KSL Article on the MBTI (Excellent Read)

An excellent article on ksl.com regarding the MBTI and personality types.  Have you taken the MBTI?  You should!

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=42141765

Find the best career for your personality

By KSL Jobs   |  Posted Nov 9th, 2016 @ 12:03pm

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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.

ENERGY STYLE: Introverts/Extroverts

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).

Step by Step

http://admissions.fsu.edu/freshman/academics/Choosing_a_Major_guide_2015.pdf

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.

Humans of SLCC (#2)

What is big on my mind right now?  Me being a gay Mormon.  On National Coming Out Day [2016] I posted this thing on Facebook about my coming out and the process.  So that’s been on my mind.  Also, I’m an activist.  What is my story?  I don’t know.  I love the college community.  I love the vibes of the school.  That students are learning, they’re growing, they’re challenging their thoughts, their way of life, and they are being vulnerable and especially in the Student Life and Leadership office, people are looking for opportunities to improve themselves.  And just to think that I can have a part or be a part of this monumental moment in people’s lives is fun and it’s cool.  So that’s the biggest reason why I came back.  I’ve been here and I’ve left and  I’ve come back and I’ve left and now I’m back again.  Yeah, I think that that’s the biggest thing is that college life is a time of change.  Being an activist I’m all about moving forward and progressive change, whether it’s policy or individual lives, it’s awesome to be a part of that.

Peter began his college studies at SLCC then transferred to Weber State University to complete his Bachelor's degree.  We met a few months ago to discuss some ideas for a Masters program that would incorporate activism, gender studies, and staying employed in higher education.  Although SLCC does not offer anything above an Associate's degree and does not normally advise for graduate programs, it's always great to see our students move beyond the college into higher level programs. If you are still wondering what program of study you should be focusing on, please meet with an Academic & Career Advisor today!  http://www.slcc.edu/academicadvising/index.aspx

 

Humans of SLCC (#1)

I was born in South Korea and emigrated to the United States at the age of six.  My sister came here first to learn English.  She came here when she was eight or nine and she came by herself.  Me, my brother, and my mom came to follow my sister.  My dad stayed in Korea to work and he was going back and forth.  He had his own business, he was an optician in South Korea so he had his own eye glass shop in my home town.  He gave that up, sold everything, and came here for the American dream, you know?  South Korea is a motherland, it's your roots, you know, like a tree.  You have your base then you have all these leaves that represent who you are but in order to be at the core of it, sometimes people don't see that, but the root keeps everything grounded, you know, stable.  All my family members and relatives are in South Korea, my grandma and we have a house there.  Whenever we want to go to South Korea we can just go.  All my mother's side is there, my dad's side is all there.  We try to keep close ties but it's hard, you know, especially when the economy goes bad, plane tickets are expensive so trying to go back and forth is hard.  We try to keep true to our roots.  I feel like you should keep the good in the culture and throw away the bad.  I try to keep the good aspects, the positive aspects.

He is currently undecided on a major but has the resources that can assist him with his major and career exploration journey.

(Re)Introducing Chico the Cheeky Monkey

With the fall semester comes a whole new troop of students, especially fresh out of high school graduates, anxious to begin the next phase in their lives.  When I first introduced Chico, it was in January near the time the new Lunar New Year was beginning.  But I forgot to reintroduce him in August since many students have not had the privilege of getting to know this amazing little monkey.  So here he is:

This is Chico.  The cheeky monkey.  He is our current mascot for the 100 Days of Career Exploration Campaign.  At least until December.  In January we switch over to the Rooster as next year is the Year of the Rooster.  By the way, the Rooster doesn't have a name, yet, so if you have some ideas, please post them here!  Back to Chico, he's been highlighting different programs and resources we offer at Salt Lake Community College.  Which is what the #100daysSLCC Campaign is all about.  Follow along with our social media sites and you'll see some great information regarding major and career exploration (we still have a few free MBTI's left), programs offered at SLCC (last semester Chico hung out with the Coding Club), and resources that can help you be a successful student (Chico loves the excitement of the Boosters Workshop series).  Whether you're undecided on a major or you know what you want to do with your life, it's always fun to find out what Chico is up to and read about your personality and careers that match.  Browse through our tabs and see what's happening on campus this week.  We have some heavy hitting speakers during the week of October 17th so stay tuned.  Spring registration will be here before you know it.  What can you do to choose a major and career path as well as stay informed with important information?  Read this blog.  Visit our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.  You don't even have to have those pages to see the content.  We look forward to seeing you on social media!

Blog:           100daysslcc.blogspot.com

Twitter:       @slccadvising

Instagram:  100daysslcc

Facebook:   100daysslcc

Who are the people at SLCC?

http://www.humansofnewyork.com/post/151124043696/i-went-to-community-college-when-i-was

The story above comes from the "Humans of New York" blog series and as I started browsing through personal stories from all walks of life, I found one about attending community college.  This human from New York chose to attend college to prove people wrong.  At first.  Then, at some point, she started going for herself.  Looking back on who she was before and the way she acted, she could see herself in others and wondered if they realized they were wasting their lives away.  Like she was doing before she discovered college...

