<p>Can anyone share your experience with the Career center and assessment tests? Specifically curious about whether they help take the students identified interests and match them to potential careers. DS is on the pre-med route, and has said that’s what he wanted forever…we want to make sure he is doing it for him, not because he thinks that’s what his family “wants”. Our thought is knowing what all his interest correlates to, might give him a broader scope of career options and potential majors. Since he’s a freshman, we feel like he has a few semesters to figure it out, but don’t want him to box himself in as a result of the courses he is taking.</p>
<p>If you want to take an “strong interest survey” (I think they call it something like that, it’s exactly what you described: a test that matches interests to possible careers), you go in, have a short appointment, get the information to take the test, take it, then return for a longer appointment where you receive and discuss your results. My friend did it and it basically confirmed what she already knew – that she is interested in everything (she’s pre-med with a french and political science double major). I know that if you don’t find your results completely helpful, you can always go in for follow up appointments and there is more that they can do. It sounds like it might be a good idea for your son – it can’t hurt.</p>
<p>adpmom: there is more than 1 career center on campus. D1 originally went through the regular career center in the Ferg & did some evaluative testing (probably what Regina mentioned) and she received some vague results based on her demonstrated interests (they suggested law school which is always a go-to for a history major but she wasn’t interested in pursuing that.) The next semester she had to visit the Culverhouse career center for one of her economics classes & she found their career planning tools & advice a little more helpful to the point where she picked up a 2nd major in the business school. I think there’s also an Engineering focused career center as well. </p>
<p>Agree with regina that it can’t hurt; it will either confirm what he already thinks he knows, or open his eyes to some new possibilities.</p>
<p>I went to the Culverhouse Career Center because I am in the business school. I took the Strong Interest Inventory as well as the Myers Briggs Personality Assessment. I found both of them to be extremely helpful! You don’t just take the assessment and get your results immediately. You take the assessment at home, and then you come in and you have your results double-checked and interpreted. It is the perfect time to ask questions and learn a lot about what your results mean. Everyone can be classified into one of 16 different personality categories. Knowing which you are is extremely helpful in determining what sort of career/major you might me interested in. I found the entire process to be extremely helpful and informative!</p>