The document discusses how students often feel overwhelmed when asked about their career plans and majors during breaks from school. It encourages students that it's okay if they don't know yet, as choosing a career is a big decision that takes time and research. The document outlines resources at the school's Career Center, like personality tests and online surveys, that can help students discover their interests and strengths to guide their career search. Taking advantage of these resources will help students better understand themselves and feel less overwhelmed about their future plans.

1. Britney Wolfe
Career Center Intern
January 21, 2016
Discovering You – Updated Draft
“How are your grades holding up?”
“Have you chosen a major yet?”
“What are your plans after graduation?”
You might have heard some of these questions over winter break. Relieved that your
finals were over you went home thinking your well-deserved break would consist of sleeping in,
eating good food, and binge watching that show you had been waiting to watch on Netflix.
Instead, you were forced to sit through uncomfortable family gatherings and meals just knowing
that eventually someone would turn to you and start asking questions. Questions about your
classes, your grades, and then, wait for it… the future.
Maybe you were prepared this time and you had a good, solid answer. Maybe you had a
PowerPoint presentation detailing your five-year plan with a bullet point list.
Or maybe you were at a complete loss for words. What are you supposed to do when
someone asks you, “What are you going to major in?” or “What is your dream job?” when the
only answer that comes into your head is, “I don’t know.”
Now you’re back at school and you’re not sure if you’re on the right track. You don’t
know if the classes you’re taking will fulfill requirements for your major, once you actually
decide on one. Or maybe you’ve already chosen a major, but now you’re not so sure if it’s really
the right fit for you. It seems like time is running out, and the more you think about it the more
overwhelmed you begin to feel.
Here’s some encouragement for you. It’s okay if you don’t know.
Choosing your career is one of the most important decisions you will make and it’s a
decision that takes time as well as a good amount of research. It’s a decision that will affect the
rest of your life, and it shouldn’t be a decision that is made quickly or influenced by the opinions
or pressuring of others. The only person who can choose your career is you, so one of the first
steps you should take to begin your search for a career is to discover all of the elements and
details that make you, you.
The Mount St. Mary’s Career Center offers many different ways of discovering your
personality type in the way of your strengths, weaknesses, and interests. You might have already

2. taken a form of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test, a questionnaire that reveals how you
relate with other people and how you perceive the world around you. You can find free versions
of the test online, or you can set up an appointment at the Career Center to take the test and have
one of the counselors go over and explain the results to you.
You can also explore the online Focus program offered by the Career Center. The site
offers a variety of surveys and questionnaires that help direct your attention to potential career
paths that fit with your personality and interests. Each survey varies from 10-15 minutes long,
and focuses on your skills, values, and what you enjoy doing in your free time. After completing
each of the surveys a list pops up with potential career matches. You can click into individual
careers to see stats, work conditions, and skills needed, as well as education requirements and
potential salaries. The site also allows you to create a career action plan, and a list of careers that
interest you. You can access the Focus site by visiting www.msmary.edu/focus and using the
access code: themount, to create your own account and profile.
It’s important to remember that you are not limited to the results of these tests. While the
tests and questionnaires give you suggestions based on your answers, deciding on the career you
pursue is still your own personal decision. The goal of these programs is to help you discover
yourself and where you might feel the most purposeful and fulfilled in a job situation. Maybe the
results are not what you expected, and that’s okay. That means that you already have an idea of
what you don’t want to do, which is a step in the right direction. By discovering what you don’t
want to do, you are well on your way to finding out what you’re drawn to and the kind of career
you would enjoy.
By taking advantage of these resources at the Career Center, you will know more about
yourself, and instead of being overwhelmed with questions about your future, you will start to
develop a clearer understanding about the direction you want to take with your career.