In order to gain an accurate picture of the career you are considering, interview someone in your prospective career field and write a report on your findings. 

Follow these steps:

• Find a person working in your chosen field (contact your major adviser for suggestions if you do not personally know anyone).
• Contact the person to be interviewed, explain why you are calling, and ask them if they would be willing to answer a few questions for you about their profession.

You may ask some of the following questions and/or make up your own:

1. What is your formal job title and what are your job responsibilities?
2. What do you do on a typical work day?
3. What are the positive aspects of your work?
4. What aspects of this job do you most dislike and why?
5. What type of background, education, or experience is required or helpful for this type of work?
6. What is the future of this field, in terms of new and expanding opportunities?
7. What advice would you give to someone wishing to enter this line of work?
8. If you had it to do over, would you choose the same job? Why or why not?

After the interview, write a 500-750 word reflection of the following items:

Paragraph 1: (1 paragraph)

Background information about the interviewee, including the reason you chose this individual.

Paragraph 2-3: (1-2 paragraphs)

A summary paragraph (not a script) of what you and the interviewee discussed, with a focus on the interviewee’s responses.

Paragraph 3-4: (1-2 paragraphs)

An analysis paragraph of what you learned from this interview:

What did you discover about yourself?

How will this information affect your plans for your future in school, your career, and your life?