves acting on what you know and how you feel to determine what you will and won’t do to reach your goal.

Go for it!  Print this out and use it as a worksheet!