—
If your teen is going to college, then they may have three choices that they must face. The first is where to apply, the second is which acceptance letter to pick, and the third is which degree to choose. That last decision will matter wherever they go to school. But it is often the decision that takes the longest to make. However, there are some tips that should be able to help point them in the right direction. They just might be able to pick their degree based on their personality type.
Six Primary Personality Traits
While the various personality traits that people can have can be quite complex, there are six dominant traits that your teen might exhibit more than others:
- Artistic: Individuals with this personality type usually enjoy cultivating a creative mind and often have very vivid imaginations. They do well in unstructured environments. Specific degrees they might consider include languages, art, communication, philosophy, theater, music education, and art.
- Conventional: This personality trait is often introverted, attentive to detail, and highly responsible. They like data, machines, and numbers. Good college majors for conventional personality traits include accounting, computer information, business administration, urban planning, finance, and mathematics.
- Enterprising: These individuals are typically extroverted and possess leadership abilities. They find status and money fascinating. Applicable degrees include entrepreneurship, marketing, economics, accounting, law, finance, and business administration.
- Investigative: Common characteristics of this personality type include introversion and interest in studying, science, reading, and math. Good degree choices for investigative spirits include medicine, political science, law, criminal justice, chemistry, bioengineering, and psychology.
- Realistic: Typical characteristics of this personality trait include strength, independence, practicality, and conservatism. Realistic personalities enjoy careers that involve data, repairs, or physical assembly. Related careers or degrees include engineering, physics, nursing, geology, anthropology, chemistry, and biology.
- Social: This kind of personality has characteristics that include responsibility and leadership. They like to work with other people because they enjoy connecting with others. Effective career paths might include translation, counseling psychology, art education, public information, gender studies, community health, and nursing.
Combining Characteristics
Many people wind up having more than one dominant personality trait. If your teen is sophisticated enough as a person, then they might have an overlap of two or more traits. That doesn’t have to complicate things, however. The right combination might lead to niche careers that are equally rewarding and profitable.
For instance, your teen might demonstrate both social and artistic qualities. If your teen wants a stable income while helping out the community, then maybe you should mention the possibility of being an ESOL teacher. The interconnected economy of the world is making daily business a more international affair every passing year, and millions of people come to America for the land of opportunity all the time.
An estimated 10 percent of all students are learning English as a second language, but only 1 percent of educators are ESOL-certified. The current national average of 1:150 between ESOL teachers and students does no one any good. Should your teen be the kind of person who wants to help others enjoy all that life in this country has to offer, they should think about becoming such an educator.
Ascertaining Personality Traits
According to Indeed, if your teen is having trouble deciding on a specific major, there are steps they can take that help them get to know themselves:
- List Out Potential Careers: Writing down a list of all the potential careers that interest them now is a good starting point. Rather than narrowing it down, they should look at the list as a whole. They might see a theme, be it arts or mathematics.
- Use a Personality Test: These tests normally have a series of different questions that need to be answered before giving you both dominant and secondary traits. Some are freely available online, whereas others might include a nominal fee for professional certification through an established authority.
- Research Traits: Once your teen knows their dominant and secondary personality traits, they can start researching those traits to get to know themselves better. That will help them start seeing which majors might benefit them the most.
- Make New Career Lists: Your teen wouldn’t have to throw away the original list, but it would be good to start with fresh lists based on their known top two personality traits. This is a good time to start looking into specific details, such as responsibilities, job duties, skills required, and salaries.
- Compare Each List: A comparison of the original list with the newer ones should hopefully have some overlap. These are good areas to explore. Just taking one or two semesters of a class in one subject should indicate how interested your teen is in something.
- Internships: If your teen has their eyes set on a particular career based on all of this, see if you can get them some real-world experience in that particular field before they have to declare their major. A summer internship is a great way to try out a career without committing to a year of study first. Some careers have opportunities for volunteering, and even just shadowing a professional for a day can help them open their eyes to their potential work life.
Always remind yourself and your teen that all of this is just a tool. It’s only one particular technique to help them choose their college degree. While personality tests have gotten more accurate over the decades, they alone shouldn’t dictate what specific major your teen declares for at their college.
Think of all this as a compass to guide more than a commitment.
Deciding on a college degree might be the biggest decision your teen has to make yet in life. If they’re having trouble, then let them know:
- There are six primary personality traits that might help them pick their path.
- Certain careers might be great for people with an overlap of two traits.
- It is possible to determine their personality traits in order to find a great career path for them.
Your teen will thank you if you can share any of this wisdom with them. You can help them with their decision while still letting them make it for themselves.
—