Are you attending college because someone told you to, like a parent or guardian or significant other?  It's August 1st, hurry up and apply to the college.  You're not sitting around this house all day!  Is it because someone dared you to go to college?  I double dog dare you to enroll at SLCC!  HAHAHAHAHA!  Is it because you don't know what else to do and don't really want to get a "serious" job right now?  I want time to ski and I can work at the resorts while attending school for fun.  No one will question me if I tell them I'm a college student.

Now that you're at the college and taking classes, what makes you stay?  Is it the atmosphere?  The smaller class sizes?  The beautiful campuses?  The courses you're taking?  The major you've chosen? Studies have shown students with an idea of a major and career path tend to complete their degree quicker than someone who is undecided on a major.  We've seen this with students in academic probation.  They had no direction, therefore, no motivation.  We've seen this with students of color.  Their priorities are different and sometimes, even with a chosen major, other obligations come first.  We've seen this across the college and we're concerned.

Who are the humans of SLCC?  And what motivates them to attend the college?  What motivates them to stay and complete a degree?  What help have they received along the way?  We will begin our own "Human of SLCC" and highlighting people from across campuses to share their stories.  Of course, I'll tie them back to major and career exploration.  But wouldn't it be amazing to see the faces of SLCC and experience the wonderfully diverse landscape that makes up our students, staff, and faculty?

Are YOU interested in sharing your story (and picture) as a Human of SLCC?  If so, email michelle.tuitupou@slcc.edu.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Time and Excitement: What do they have in common?

I've been keeping up with quite a few social media sites lately; three Facebook pages, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts, and two blogs.  Well, that's probably a bit false since I haven't REALLY been keeping up with all of them.  When you only have 24 hours in the day and hopefully eight of those hours are spent sleeping, 9-10 of those hours are spent commuting or at work, and then there's a household you have to run and people to feed, well, you tend to run out of time.  Needless to say, some of my sites have been neglected.  For several months.

As a student, I'm sure you're feeling the same pressure.  School, work, family obligations, play time, a lot of things on your plate and you wonder where you can fit in just one more thing?  Then I bombard you with thoughts about major and career exploration.  Really, woman?  How do I fit this into an already cramped schedule?  Believe me, I make excuses every single day about why I can't post something on a social media site or why I haven't written anything in the last few months.  I'm right there with you.  I feel that crunch for time.  But I had a great experience that I want to share with you.

This past weekend, Friday night to be exact, my daughters and I were driving home after a successful shopping trip to purchase Real Salt Lake Soccer gear (we didn't want to miss our SLCC Soccer team being recognized during half time at the Saturday RSL game) and we were just giddy.  Maybe it was the shopping.  Maybe it was the milk shakes and french fries we just consumed.  Whatever the case, we were in a creative mood and we began discussing writing a fan fiction story based on the Twilight series.  This all began with a debate about who was the best Batman and Joker.  I claimed it was the old school Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson combo.  My girls said Heath Ledger as the Joker but they weren't impressed with Christian Bale as Batman.  Of course they have not seen the older version so that will be viewed this coming weekend and the debates will continue then.  But the creative juices were flowing.  The conversation then switched to Twilight (please don't ask how we went from Batman to vampires) but it did.  And we started bouncing ideas off of each other.  My oldest daughter had the initial thought about the fan fiction and we all jumped in with our ideas in a very spirited conversation.  Man, that was one of the greatest creative discussions I've ever had in my life!  And guess what?  Last night (Sunday) I wrote almost 3,000 words (5 pages) of a fan fiction story based on our Friday night discussion.  And the story has been saved on a flash drive so if my daughters want to add to or change things, they are free to do so.

What does this have to do with major and career exploration?  Excitement.  That's it.  The anticipation of figuring out your life goals and putting those plans into action.  Being excited after taking the free MBTI and receiving the interpretation and your results, then going off into the sunset to explore, discover, decide!  I see that excitement in students' faces when we review their results and they see a few items on their list that they a) have been thinking about for quite some time or b) hadn't thought about but see a renewed energy in the possibilities of this new program idea.  What happens when we're excited about something?  We put our energy into it.  Then it becomes the 3,000 word story that is developing and all you can think about is what comes next?  And you're excited for the next day to continue the process of discovery.  (To be honest, if I could write all day/night long without having to worry about getting up in the morning to go to work, or eating, or sleeping, or being social, I would totally do that.)  Now that you're eagerly rubbing your hands together because the light bulb has become this bright beacon over your head, go out into the college world and EXPLORE!  Take the free MBTI assessment and get that interpretation completed ASAP (they'll be gone soon, at least the free ones).  Sign up for TypeFocus, take the personality assessment, then explore occupations.  Check out Career Coach and type in some career ideas.  Find out the salary ranges, job tasks, and job outlook.  Answer the classic questions regarding careers:  How much will I get paid, what will I be doing, and can I get a job?  Check out our Activities Tab and find out what you can do that will take 10 minutes or less to accomplish each day.  If I can write 3,000 words in two hours, you can certainly carve out 10 minutes in your day to explore majors and careers.  Especially if you're feeling the excitement!  Ready?  Set?  GO!

Speaking of writing, check out this website!  They collect stories from students and publish a journal each year.  If you have some great story ideas, poetry, photography, or visual art, look at the website for details and deadlines.  Or just browse through current and past entries.  There are many talented people in our sphere.  Why not share your story with our college community!