Your personality, the description of what kind of a person you are, is an essential first piece of the puzzle. Do you like to work by yourself or with others? Are you a detail person, or one who focuses on the big picture? Do you like making decisions? Are you a self-starter or someone who works best with a little direction? What about your moral and ethical values?

Knowing the type of person you are is essential if you want a career that will allow you to be yourself and do things that fit your personality. Job unhappiness often comes from work that forces a person to be someone he or she really isn't. The technical term for that is "cognitive dissonance." For instance, if you find it extremely difficult to lie to people, yet find yourself in an occupation in which being truthful is seen as a negative and not encouraged, you'll probably be miserable.

Recognizing what interests you is another important piece of the puzzle. What things spark your interest? Do you like taking things apart and putting them back together? Do you enjoy working with people, or ideas, or physical things? What academic subjects most interested you? Why does a particular career interest you? What do people in that field do that you think you'd find interesting?

Finally, we come to abilities. What are you capable of doing or learning to do? Answering that question can be difficult. Many people underestimate their talents and abilities, and this can cause them to rule out something they'd like to do, simply because they don't think they can attain the level of expertise needed. But it's important to remember no one enters any career as an expert. Building a career is somewhat like building a house - as one brick after another is placed on a foundation, a house begins to take shape. If we stop to remember that learning can be acquired over time, we might not be so intimidated by a career choice that requires more than we currently know.

That also means it's important to be realistic about your abilities. Don't sell yourself short, but also don't choose a career for which you have little aptitude and for which the learning process truly seems overwhelming.

Finding the right career fit is a process, just the same as putting together that puzzle. It takes work to make the right choices, and often it's helpful to get professional advice. If you think you need assistance, you might want to contact a professional career counselor. He or she can't and won't make a career decision for you, but can provide necessary tools to help you better understand you, your interests and abilities, and thus make career-decision making an easier process.

There are a variety of places to go for career counseling. Colleges and universities often offer high-quality, low-cost career counseling. In some areas, non-profit agencies may offer free or reasonably priced career counseling. Your telephone yellow pages will list counseling professionals specializing in career counseling.

Whether you decide to approach the career decision-making process alone, or with the help of a career counselor, be sure you have as complete a picture as possible of your personality, your interests and your abilities. Do so, and you'll increase your chances of finding a satisfying, rewarding career.

Linda Gooding is a counselor/professor in the Student Success Center at North Harris College in Houston, Texas. She has 15 years of experience in the career and job counseling fields. Her e-mail address is linda.gooding@nhmccd.edu

The American Counseling Association is the nation's largest organization of counseling professionals, with more than 50,000 members nationwide. Additional information for consumers and counseling professionals is available through the ACA web site at www.counseling.org.