Choosing-a-major-with-personality-match (1)

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Choosing a college major based on your personality: What does the research say? Information and advice for students and adults returning to school, as well as parents, counselors, faculty advisors, and education policymakers. By Lawrence K. Jones, Ph.D., NCC
........................................................................................................................................................... Summary 3 Choosing a college major is one of the most important .................................................................................................................................... decisions you will make 4 ................................................................... Should you consider your personality when you choose a major? 5 ........................................................................... First, some background to understand the research findings 6 .......................................................................................................................... What does the research say? 11 Why does matching your personality to college majors ................................................................................................................................... affect college success? 17 .................................................................................. Personality-career pathway match and school success 20 ....................................................................... 5 strategies you can use to take advantage of these findings 21 ...................................................................................................................................................... References 26 .............................................................................................................................................. About the author 28 ............................................................................................................. Important tips for viewing this eBook 29 Table of Contents Copyright © 2019 Career Key, Inc. All rights reserved. www.careerkey.org Page 2 Copyright holder is licensing this under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License . You are free to copy, share, post on your blog, or email for non-commercial use but do not change it.
Summary Choose a college major based on your personality and interests. That ʼ s what the research indicates. Major studies over the past ten years show that with a good match you are likely to: • Earn higher grades • Stick with your choice of major through graduation • Graduate on time • Be more satisfied and successful in your career You don ʼ t want to ignore those findings. It could cost you dearly. This "white paper" will help you understand the research findings and give you "takeaways" you can use in making a good decision. I recommend these five strategies : 1. Take a scientifically valid interest inventory or career assessment that measures your Holland personality types 2. Use a valid list of majors organized by Holland personality types to identify those most likely to fit your personality 3. Learn about the environment for each major that interests you 4. Use similar strategies to choose a "career pathway" or career field 5. Make your choice using a 4-step decision-making process Table of Contents Copyright © 2019 Career Key, Inc. All rights reserved. www.careerkey.org Page 3
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