Deciding on a career is an essential, yet terrifying, part of entering the adult world. Many prefer to have someone tell them which career they should choose rather than make the decision themselves.
Some people have known what they want to do since childhood; they stick to it and live happily ever after. Most people spend hours, weeks, even years deliberating over what career path they should follow, but they never find a career that feels right. With all the available career options, one could try a new career every day and still be left with millions of possibilities. Luckily, there is a solution.
Karen Evans holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and is the director of the BYU Advisement Center. She provided a surprisingly simple solution to help in choosing a career.
'The important thing to consider when selecting a career is to not only examine and evaluate career opportunities and options but also to examine yourself.' Evans said.
It is not as complicated as it seems.
College students at most universities have counseling offices full of professionals to help students discover for themselves who they are, what type of personality they have and which career path would be good for them. For those who do not happen to be a college student, there are online resources available.
The BYU Advisement Center uses a personality test called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator that, according to the Washington Post, helps approximately 2 million people per year — in 24 different languages — understand themselves. Understanding personality goes farther than knowing whether or not one is an extrovert or an introvert. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator identifies 16 different variations of introversion and extroversion. Many people assume they fully understand their personality, but a test like the Myers-Briggs helps students discover things about themselves they did not know before.
Having a professional like Evans who helps students understand what career paths best fit based on their interests and personality traits is helpful. BYU student Katie MacDonald experienced the advisement center firsthand when she decided to change majors.
“I didn’t feel right about my first major, so I went to the advisement center and took the personality type test. Once I figured out my personality, it was pretty easy to figure out what I wanted to major in,” MacDonald said.
Evans invites any BYU student who is undecided to visit the BYU Advisement Center in the Wilkinson Student Center to discover what type of career they should pursue.