When choosing a major, understanding your interests, personality, and abilities is key. According to expert research, when a person is interested in a certain job, he or she can exert 80%-90% of his potential and remain efficient and tireless for a long time. On the contrary, if you have no interest, you can only use 20%-30% of your talents. Therefore, when choosing a major, you should first examine your career interests and subject interests.
Understand Holland’s career interest types
Holland’s Vocational Interest Theory is a theory proposed by American psychologist John Holland, which conducts in-depth research on the relationship between career choices and personality types. He believes that people’s personality types are closely related to interests, and interests are a huge driving force for people’s activities. According to his theory, we can divide human personality into six types:
- Realistic type (R): Likes operational work, has strong hands-on ability, prefers specific tasks, is not good at words, and works independently.
- Research Type (I): Thinker, pursuing knowledge, good at abstract thinking, independent and creative.
- Artistic Type (A): Creative, pursuing individuality, and liking art, music, literature and other fields.
- Social Type (S): Likes to interact with others, cares about social issues, and is willing to teach and help others.
- Enterprise (E): pursues power and material wealth, has leadership skills, and likes competition and risk-taking.
- Conventional Type (C): Respect rules and regulations, like to do things according to plan, be careful, organized, and conservative in doing things.
There is a high correlation between these personality types and different careers. If you are interested in these types of jobs, you can further explore matching careers to better plan your career.
The Hexagonal Professional Personality Theory proposed by Professor Holland is an important reference in the field of professional interests, and each type is suitable for different occupations. The following is a detailed introduction to the hexagonal professional personality:
1. Investigative
People with research-oriented personalities enjoy solving abstract problems and working with words, symbols, and concepts. They are usually curious, like to work independently and creatively, and do not want to be supervised by others or to supervise others. Suitable for majors such as economics and finance.
Suitable occupations: Economist, scientist, researcher, data analyst.
2. Tool type (Realistic)
People with a tool personality like to engage in work that is ‘visible and tangible’ and like to use tools and operate large machines. They are usually flexible in their hands and feet, but not good at verbal communication. Suitable for majors such as financial engineering and investigative science.
Suitable occupations: Engineers, mechanics, electricians, technicians.
3. Artistic
People with artistic personalities like to express themselves through art forms such as writing, composing, painting, photography, and architecture. They are sensitive, like to work independently, and are not too concerned about social disputes. Suitable for majors such as agricultural education and printing technology education.
Suitable for careers: Writer, Artist, Designer, Director, Musician.
4. Management (Enterprising)
People with a managerial personality like to compete, dare to take risks, are energetic, optimistic and confident, are sociable and have leadership qualities. They love power, status and material wealth. Suitable for majors such as international economics and trade, trade economics, etc.
Suitable for careers: Entrepreneurs, managers, sales executives, lawyers, politicians.
5. Social
People with a service-oriented personality like to engage in the work of serving and educating others, are good at sociability, have harmonious interpersonal relationships, and are eager to play a social role. Suitable for majors such as social work and international affairs.
Suitable occupations: teachers, social workers, nurses, psychological counselors, human resources management.
6. Conventional
People with a transactional personality like to do things according to plans and are happy to complete directive tasks. They do not like taking risks or complicated interpersonal relationships. Suitable for majors such as insurance and credit management.
Suitable occupations: Accounting, secretarial, librarian, auditor, administration.
PsycTest: Understand your career interests
PsycTest provides a free Holland career interest online test to help you better understand your career interest type and provide a reference for choosing a suitable major. Click here to start testing and discover the career path that’s right for you.
Consider professional values
Professional values are also an important factor when choosing a major. Professional values are affected not only by factors such as social and cultural environment, gender and age, but also by internal factors such as personal personality and interests. Career values are usually consistent with personal ideals. When choosing a major, you should first consider your own interests, abilities and personality, and then consider external factors of the career, such as salary, social status and stability.
PsycTest also provides a free online test of WVI Shuber Career Values . I hope it will be helpful to you!
Assess your own abilities
Campaigners need to evaluate their ability level when choosing a major and understand what aspects they can achieve. Abilities can be divided into general abilities and special abilities. Special abilities, such as painting, composing music, etc., are abilities that function in specific activities. Although most majors do not exceed the general range of student ability requirements, ability is one of the factors that needs to be considered when choosing a major.
In short, choosing a major that suits you requires comprehensive consideration of interests, personality, professional values, and ability levels. By understanding your career interests and personality type, and combining your interests, personality, career values, and ability levels, you can choose a major that suits you more scientifically and accurately, and move towards a successful career.
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