Career Paths: How Do I Get Started?

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 10:50:57 -0400

Life would be so much easier if someone could tell us what we were good at. Imagine if we all could sit under a “sorting hat” and be told what characteristics dominate our personalities, what kind of person we are, or even have the chance to see what kind of person we don’t want to be (I’m looking at you, Lucius Malfoy).

Figuring out our skills and talents is hard. There have been so many times where I’ve laid in bed, staring at my ceiling, thinking about how I’m not exceedingly good at anything, but instead mediocre at everything. I’ve doubted my career path so many times, even the one that has been my dream since I was 15 years old, simply because I don’t know if I have what it takes.

How are we supposed to articulate our strengths to employers, whether it be through cover letters, interviews, resumes, or personal statements if we don’t know them? What steps do we take to discover what they are? Do we just learn as we go, or is there a way we can know, now?

These are just some of the resources the Career Center offers students to help them find out things like how they learn, what they are good at, or potential career paths that might fit their personality:

Career Assessments:

1. Woofound Compass- A photo-based personality assessment that’s quick and easy! If you’re interested in getting immediate feedback, take the assessment here.

2. FOCUS2- This assessment provides students with potential majors and jobs that might suit them based on their values, skills, work interests, personality, and even what they like to do during their leisure time. Click here to access the test. You can receive your results immediately after taking it.

3. Myers- Brigg Type Indicator- You may have heard of the MBTI, a popular personality inventory that’s used all over the world. This assessment can help you learn about your preferences and strengths by considering how you energize, learn, make decisions, and your environmental preferences. You can get to the MBTI by going to your UMBCworks account > Resources > Skills Assessment. However, you won’t get your results on the spot. Schedule an appointment with a Career Specialist to interpret your results. Directions on how to schedule an appointment can be found at this link.

Keys to Success: Your Personality, Your Career:

On Monday, October 31, from 12-1 PM in Commons 331, The Career Center is hosting a fun, informal workshop to explain the assessments we offer, including the MBTI, FOCUS, and Compass. Assessing your personality and interests can help you guide your future career path, so be sure to stop by and learn about your best- fit career!

The Dependable Strengths Workshop:

On Friday, October 7, from 1-5 PM, the Career Center is hosting a Dependable Strengths Workshop for Arts, Humanities, and Social Science majors in Commons 329. While this workshop already has reached its maximum registration limit, be sure to register early for the next one on January 13. Seats fill quickly! Why in the world would so many people care to spend 4 hours of their Friday at one of these workshops?

The Dependable Strengths Workshops are meant to help clarify your career goals and allow you to pick a path that fits what your interests are. You learn how to market your degree, identify your strengths, and how to articulate those strengths and transferable skills to employers. This critically acclaimed program is meant to boost your confidence and help you determine what your assets are.

Finding out what you’re good at is especially important for college students. Now is the time when you are forging your future and deciding where your career will take you. Knowing what your strengths are will help guide you. I know that it’s difficult to understand what those characteristics are, but if you take the initiative and use the tools at your disposal, you’ll be making sure you don’t end up in Slytherin House when you’re clearly a Gryffindor.