September 2022
Here’s the first step to imagine your future and life’s purpose: “Know thyself!”
As Anita Moore, from Bend High School’s Future Center, says, “Once you understand yourself, you can begin to imagine your future.”
But how do you begin that self-discovery? Anita heartily recommends students start with YouScience. Anita gave me access to a trial account, and I agree with her – it’s spooky accurate! I was flabbergasted at its ability to foretell my own career progress and misadventures -- where I would work with strength and joy, and where I would struggle.
Beginning in ninth grade students can complete the YouScience profile, an in-depth picture of one’s talents, work style and preferred forms of thinking.
Here’s Anita’s personalized recipe for getting the best out of YouScience. . .
Are you a Bend-LaPine High School student? Then you have a SCOIR account, the digital platform that helps students track their high school experiences, grades and test scores. It’s also a brilliant search tool for college and other options that complement your SCOIR record. Follow the links from your SCOIR “My Profile” tab to connect to YouScience.
What is YouScience? It is NOT a test. It’s a series of “brain games,” with no right or wrong answers. These games reveal how you uniquely see the world and prefer to work.
But, to get the most accurate results, you want to be fresh, your best self. So, get out your calendar and set aside a few blocks of time to complete the games.
(Indeed, the first two games, “Numerical Reasoning” and “Spatial Reasoning,” made both Anita and me cry uncle. Let’s just say that we’re more “word” people. Plan on giving yourself a break after completing each of those games, without attempting others.)
Pace yourself to get your most accurate profile; most students prefer 3 – 4 sessions.
Once you’ve completed the eleven timed games, YouScience works its algorithmic magic. It generates numerous reports on your interpersonal style, your approach to work and what motivates you, your preferred modes of reasoning, etc. Read your reports and smile in recognition!
But these reports aren’t just interesting documents for some future life. These reports are hugely practical for students right now. They contain language that you can edit and use in your own resumes, job applications and college/scholarship essays. One of Anita’s favorite reports is called, “Words that Describe You.” “It’s the perfect intersection of confidence in knowing who you are and how to advocate for yourself with others,” she says.
One of the reports includes, “Careers.” Numerous career options are listed that match your talents, interpersonal style, etc. Each career option includes a training path –including recommended college majors. Those majors now take you into the world of college lists. Begin to build your college list based on those recommended majors. What schools excel in those areas of interest to you?
(But building a college list deserves a separate post – I’ll cover list-building in the near future, including which search websites I prefer.)
Don’t have access to YouScience? There are a number of other profile tools available to students and the public. Students whose schools subscribe to Naviance can complete its assessments of personal strengths and career interests.[1] And, besides subscriber-based Naviance and YouScience, students and adults can go online and find free, long-respected assessments.[2]
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In the college admissions process it’s easy to focus on pretty college websites, planning a college tour, and studying U.S. News Best Colleges. It’s always fun to go shopping.
But now is the moment to go within and think about yourself. Such self-discovery is challenging. But now it can be easier and even fun with modern profile tools.
Begin here: Know Thyself!
[1] Naviance is commercially connected to a veritable web of other aptitude and career discovery services. Its “Strengths Profile” is based on Gallup’s “Clifton Strengths” program. Its Career Interest Profile is based on the Holland Code Career Aptitude Test, and it links to the PBS series, “RoadTrip Nation,” a vibrant series that showcases various careers and their workers.
[2] These free, online tests include: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Career Aptitude Test; Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential (MAPP) Career Aptitude Test; Career Explorer Career Test; Holland Code Career Aptitude Test.