Are You in the Right Major for YOU?

#Majors2Careers | If you’ve reflected on the following three questions: What Am I good at? What am I passionate about? And, what do I like to do? You might then ask yourself – Am I in the right major for me?

So, are you? This can be a tough question to ask, but the good news is there are a lot of resources to help you answer it… and perhaps more objectively than we’re naturally inclined.

We recommend two straightforward tests, both of which are available in the Career Planning Center. The first is the Myers Briggs Type Inventory, or MBTI. This is arguably the most popular personal assessment in the world. It has countless forums, tumblrs, fan clubs, and dating sites devoted to its determination of personality type. It’s also widely used for management purposes in many companies and organizations. The second is the Strong Inventory Assessment, which, though less known, is a great way of evaluating your natural strengths and potential majors/career paths. While neither of these is 100% determinative, both are fantastic tools that you should check out. And both are available in the Career Planning Center year-round.

1) So, what’s my personality type?

This question is Myers Briggs territory. According to the MBTI, there are four dimensions of personality, which make for 16 unique personality types. Are you an Extrovert or an Introvert? A Sensor or Intuitive? A Feeler or Thinker? A Perceiver or Judger? Each dimension is rated on a scale of 1-100, which reflects individual preferences for different ways of thinking and acting. Put all your letters together from each color category (below). Any idea what your combination may be? Strong E, slight N, strong F, strong J? To be more exact, you can take the actual Myers Briggs Assessment in the Career Planning Center. OR you can win one of many raffled assessments TUESDAY, November 17 at the Majors2Careers Showcase (4th Floor CCCPLX, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.).

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Here’s a brief overview of each of the 16 MBTI types:

Pragmatists — Pragmatists love their work when they can use logical systems to produce tangible results. The following MBTI types fall under this category.

ESTJ – “The Administrators” / People with ESTJ preferences like to organize projects, operations, procedures, and people and then act to get things done. ESTJ’s are decisive, logical and direct. They are are often the guardians of organizations and are the people whom others often turn to when an answer is needed and a decision is to me made. They make up 11% of the population. Key attributes: Natural leaders; like to be in charge; value security and tradition; hard-working and dependable; roughly objective; thorough. Careers that may appeal to ESTJ’s include: accounting, analytics, consulting, administration, management. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ISTJ – “The Crafters” / People with ISTP preferences carefully observe what is going on around them. Then, when the need arises, they move quickly to get to the core of a problem and solve it with the greatest efficiency and least effort. They make up 9% of the population. Key attributes: love to discover how things work, lean best hands-on, excellent ability to apply logic and reason to solve problems, uninterested in abstract theories unless they can quickly apply them, laid-back coolness. Careers that may appeal to ISTJ’s include: engineering, architecture, dentistry, mechanic, physical therapy. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ESTP – “The Promoters” / People with ESTP preferences are energetic, active problem solvers, responding creative to challenging situations. They seldom let rules or standard procedures interfere, finding new ways to use existing systems. They make up 8% of the population. Key attributes: action-oriented, active, adaptable, inventive, resourceful, live in the moment. Careers that may appeal to ESTP’s include: engineering, interactive game development, finance. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ISTP – “The Inspectors” / The ISTJ personality type is characterized by integrity, practical logic and dedication to duty. They are a vital core to many organizations that uphold traditions as well rules and standards. ISTP’s make up about 13% of the general population. Key attributes: hard working, values tradition, loyal, dislike abstract thinking, natural leaders, prefer to work alone, observant, classy. Careers that may appeal to ISTJ’s include: management, inspection, quality control, military, law, architecture and administration. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Theorist Personality Types – Theorists love their work when they can come up with innovative new ideas and inventions. The following MBTI types fall under this category.

ENTP – “The Executives” / People with ENTJ preferences are natural leaders and organization builders. They conceptualize and theorize readily and translate possibilities into plans to achieve short and long-term objectives. Key attributes: strategic visionaries, highly value knowledge, driven to turn theories into plans, strong-willed, natural leaders, self-confident, decisive, question authority. Careers that may appeal include: business management, start-up ventures, corporate team trainers, marketing managers, personal financial planners, environmental and chemical engineers. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

INTJ – “The Masterminds” / People with INTJ preferences have a clear vision of future possibilities coupled with the drive and organization to implement their ideas. They love complex challenges and readily synthesize complicated theoretical and abstract matters. Key attributes: absorb theoretical and complex material; driven to create order and structure, see the big-picture; bored with daily routine; reserved nature. Careers that may appeal include:  To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ENTP – “The Commanders” / ENTPs are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind common goals. Key attributes: efficient, energetic, strategic thinkers, charismatic, dominant, inspiring. Careers that may appeal include: corporate management, entrepreneurism, finance, consulting. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

INTP – “The Free Thinkers” / INTPs are inventive and creative, with a unique perspective and vigorous intellect. Key attributes: love theory and abstract ideas; value knowledge and competence; independent and possibly eccentric; future-oriented; non-conformist. Careers that may appeal include: the sciences, academia / teaching, architecture; logician; legal mediator; engineer; strategic planner.  To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Caretaker Personality Types – Caretakers love their work when they can do practical things to help others. The following MBTI types fall under this category.

