"Ready…Fire!… Aim"
Selecting a Target Career

No, that’s not a mistake in the title! It’s just to bring attention to an important point:

Most traditional career planning programs follow carefully regimented steps:

1. "Ready" – skills/interests inventories to identify careers and jobs that match abilities.
2. "Aim" – research various career fields to narrow down search to one target field.
3. "Fire!" – launch job search in the target career field.

While there’s nothing wrong with that approach, there’s a risk of spending too much time doing research on target career fields, resulting in "analysis paralysis" – getting bogged down collecting data in an effort to select the single best path to the "perfect" career – before taking action to begin the job search.

So, "Ready…Fire!…Aim" is simply a reminder to take action as early in the process as possible:

1. "Ready"	Prepare for the Job Search Review results of assessments and skills/interests inventories to identify careers and jobs that match abilities and offer best opportunities for success.
2. "Fire!"	Take Action to Explore Career Choices Conduct "active research" of target careers via informational interviews, volunteer work, temporary or part-time work, job shadowing, and other proven methods. There’s no one approach that works for everyone; always tailor the process to the individual.
3. "Aim"	Adjust Aim Review what was learned from initial research efforts, and "adjust aim" to narrow down career choices.

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