During my daughter's freshmen year in college, she decided she wanted to be a Sociology major. All from taking the Sociology 1010 class from an amazing professor. Before registering for her next semester, she met with the Sociology advisor, planned out classes, and declared her major. Loud and clear. She was extremely proud of Sociology, the idea of social justice, and obtaining a few certificates along the way such as Criminology and a Writing certificate. Guess what people ask her when she tells them she's a Sociology major? Guess what reactions (facial, body language, or otherwise) she receives when she says she's a Sociology major? Can you see where I'm going with this? The big question that eventually comes out:
What can you do with a major in Sociology?
As I see the smoke coming out of her head and her fists balled up at her sides, I can feel her pain. Her father, who has a Biology degree with a minor in Chemistry, tells her Sociology is not a real science. My stepmom treats her differently from my niece who is an Elementary Education major. One of her high school science teachers looked disappointed as she proudly declared she was studying Sociology. The question always comes up, "What kind of job can you get with Sociology? What are you doing with your life? Have you really thought about this?" The following article is a wonderful look at parents and the ideas they put into their students' heads by asking a simple (yet loaded) question:
I keep telling my daughter, "As long as you love the subject area and you are successful with your coursework and grades, you'll find your path." This has already been proven with scholarships. During her second semester, she applied and was awarded a large scholarship through the Sociology department for her second year. And, she's been talking a lot about Social Justice. Her younger sister told her, "Why don't you go to Law School already? Since you want to make a change?" Guess what is on my oldest daughter's mind now? Yup. And her uncle, who was a state prosecutor for many years and is now a circuit court judge, is very excited about the prospect. She's happy. She's content. She's thriving. And did I mention she's happy? Read the article. Find what you love. Take some career assessments. Speak with a career advisor. In the end, with research and dedication, you'll find your path in life. And you'll be successful.
I haven’t really had that easy of a life. My mom only had
her high school diploma but she encouraged us to do good at school. She had a
hard time holding down a job due to being a single mom of 3 children who
weren’t always in the best of health. When I was about 9 my mom had me and my
two younger siblings move in with my aunt. I lost faith in my religion and had
a hard time coping with the loss of my mother, but I knew I had to be strong
for my brother (age 4) and sister (age 6).
My aunt never had children of her own so she was thrilled
and terrified at the same time. Like my mom she encouraged us to excel in
school. She even put me into an advanced class called ELP at my elementary
school. I was a really bright kid and was getting more excited about growing
up. I breezed through the rest of elementary and did pretty well in 7th
and 8th grade. It wasn’t until 9th grade that I lost my
motivation. I struggled through high school and after a traumatic experience I
went through at the age of 16 I decided to move back in with my mom in
Washington.
My motivation came back ever so slightly and I started to
plan for college. I was planning on enrolling into Seattle Community College
when some unexpected events happened and my mom, sister, and I moved back to
Utah. I dropped my plans for college and focused on work and providing for my
family.
After I lost my job I had a choice…. Work another crap job
for some crap money and get nowhere in life or just take a huge leap and enroll
in college. The choice was pretty obvious to me, but unfortunately some people
didn’t agree. I admit it’s been a struggle to get back into the swing of
things, but I’ve created a plan thanks to some of our lovely Academic Advisors,
shout out to Michelle and LuAnn!!!!
I’m excited for life again and can’t wait to see what is in
store for me!
Introducing our new work study student, Anastasia! She will be helping with our #100daysSLCC campaign so when you see her with the Button Bar, stop by and say hello. Anastasia was originally planning on becoming an elementary school teacher but has changed her mind. She's taken the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory (SII) along with completing the interpretations and is working through her own major and career exploration process. She is also training in our career resources so she can answer your questions. Welcome, Anastasia, to SLCC!
I'm reading a book right now called The Speed of Trust by Stephen M R Covey. (His dad wrote the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.) In the very first chapter, Covey writes about working on the merger that created FranklinCovey and the most important element of that merger: Trust. He applies this concept to the business world. If trust is high, speed is up and cost is low. But if trust is low, speed is slow and cost is high. How does this apply to major and career exploration? What tools have you used, and trusted, to assist with making your decision on a major? What resources were untrustworthy? Possibly the personality test on which celebrity you are most like? Or which animal do you take after? Of course those are fun but not necessarily something you would use to make a significant decision towards a career path. So what tools and resources does SLCC provide to steer you on the right path towards completing a program and finding a fulfilling career?
Myers Briggs Type Indicator: Created over 60 years ago and continually tested for validity. Used not only in major and career decision making but also used for team building in companies and couples relationship building. Low, low cost of $25 which comes with a one-hour advisor session, a couple of informative packets, and follow up tasks to help with researching careers. http://bit.ly/careerassess-slcc
Strong Interest Inventory: Created almost 90 years ago to assist exiting military personnel find suitable jobs. Colleges and universities still use this tool for current students to discover strengths and how that applies to career fields. http://bit.ly/careerassess-slcc
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Real time information regarding jobs, up and coming fields, future outlook on job trends, basically everything you want to know about the workforce. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/
Career Coach: Take an interests assessment and look for job information including salary ranges, job outlook in the next 10 years, list of tasks, education required, and current job openings. This is real time information and covers the Salt Lake valley. https://slcc.emsicareercoach.com/
Onet: This gives the same information as Career Coach but on a national level. If you plan on moving out of the Salt Lake valley for your career, Onet can help. www.onetonline.org
This story is sponsored by KSL Jobs. Look forward to Monday. Find your dream job.
