Knowing Yourself - Assessing Interests, Values, and Skills

If you are not yet sure what major or career you want to pursue, you are not alone! With so many options in the world, it can be exciting and at times overwhelming to figure out what you might like to do in the future.

The best starting point is to look at YOU. What types of activities and school subjects do you enjoy? What activities give you satisfaction? What are tasks you perform especially well? What personal qualities you possess that you consider strengths? The more you know about yourself, you will be able to use that information to identify and evaluate possible future options.

INTERESTS: Interests are the things you enjoy. Do you enjoy working with data, people, theories, ideas and/or things? What types of mental or physical activities are fun? If there is something you really enjoy doing with your free time, is there a way that might relate to a job or career option? Most people who enjoy their work have some inherent interest in the activities they perform on a daily basis. One strategy used to help you identify interests is to complete an interest inventory and discuss the results with a career counselor.

VALUES: Values are the things that are important to you. Examples of work values include: Making Contributions to Society, Having Job Security, Opportunity for Career Advancement. Values are also personal -- what defines satisfaction for you may be completely different for others. People who pursue work that is congruent with their values tend to be more satisfied and successful. Career counselors have checklists and activities that can help identify and prioritize what you value most.

SKILLS: Skills are your abilities, talents, and strengths. Many students find it challenging to identify their skills. In fact, you probably have hundreds of skills you use all the time! Organizing, speaking, writing, planning, problem-solving...these are all critical and highly desirable skills. Looking at your experiences (academic, extracurricular, volunteer, work, etc.) and discovering what you do well is an important part of career decision making.

PERSONALITY: What qualities do you possess that might influence the type of work you would enjoy or do well? Are you outgoing or reserved? Do you follow hunches and inspiration when making decisions, or are you one to engage in logical and analytical decision-making? Do you plan ahead or are you very spontaneous? Personality has a lot to do with feeling like you "fit" a particular job. For example, someone who is not very outgoing may not feel comfortable as a politician; someone who is spontaneous and highly creative may feel constrained by a nine-to-five desk job. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an assessment used in career counseling to better understand your personality.

Career Services offers a wide variety of services to help you explore your interests, values, and skills - the most valuable of which is career counseling. Consider meeting with a career counselor to explore your options at this stage of the process, particularly if you do not know where to begin.