Applied Organizational Studies—Knowledge, Skills & Attitudes (KSAs)


 

Your best option is to visit the Career Development Center at MSU in Mankato (http://www.mnsu.edu/cdc/resources/ ).  They have a library of general resources, files of information on current and projected job vacancies, and really helpful people.  In addition, as a registered student you can take the Strong Occupational Interest Inventory.  The Strong Inventory asks you a series of questions, and then matches your interests with those of people who are already employed.  It will give you a number of possible matches, some of which will match and some won’t.  But it will get you thinking.

 

By the way, don’t be too quick to dismiss options that strike you at first as “No way!”  Check them out first.  When I took the Strong Inventory (you don’t want to know how long ago), I had just left the Catholic Seminary.  The Inventory came up with three likely matches:  The Ministry (“Tried that.  No dice.”).  Librarian (“Huh?”).  And Psychologist (which is what I  went after, earning my BA and my MA in Psychology).  In the end, I did none of those—rather than a practicing psychologist, I became a College teacher.  But, curiously, now that I know more about what librarians do (I thought they just shelved books and shushed rowdy boys)—having worked with many of them in my career in the University—I think I could have been a really good reference librarian (not meaning that I’m not happy with what I’m doing—just that it wasn’t as much of an off-the-wall suggestion as I had first thought).

 

If you can’t get to campus, there are still a number of good resources online. The University of Waterloo (Canada) has a good (and free) one-stop occupational inventory site at http://www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/step1.asp   For a good (free) skills inventory, look at http://www.careerinfonet.org/acinet/skills/default.aspx?nodeid=20 .  There also are a number of fee-based skills inventories online.

 

So, here’s the assignment:

  • Set up a spreadsheet (on paper or digitally; preferably digitally) that lists the 7 competencies for the AOS degree down the left column, plus a last row for “Other.”  Then review your transcript(s) and place each course in one of the 8 rows.  This will be a starting point for meeting with your advisor (and then your committee) to plan the courses you will still need to take.
  • Take one or more of the occupational inventories, and identify at least 5 potential careers.  For each one, write a one-page analysis (bullet-points are fine)—what are the KSAs for each career?  How do your KSAs fit the profile?  What additional work would you need to do to excel in this career?  And how does this career “feel” or “fit,” from your point of view?