With any journey, it helps to know where you’re going. The same definitely goes for knowing what you want to study in college, or what career you’d like to pursue after graduation. There are plenty of benefits to having an idea of your career path (not least of which is saving money in college). But what if you’re not sure what you’d like to study? What if you don’t have a solid job goal in mind? That is exactly where PathwayU and their in-depth career assessment tools come in.
What is PathwayU?
PathwayU is an online career and education counseling program. Based off of your assessed interests and goals, PathwayU uses scientific algorithms to match you with potential careers and majors that fit you best. The main goal of PathwayU is to help students find a career that they’ll feel passionate about.
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PathwayU’s Handy Tools and Services
When you first sign up for PathwayU, you’re asked to take multiple assessments so they can get to know you better. You’re provided with results that break down your personality, workplace preferences, interests, and values.
Based on these answers, you’re matched with various career options. Each career page explains the job in more detail, including the average salary, skills you’ll need, what degree you should pursue, and job prospects depending on your location.
Not sure where to start if you’re looking for a job? PathwayU has you covered. You can search a job board with keywords or titles. Additionally, PathwayU provides tips on how to write a resume and cover letter, how to get through an interview, and more.
Interested already? Sign up at https://appcr.pathwayu.com/signup and you’ll get a special 50% off discount! Want to learn more first? Keep reading!
Career Assessment Tests
Ready to take the first step in your college/career journey? The aptly named My Journey tab will take you through a series of four quick assessments that will analyze your personality, preferences, and passions.
- Interests assessment
You’ll be given multiple statements starting with “as part of a job, I would like to…,” followed by potential interests such as “develop new medicine” or “paint sets for plays.”
- Values assessment
In the context of your dream job, you’ll be presented twenty boxes with various values in them, such as “I make use of my abilities” or “my co-workers would be easy to get along with.”
- Personality assessment
Similar to the interests assessment, you’ll be asked statements starting with “In general, I…,” such as “think discussing philosophy is boring” or “do just enough work to get by.”
- Workplace preference assessment
Like the Values assessment, this test offers boxes of workplace environment characteristics and asks you to rank them—both in terms of which are most important, or least important, to you.
Each of the assessments ends with a results page, breaking down your answers in interesting graphs and charts. There are summaries on how your responses relate to your personality and goals, as well as suggestions for potential careers that align with your character traits.
Career Matches
From your assessment answers, you’ll receive a list of careers that match your personality, interests, and preferences.
Career pages will highlight average salaries, job prospects, degree requirements, as well as job descriptions, helpful skills, and relevant programs. This is incredibly useful information when it comes to planning your own career journey. With it, you can be better prepared when it comes to the job search phase.
Job Board
Powered by Handshake and Indeed, the Job Board section of PathwayU is an immensely helpful tool to help you get started in actually searching for real, available jobs. You can search for general keywords, specific job titles, or even individual companies.
PathwayU makes it easy to focus on ideal jobs that will fit you, and won’t flood your results with jobs that don’t fit well with you.
Tools
If finding a job is Part One, then getting the job is Part Two. This is where PathwayU’s Tools page comes in handy. They have four main tools for job-hunters and college applicants to use.
Resumes:
PathwayU can help you understand what makes an effective resume. There are formatting tips, advice on how to list your experiences, resume building tools, samples, and even a service to have your own resume reviewed by experts!
Cover Letters:
Here you’ll learn what makes a good cover letter, what content should go into one, how to best format your letter, see examples, and even have yours reviewed.
Networking:
Ever hear the phrase “It’s not about what you know, but who you know?”. PathwayU teaches the science of networking and gives plenty of tips (for experienced and newbie networkers alike).
Interviews:
There’s helpful advice on interview preparation, frequently asked interview questions for you to practice, and guides on how to both evaluate and negotiate job offers.
Why PathwayU is Definitely Worth It
So, why is it important to have a career plan in mind before college?
- It will be easier to select the classes you need in your schedule.
- You can focus on honing skills that will be applicable in your future job.
- You’ll understand which internship or work-study programs would be relevant
- You won’t waste time switching majors, which can delay your graduation
- (Graduating on time saves you a lot of money)
- It reduces your risk of dropping out of college entirely.
Ok, so that covers the importance of having a job goal—but why PathwayU specifically? Well, what if $59 could save you $25,000 during your education? It’s certainly enticing! “But there are free career assessment options out there, why pay for this one?” you may ask. PathwayU is well worth the investment because it offers in-depth assessments of your interests and personality. The tools and services they offer are detailed and high-quality. The site is backed by scientific studies and industry experts.
So, if you are looking for more depth and guidance, consider PathwayU. You’ll want solid (and affordable) tools when it comes to something as important as your future.
PathwayU normally costs $59.95 but College Raptor users get a special 50% discount! For only $29.95 you can use all of PathwayU’s tools and discover your career path today!
Sign up at https://appcr.pathwayu.com/signup!
