Fear Comes From The Unknown

As a student in college, you come in undecided, and take a few GE classes, maybe come in for an assessment at the Career Center, and eventually decide on a major. Usually your major includes those classes you loved or things you enjoy doing outside of school. This decision and your path towards a career becomes easier once you start taking classes within your major and learn more about the requirements to get into and succeed in that field. What’s happening here is classic psychology, you’ve eliminated the fear of the unknown because now you’ve gained the knowledge and have a better idea of how to do those jobs.

This fear is something that comes up a lot in life. Maybe you’re hesitant to join a club because you’re unsure how they run their meetings or if the members are friendly. Maybe you’re looking to apply for an internship but decide not to because it doesn’t look like something you could ever do. You’ll never know until you overcome that fear and get that initial burst of knowledge. By exploring different paths, you learn a little more, and fear a little less!

A resource I believe combats this fear of unknown is Career Explorer, which is accessed through PrideCMS. Here, you can search a variety of careers and it will give you detailed information about the job such as average salary, projected growth, a description of the job, what education you need, and even the skills and cognitive abilities needed! By gaining some inside knowledge of the career, you start to overcome that fear of the unknown.

And remember, in the same way a stuffed toy or a blanket provides support and comfort to a child scared of the boogeyman, the counselors at the Career Center are here to support you as you venture into the unknown of your future Path of Pride. Give us a call at (516) 463-6060 and make an appointment today!

Anne Monique Concepcion, Graduate Assistant

The Truth About Assessments...

What are assessments?

One of the services that we offer to students at The Career Center is career and personality assessments. Career assessments are tools that are designed to help individuals understand how a variety of personal attributes (i.e., interests, values, preferences, motivations, aptitudes and skills), impact their potential success and satisfaction with different academic majors, career options and work environments. We currently offer Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Strong Interest Inventory, and the Career Decision Making System (CDM). Each assessment serves a different purpose and it is usually up to your career counselor to determine which one would be the best fit for you.

Is an assessment right for me?

Anyone can take a career assessment. For students, assessments can be useful when you are in the process of choosing a major and later on when you want to pin point some career options. Assessments are also a great way for you to assess your values, personality, interests, etc which is just good information to know. For example the MBTI can be helpful in determining how you perceive the world and interact with others. Although very effective when taken individually, the MBTI is a good choice for groups as it can help clarify how you can work together more effectively as a team by playing off each others personality types and cognitive preferences.

Will taking an assessment reveal all the secrets of the universe to me?

Unfortunately, no. Assessments are helpful in narrowing your search and/or pointing you in a certain direction but they are not the end all-be all. Remember, taking an assessment is just one step in your “Path of Pride.” After taking an assessment, there is a strong chance that you will still not be 100% sure which major you are going to choose or what career you are going to have and that’s OK. Truthfully, you do not want an assessment to be the one factor that shapes your future. In addition to taking an assessment, here are some things you should do to further explore:

• Research majors and careers by doing internet research (check out The Career Center's website - we have LOTS of career and major exploration resources) and by talking to other students, faculty and professionals in the field (check out the Alumni-Student Konnection (ASK) program to network with alumni)
• Use your electives to take classes in different subject areas to find out what you like (and what you don't like) 
• Join clubs and other on and off-campus organizations that focus on certain industries or areas of interest
• Volunteer and complete internships to become more familiar with an industry and gain valuable experience outside of the classroom 

As always, The Career Center is here to help you throughout the exploration process! 

Kaitlyn Riley, Assistant Director