The CCD offers a number of counselor-interpreted assessments and online assessment tools that can assist you in your career development process. Understanding yourself is a critical aspect of career and educational exploration and planning. The more you know about your career-related interests, values, skills, personality type and preferences, the better equipped you will be to identify the career fields, major areas of study and training programs, and education pathways that are compatible with your personal attributes. Career and personality assessments can be excellent tools to discover more about yourself.
Focus 2
FOCUS 2 is an online interactive, self-guided career and education planning system designed to help you make decisions about your future career goals and education plans The FOCUS 2 system will help you develop an accurate self-assessment of your personal qualities:
- Your Work Interests are a reflection of the kinds of work-related activities and tasks you most enjoy doing.
- Your Personality Type is a description of how you react to certain situations and people and how you make decisions, organize information and solve problems.
- Your Values are a description of what is most important to you in life. For example, you might value earning a lot of money, helping other people, being creative and artistic, having a secure and steady job, etc.
- Your Skills are a reflection of your talents and the activities you easily learn and perform well.
- Your Leisure Time Interests are a reflection of the kinds of leisure-related activities you most enjoy doing.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Different people are motivated and satisfied with different jobs and activities. Understanding your natural way of working will help you choose suitable work and work environments. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) assessment, the most widely used personality assessment in the world, can help you discover your preferences. It also offers a foundation for understanding individual differences and applying that understanding to the ways people think, communicate, and interact. Versatile and dependable, the MBTI tool sets the stage for lifelong learning and development.
Strong Interest Inventory
The Strong Interest Inventory® is one of the world's most widely respected and frequently used career planning tools. The Strong Interest Inventory® assists individuals in selecting a path that’s right for them. By giving individuals insight into their interests, preferences, and personal styles, the Strong enables them to identify specific courses, jobs, internships, and activities they’re likely to enjoy.
Learn about yourself
The first step in making an effective career decision and in developing a plan to achieve those goals is to explore the following areas:
- Interests - Identify how they motivate you to participate in certain projects and activities.
- Personality - Better understand your optimal work style and environment.
- Values - Become aware of how they impact work and life choices.
- Professional Identity - Develop your professional image and understand its impact on your professional advancement.
This may include taking some of the assessments that can help you identify and understand your interests and personality preferences. The two most commonly given are the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
After the initial meeting with a counselor, you will complete the assessments online. Then you will schedule follow-up appointments with the counselor to discuss the results and how they may apply to your Rice experience.
Explore your professional options
The CCD staff can also assist you in learning about the range of options available to you and in the selection and timing of graduate school or other professional training:
- Determine which professional fields and industries provide the kind of work and environment that fits you best.
- Assess if graduate school fits into your short-term and long-term plans.