MODULE 13:

CAREER
PATHWAYS
Psychologist John Holland:
classified jobs/careers/work
environments into six:
Realistic, Investigative, Artistic,
Social, Enterprising and
Conventional. There are no
pure classifications, though. A
person's job function may combine
ESA (Enterprising,
Social and Artistic) or ISC
(Investigative, Social and
Conventional) or any two or
three other possible combinations.
 Psychologist
John Holland
Holland also classifies personalities or interests
into the same six types:
Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising
and Conventional. Again, there
are no pure interest types. A person may also be
ESA (Enterprising-Social-Artistic)
or ISC (Investigative-Social-Conventional) or any
two or three possible combinations.
 R- Realistic
People high on the realistic theme tend
to enjoy creating things with their
hands and working with tools and
objects rather than working with
people and ideas.
Realistic people tend to be rugged and
practical, enjoying work outdoors.
 I- Investigative
Occupations high in investigative
characteristics tend to focus on scientific
activities. People high on this theme would
often rather work alone than with other
people and are usually seen as idea-oriented
and creative in scientific areas such as
research. They are analytical, abstract,
intellectual and task-oriented.
 A- Artistic
People who score high on the artistic theme are artistically
inclined, and
usually describe themselves as independent, imaginative,
creative, and
unconventional, They enjoy situations that allow them freedom
to be original, prefer
to work in an unstructured environment, and are usually
dissatisfied if they are forced
to follow many rules and procedures. They enjoy activities
related to language, art,
music, drama, writing, etc
 S- Social
People high on the social theme are usually
seen by others as sociable,
popular, and responsible. They prefer social
interaction and social presence. They
are often interested in the problems and
concerns of others, and like activities that
allow them to teach, inform, train, develop, cure
and help others.
 E- Enterprising
Occupations that are primarily enterprising in
nature usually involve situations
where the person is in a position of leading or
convincing others to achieve
team/organizational goals or economic gain.
People high on this theme are often
seen as enthusiastic, dominant, impatient.
 C- Conventional
High conventional people tend to prefer jobs where
they are
given firm structure and know exactly what is expected
of them. People who rank
high on this theme often describe themselves as
conscientious, efficient, and calm.
They enjoy activities that involve the precise, ordered
use of data such as keeping
and filing records, organizing data, computing, printing
CHOOSE YOUR CAREER FIRST
NOT YOUR COLLEGE
Approximately 80 percent of college freshmen have not
declared a college
major. Fifty percent of those who have declared a major will
switch during college.
Seventy percent of all college students will change their major.
These numbers prove that students are not being turned into
who they are
before making major decisions – a costly mistake. Most parents
who have saved for
college plan on their child graduating in four years.
 Your College Roadmap
The typical student embarks on the college search by
first choosing the
college they love, then a major, and finally choosing a
corresponding career path.
Students should instead embark on their journey with
the end in mind -a future
career. Instead of focusing on the four years spent in
college, turn your attention to
the 40+ years you will work after graduation.
 Your College Roadmap
The college roadmap should be tailored to the
individual student. Students
should first ask themselves, “What am I wired to do?”
While there’s not one simple
answer to this question, conscientiously dialing into
one’s personality allows one to
easily identify what they are not wired to do.
 Your College Roadmap
From there they can consult sites like
the Bureau of Labor and Statistics’ Occupational
Outlook Handbook and O*Net
Online to categorize job prospects accordingly. Students
should hone in on career
possibilities that satisfy their individual needs and
interests.
 The Back-Up Plan
Once potential careers are established, students should
back up to the
majors that feed to these careers and research colleges
that are respected in those
fields. Sometimes it’s one major-as is the case with
teaching or engineering-but often
there are several options that feed into a given career.
 The Back-Up Plan
On the college-bound
journey, career needs to be at the forefront of each
student’s choice of major.
Choosing career first is actually an investment in
college savings, since knowing
upfront where your degree path will take you can save a
lot of time and money.
Thank
you!!