Feeling a bit overwhelmed about my future career and deciding on a college major. I've heard career inventories are a good starting point. Anyone knows what are some of the most commonly used inventories for high school students to assess their interests and abilities?
Definitely understandable to feel overwhelmed, career inventories can indeed be a very helpful tool in this process. Here are a few reputable career inventory tools that tend to be most commonly used by high school students:
1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): This is more of a personality test than a career inventory, yet it can offer some valuable career suggestions based on your personality type. It assesses you based on four dichotomies (Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving) and returns one of the 16 personality types based on your responses.
2. Strong Interest Inventory: This one matches your interests with potential career paths. It's established on the premise that people in the same career tend to have similar interests. Your answers are compared to those of successful professionals in various fields to pinpoint where you might fit best.
3. Holland Code (RIASEC) Test: Developed by psychologist John Holland, this test is based on his theory that people's occupational interests can be categorized into six types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.
4. CareerOneStop’s Interest Assessment: Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, this inventory uses a card sorting method to identify career clusters. The inventory allows you to identify tasks that you have an interest in or would like to learn more about.
5. Kuder Navigator: Used by many high schools around the country, it evaluates students in four different areas: interests, skills, work values, and preferred job characteristics.
Remember, these inventory tools should serve as useful starting points, but they’re just one part of the larger picture. Your career exploration process could also include informational interviews, internships, job shadowing, and many other forms of research.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.