How to Learn About Yourself and Your Future
Written by Christabel Rocha (Wharton '24)
Trying to get to know yourself and what you want in life is harder than it sounds. Even adults with careers still struggle with finding their true calling. It is okay not to know where you will be in five years.
However, it can be helpful to have a sense of direction early on to take advantage of certain opportunities. That is why I compiled a list of personality tests that can help you understand what careers match your personality.
Personality tests to get to know yourself
One of the best personality tests out there is the MBTI assessment, 16 personalities. The test was created to help people discover their strengths and understand how they are unique. There are 16 personalities each labeled with a mysterious acronym like INTJ-A, where each letter represents a specific trait. The test has been researched extensively to ensure its validity and reliability using statistical methods.
The assessment is 130 questions and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. Once you finish you will see a report that shows key points of your results.
When I took my test, I received the Advocate Personality and once I put my email in, I was able to read about my strengths and weaknesses, how my personality interacts in certain relationships and what career paths align the best with my personality. For instance, Advocates tend to seek a career path that aligns with their values rather than one that offers status and material gain. As someone who wants to go into Asset Management because of my desire to have a real impact on people’s lives through retirement funds, my results further confirmed my career goals.
The test will not just tell you what career paths you will do well in, but will also tell specifically what is likely to bring you fulfillment. For instance, in my results nowhere does it mention finance but that does not mean I can’t have a positive impact. Thus, if you have an idea of what you want and it’s not in your results, do not let that turn you away from it.
The Enneagram test is focused on understanding people’s emotions, internal motivations, and fears. There are 9 possible results, each including specific driving forces that might pertain to a certain individual.
The enneagram I got when I took the test was type 5, The Investigator. What I took from my results is that I have a strong desire to possess a strong understanding of the world. The way I tied these results to a career path is by choice of doing Research in Investment Management. This specific role in banking is less client-facing and more time is spent doing research on specific industries and assets, which makes sense with my personality because I enjoy spending time reading over being in social settings. You can apply your results the same way, by thinking about how a specific trait of yours would be helpful in a specific role.
Again, take the results with a grain of salt. How you feel today can be different from how you feel tomorrow and that can lead to discrepancies with your results. Take the test at different chapters of your life and think about whether or how your motivations and aspirations have changed.
Career Assessments
Truity’s Free Career Test Matcher consists of 94 questions and takes around 15 minutes to complete. Once you finish the test, you will get your results and why you got them with next steps on how to use the new information you got.
The Career Explorer test goes above and beyond by testing not only your personality and career match but also the college degree you should pursue.
Ultimately, these surveys should not dictate where you go in life but rather present you with some viable options. Use these surveys to reflect on your likes and dislikes, your passions and ambitions. Because these surveys do not paint the full picture, I have included other ways to find out what your interests are and pick a career.
Alternative ways to discover:
Watch a Youtube video on the industry
What is Investment banking?
What does a consultant do?
Ask others about their experiences
Find people’s opinions on industries by looking up the industry on forums like Reddit
Read Wharton Women’s testimony on why they choose their major which can help you narrow down the industry you want to pursue
Networking (a bit more intimidating)
Reach out to friends and family who might know about or have worked in the industry
Ask your teachers if they know anything about that industry
After you figure out your interests, make a plan of action. For instance, find out what degree fits your career goals and look up what universities would be a good fit. Again, try not to put too much pressure on yourself to find a job or industry you want to pursue for the rest of your life. There is a lot of uncertainty among college students and even adults on where their true passions and interests lie. Embracing that uncertainty and keeping an open mind is the best way to find out what you truly want.
Christabel is a sophomore at Penn from Dallas, Texas. She is studying finance and business analytics and hopes to get a minor in Spanish. During her free time she loves thrifting, watching Spanish soap operas and being with family. For questions, you can reach Christabel at ochac@wharton.upenn.edu.
Image by Brett Jordan on Unsplash