Discovering Your Path: Our Favorite Tools to Help Students Explore Strengths and Interests. 

For many students, making important decisions about the future can feel debilitating. With so many options available, how do you figure out which path is right for you? Fortunately, numerous tools and assessments are designed to help you identify your personal strengths, interests, and potential career paths. Whether you're a student planning your future or simply curious about your own traits and tendencies, personality and interest/aptitude assessments can provide valuable insights.

This blog explores some of the most popular and practical tools to help students explore their strengths and interests.

Personality Assessments

Understanding your personality type can provide valuable insights into your natural tendencies, strengths, and potential career fits.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

The MBTI is one of the most widely recognized personality assessments. It categorizes individuals into 16 personality types based on four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving.

While the official MBTI assessment requires a fee, you can take a free version at 16Personalities. This site offers detailed information about each personality type, including potential career paths.

Enneagram

The Enneagram is another popular personality typing system that identifies nine distinct personality types. Each type has its own core motivations, fears, and strengths. Understanding your Enneagram type can help you identify careers that align with your core values and motivations.

You can take a free Enneagram test at Truity.

Interest and Aptitude Assessments

While personality assessments can be insightful, exploring your interests and aptitudes is equally important.

Holland Code (RIASEC) Assessment

The Holland Code, also known as the RIASEC test, categorizes individuals and work environments into six types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. This assessment can help you identify careers that match your interests and work style.

The O*NET Interest Profiler is a free tool based on the Holland Code that can help you explore career options based on your interests.

YouScience

YouScience is a more comprehensive aptitude and interest assessment that uses brain games to measure your natural abilities. It then matches these aptitudes with your interests to suggest potential career paths. While there is a cost associated with this assessment, many schools offer it to their students for free.

Check with your school counselor to see if YouScience is available to you, or visit the YouScience website for more information.

Conclusion

Remember, while these assessments can provide valuable insights, they are tools for self-reflection, not definitive answers. Use them as starting points for exploration and discussion, and consider consulting with a guidance/career counselor or coach to help interpret the results and apply them to your life and career planning.

Have you tried any of these assessments? Which ones resonated most with you? Share your experiences in the comments below!