Understanding Yourself

Identifying majors or careers that match your natural talents, skills, values, and interests is important to the major exploration process. Understanding these areas about yourself can assist you in discovering majors that are right for you.  Congruence equals happiness!

  • Self-assessments are a way to start a conversation with an advisor about your personal preferences and how they relate to majors and careers. 
  • Do not rely on just one self-assessment to give you an answer about which major you should choose. 
  • Pay attention to the reliability and validity of assessments.

Complete these activities and assessments to identify your natural talents, skills, values, and interests.  Add your results to the Major Exploration Guide.

  • Identify your Natural Talents

  • Natural Talents
    Complete the Natural Talents exercise and list 5 of your natural talents on the Major Exploration Guide. Here is a list from the National Association of College and Employers of transferable skills they are seeking from recent college graduates: Resume Attributes. Review this list and highlight any of your natural talents that are on this list.

     

  • Strong Interest Inventory and RIASEC

  • The Strong Interest Inventory is a formal assessment: based on theory, researched with high validity and reliability. Backed by more than 80 years of research into how people of similar interests are employed, and what motivates individuals in the workplace. Provides robust insight into a person’s interests to help identify potential careers, their educational path and the world of work. Built on psychologist John Holland’s career theory (RIASEC)

    Complete the free online O*Net Interest Profiler to identify your top RIASEC results and add these to the Major Exploration Guide.

    Would you like to learn more?  You can complete the full Strong Interest Inventory assessment & interpretation through Student Health & Counseling Services ($20 fee).

     

  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

  • The MBTI is a formal assessment: based on theory & research, with high validity and reliability. Indicates differing psychological preferences in how individuals perceive the world and make decisions. Personality types are identified by a 4-letter code.

    Complete Ball State University’s free online assessment with a list of MBTI personality types and related majors and careers.  Look at the corresponding information about your personality type on the 16 Personalities website.  Which majors and careers appeal to you?   

    Add your results to the Major Exploration Guide.

    You can complete the official Myers Briggs Type Indicator through Student Health & Counseling Services ($20 fee). 

     

  • Personal Values

  • Personal values are an important factor to consider when exploring majors. Our values are the stars that guide our personal decisions. Identify five of your core personal values and add them to the Major Exploration Guide

     

Want to learn more? 

Check out these campus resources for additional support to assist in your major exploration: