Marlys Hanson INC.

WHAT SHOULD I BE WHEN I GROW UP?

WHAT SHOULD I SELECT AS MY MAJOR FIELD OF STUDY?

Recent studies disclose a troubling increase in the drop-out rate for college students. In addition, multiple changes in majors are dramatically increasing the average length of time for completing a “four-year” degree.  Causes cited range from academic unpreparedness to educational burnout.  But researchers may have missed the over-arching problem:  Students may be setting their sights on the wrong major field of study.  Further evidence of career mismatch is found in a 2011 Blessing/White survey that reports only one in four employees are in jobs where they are productive, satisfied and fully engaged.  That means 75% of employees suffer the tragedy of vocational mismatch and a resulting diminished quality of life!

Choosing a major field of study has always been a daunting decision.  If external criteria (e.g. “hot” or trendy careers, perceived promotional opportunities, parental pressure and top salaries) are used for making the choice, the student soon discovers that sustaining competitive performance in coursework that is not aligned with his/her innate talents is an overwhelming challenge.  The resulting costs are not only financial and time-related.  The discouragement and loss of self-esteem that comes with this “failure” is often sufficiently powerful to knock a student off his/her educational track.

Students may not only lack  critical career-decision making abilities, but they are also  misguided by popularized career-decision instruments (Myers-Briggs, StrongCampbell, Johnson-O’Connor) that lack predictive validity …and most guidance counselors are guilty of using these deceptive devices as a routine assessment practice.   In fact, these easy-to-administer “forced-choice” questionnaires are often the culprit in engaging the individual in sub-consciously biasing his/her responses with “multiple choices” that result in the “answer” that the individual wants to see.  Who wouldn’t want to be a lawyer, doctor, executive or professional athlete?

The Solution:  Before you choose a career direction, it is essential to commit both time and
energy to learn more about yourself as a person. To find out which career is suitable for you, first
you need to find out exactly what it is you are “motivated” to do….what it is that you enjoy
doing and feel you do well. Then you need to investigate the careers of your choice to determine
what it takes to sustain performance in those roles.

The SIMA Assessment and Career Match® Process helps students to make more informed
decisions about career direction and college/training choices.  Students whose major fields of
study “fit” their innate talent are more likely to continue and be successful in their education and
life pursuits. Their passion for their subject helps them to sustain their educational efforts and
avoid being derailed by other common problems, like being homesick, or feeling that they do not
“fit in.”  The SIMA Assessment and Career Match®  ⁽¹⁾ can help every student to discover
how to move more intentionally to live his/her life —on purpose and with purpose.

⁽¹⁾ The SIMA Career Match® compares your Motivational Patterns with the motivations (as contrasted to interests) required to perform over 400 occupations/professions – and provides you with a list of the “Top Ten” that best “fit” your talents.

WHAT CRITERIA ARE YOU USING TO MAKE YOUR CAREER DECISIONS?

GET STARTED NOW WITH THE SIMA® ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING PROCESS!

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