No one wants a laid-back bridge builder or an overly sensitive psychologist. You can’t make progress in therapy if your counselor just keeps apologizing for his choice of sweater. You don’t want to walk over a bridge and wonder if the engineer who designed it looked at her calculations and said, “Well, it’s close enough.”
On the flip side, it’s refreshing when someone’s personality lines up perfectly with the work they’re doing.
The fact is we’re not all cut out for every job on the planet, but we all have signature strengths that make us unique. That might seem obvious, but it’s something to consider when you’re entering the job market or thinking about a career change. And a good place to start is to look at what makes you, you.
So what exactly is it that makes one person a good fit for certain careers and not so well equipped for others? The question is at the heart of an entire field of study called “personality theory.” And though more specialized methods have been developed in recent years (Gallup’s “StrengthsFinder” for example), the MBTI assessment (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) stands as one of the most long-standing, popular tests for understanding our personalities and the careers for which we’re best suited. The MBTI claims there are four aspects to personality (each split into two parts) that dominate to different degrees in each of us.
You’ve probably heard people refer to themselves as extroverts or introverts. Well, that distinction is only one-fourth of the assessment. It refers to our “energy style,” or what it is that fuels us. According to Truity.com, extroverts, who are roughly 49 percent of the population, tend to get their energy from being around others. These types are outgoing and don’t mind being rushed. Introverts, however — the other 51 percent — can be outgoing in short spurts, but they need to be alone in quiet spaces to recharge.
THINKING STYLE: Sensors/Intuitives
“Thinking style” is the second portion of personality, made up of “sensors” and “intuitives.” Sensors like working with numbers, machines and objects. About 73 percent of us are sensors. Intuitives are less common. These are the bigger-picture people who like thinking about thinking. They like ideas and possibilities and considering concepts.
VALUES STYLE: Feelers/Thinkers
Up next is “values style,“ where we split into “thinkers” and “feelers.” Thinkers (40 percent) gravitate toward deduction and logic, toward the mathematical and analytical. Feelers (60 percent) prioritize empathy, harmony and consensus. Their work needs to reflect their personal values and they need to know they’re truly helping others. Think chemist (thinker) vs. mayor (feeler).
LIFESTYLE: Judgers/Perceivers
“Lifestyle” is the last quadrant of the MBTI. Here we have the “judgers” and the “perceivers.” Judgers (54 percent) are the people at the office who really can’t function unless they know at all times who’s in charge of whom and who’s doing what. They need organization and structure. Perceivers (46 percent) are the people who really gravitate toward flexibility and autonomy. They don’t mind a little bit of pandemonium in the workplace.
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Keep in mind that these four categories have two variables apiece allowing for 16 possible combinations: [Introvert/Extravert] + [Sensor/Intuitive] + [Feeler/Thinker] + [Judger/Perceiver] = ISTJ/ESTP/etc. Myers-Briggs then divides these 16 results into four career groups: pragmatists, caretakers, theorists and empaths.
Below we’ve listed possible career options that match with each personality category. Which one makes the most sense for you?
Pragmatists — ESTJ, ISTJ, ESTP, ISTP
An overall pragmatist is the type of person who needs to be able to use logic to produce concrete results. A pragmatist might do well as a school administrator, insurance agent, developer, engineer, sales manager, or mechanic.
Caretakers — ESFJ, ISFJ, ESFP, ISFP
A caretaker is someone who needs to help in some practical way in order to feel that they are being useful. A caretaker type might find satisfaction as a nurse, teacher, nutritionist, social worker, executive assistant, receptionist, dental assistant, recreation director, surveyor, vet tech, or customer service rep.
Theorists — ENJT, INTJ, ENTP, INTP
Theorists, the third group, tend towards jobs such as physician, attorney, architect, software developer, judge, urban planner, real estate agent, psychiatrist, or mathematician.
Empaths — ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP, INFP
Lastly, empaths are the ones who have a need to function in the world by making it more beautiful. They’re most engaged when they’re improving people’s lives in less concrete ways. These are the writers, counselors, teachers, health educators, psychologists, librarians, and nonprofit directors.
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Of course, none of this is set in stone, but the MBTI is a good place to start for getting a little career self-knowledge. If you want to know more about your personality and where you land in all of this, go check out a personality assessment and see what you learn about yourself.
Once you’ve narrowed down the fields suited to your personality type, go to KSL Jobsand start searching. Even if you aren’t changing jobs, understanding the various types of personalities out there can help you understand your coworkers a little bit better. Like that one guy who seems like he spends all day checking who is in charge of donut club this month (ENFJ).
If you've been following the blog and social media sites, you'll notice you're getting bits and pieces of information. If you're like me, you're thinking, "That's great but how do I put this all together?" I feel your struggles. If you click on the link above, you'll find a comprehensive guide, an answer to your questions, a step-by-step sequence of figuring out a major and career path. As my good friend in TRIO says, "You're welcome."
What's your job in this process? And yes, it falls back on YOU. Don't just click on the link and browse through the information thinking, "Aw, isn't this cute." Print it out. Save it to your desktop. Start filling it out and doing the suggested activities as it applies to you. Just because we're out of free MBTI's doesn't mean you can't take the assessment and pay the $25 for the interpretation and results. TypeFocus is still available to you for free. The MCDS course (free and no grades) is quietly waiting for your invite (michelle.tuitupou@slcc.edu Subject Line: I Want My MCDS!), Career Coach is sitting, lonely, waiting for someone to start plugging in careers. You are not alone in this process. Take some time to do your research. Talk to someone and take charge of your major and career path. Take advantage of the resources SLCC offers. In the end, you'll make an educated, conscious decision. Go, young Padawan, and may the force be with you.
