There is so much pressure associated with our career choice, especially today. There are so many choices out there and so much to consider; it’s also okay if you don’t get things right the first time. Some of us need to go through a trial-and-error period before nailing it down.
Picking out your appropriate career path, albeit a dreadful task, may be easier than originally thought. The options may seem endless and the possibilities innumerable, but what if we told you that your perfect career could be determined through your personality?
Professor and psychologist John. L. Holland, the founder of the RIASEC test, indicates how personalities and careers are directly correlated to one’s success. According to Holland, there are six (6) distinct personality types that can help define people:
- Realistic
- Artistic
- Investigative
- Social
- Enterprising
- Conventional
Each person can be categorised into one of the above categories, or even better, they can combine RIASEC categories to formulate “the Holland Code,” very similar to the Myers-Briggs code (INFJ, ENFP, INTJ). The Holland code can be very indicative of one’s ideal career.
Choosing the right academic degree to fit your personality or, correspondingly, choosing the wrong degree can positively or negatively impact your future. For example, picking an academic degree that interests you and keeps you engaged would lead to good grades, completing your degree, and, potentially, a successful career that makes you happy. On the other hand, the wrong choice would feel like an obligation, leading to dissatisfaction and an unsuccessful first attempt at graduation.
Here are some traits for each personality type and some possible undergrad options for each one that might help you narrow down your career options:
REALISTIC PERSONALITY TYPE: Characteristics for this personality type involve being practical and preferring to work more with their hands, “assembling and repairing” while being calm and assertive. Take into consideration the option of Logistics.
ARTISTIC PERSONALITY TYPE: Artistic types are, well, artists. Creative individuals enjoy expressing themselves through different methods, such as writing, dancing, philosophy, or the humanities. A career in Digital Marketing would tap into those interests.
INVESTIGATIVE PERSONALITY TYPE: This type enjoys in-depth research and, probably, is good with numbers. Investigative types are natural introverts and traditional bookworms, so a BSc in Business Law could be the right choice here.
SOCIAL PERSONALITY TYPE: Do you particularly enjoy working with others? Are you a good leader that enjoys supporting others? You may have a Social personality. The ideal career path would involve working in healthcare, caregiving in general, teaching, or Human Resources.
ENTERPRISING PERSONALITY TYPE: Enterprising personalities value status and financial success and are entrepreneurial. If you read that description and said, “hey, that’s totally me,” consider choosing the BSc in Business Administration.
CONVENTIONAL PERSONALITY TYPE: Conventional types tend to be more introverted and enjoy working with numbers and data, elements that can be found in jobs like accounting or Finance.
So you see, picking the right career to suit you isn’t rocket science… it’s psychology. There are many available tests online that can help determine your personality type and, thus, help you make that dreaded, life-changing decision (no pressure), as well as a variety of undergraduate programmes to consider.