ESFJ – “The Providers” / People with ESPF preferences like to organize people and situations, and work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. They are conscientious and loyal, following through even in small matters, and they want others to be the same. Key attributes: value security and stability; find importance in being in a group; organized; loyal; enjoy interacting with people, creating order, structure and schedules. Careers that may appeal include: marketing executive, customer relations manager; eco-tourism specialist, pharmacist / pharmacy technician. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ISFJ – “The Protectors” / ISFJs are true altruists, meeting kindness with kindness in-excess and engaging the work and people they believe with enthusiasm and generosity. Combining the best of tradition and the desire to do good, ISFJ’s make up nearly 13% of the population. Key attributes: excellent memory, attention to detail, in-tune with surroundings, dependable, responsibilities taken seriously, difficult to dislike. Careers that may appeal include: academia, medicine, charitable social work, manager, broker, home economist. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ESFP – “The Entertainers” / If anyone is to be found spontaneously breaking into song and dance, it is the ESFP personality type. ESFPs get caught up in the excitement of the moment, and want everyone else to feel that way, too. No other personality type is as generous with their time and energy as ESFPs when it comes to encouraging others, and no other personality type does it with such irresistible style. Key attributes: sociable, bold, creative, excellent people skills, practical. Careers that may appeal include: entertainer, counselor, social worker, personal coach, and consultants who improve employee or customer satisfaction. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ISFP – “The Composers” / ISFP’s live in the present with a quiet sense of joyfulness; they want time to experience each moment. They prize the freedom to follow their own course, have their own space, and set their own time frame, and they give the same freedom and tolerance to others. Key attributes: awareness of environment, enjoy a slower pace, free-spirited, original, modest, optimistic. Careers that may appeal include: landscape architecture, design, pharmacist, physical therapist, translator / interpreter, firefighter. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Empath Personality Types – Empaths love their work when they can improve other people’s lives and make the world a more beautiful place. The following MBTI types fall under this category.

ENFJ – “Inspiring Guides” / People with ENFJ preferences are highly attuned to others, using empathy to quickly understand emotional needs, motivations and concerns. Their focus is on supporting others and encouraging their growth. Key attributes: humble and grounded sense of humor, uplift others to reach full potential, comfortable to be around, unique, excellent public speakers. Careers that may appeal include: communications director, diplomat, coach, dental hygienist, manager, optometrist, occupational therapist. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

INFJ – “The Counselors” / People with INFJ preferences have a gift for intuitively understanding complex meanings and human relationships. They see the world in different terms than most. In their own discreet manner, they are constantly questioning what others accept as convention. Key attributes: idealistic, highly principled, complex and deep, natural leaders, service-oriented. Careers that may appeal include: mediator / conflict resolver, communications, architect, doctor, educational software developer. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

ENFP – “The Advocates” / For ENFPs, life is a creative adventure full of exciting possibilities. ENFPs are keenly perceptive about people and insightful about the present and future. They experience a wide range of feeling and intense emotions. Key attributes: able to stretch new limits, open new worlds of ideas and realities, open-minded, unique, great people skills. Careers that may appeal include: entertainment, customer relations manager, bilingual education teacher, legal mediator. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

INFP – “The Healers” / People with INFP preferences have an inner core of values that guides their interactions and decisions. They want to be involved in work that contributes to further their own growth and inner development and those of others – to have purpose beyond a paycheck. Key attributes: strong value system; warmly interested in others, service-oriented, creative and inspirational, flexible and laid-back. Careers that may appeal include: college professor, grant coordinator, health technician, diversity manager, corporate team trainer. To learn more and find the Majors that best match with you come to the Majors2Careers Showcase Tuesday, November 17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

To discover your 4-letters, take the actual MBTI assessment. You can find it year-round in the Career Planning Center. OR… you can win a FREE official MBTI assessment Tuesday, Nov 17 at the Majors2Careers Fair! (View flyer below) In addition to this great prize, there are lots of other freebies for those who attend, including iPad & iPod raffles and a LinkedIn photo booth.

2) What are my natural strengths?

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This question is addressed with the Holland Interest Hexagon or Strong Interest Inventory (SII) Assessment – based off John Holland’s Theory of Interest Types (RIASEC). It pairs very well with the MBTI, and is available for a small price of $5 in the Career Planning Center for $5. OR… again, you can win be one of many winners of a FREE Strong Inventory Assessment this Tuesday, November 17 at the Majors2Careers Showcase. Just show up (4th Floor, CCCPLX) and enter your name in the raffle.

Hope to see you there!

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