How Students Can Connect Interests to Potential Careers

What do I want to pursue in a career? 

How will I know what path is right for me? 

What profession would fit my personality?

Very few high school students have a clear idea as to what career path they may like to pursue, yet all students have interests and values that develop as they grow. Students often just need help identifying potential paths that connect them with a fulfilling career and future where they can make a difference in the world. MEFA's college and career planning portal, MEFA Pathway, can facilitate the discovery of countless careers based upon a student's interests and values. MEFA Pathway also allows students to explore career categories, which show occupations in the same field of work requiring similar skills. Honing in on a specific career can help a student to focus on an academic plan in high school that provides necessary education and training to go into that specified field.

Grades 9 and 10 are a perfect time for students to reflect on interests and values that they have developed and how these characteristics can help determine their plans for after high school. Within MEFA Pathway, students can generate a list of careers using the results of the assessments, What are your Interests? and What are your Work Values?

Students can start with the What are your Interests? assessment by following these steps:

• Go to mefapathway.org, select I am a Student, and click Register Here to register as a new user.
• Under the Discover Careers tab, go to the Get to Know Yourself tab and then select the blue GET STARTED button within the What are your Interests? Review and rate each of the activities using the emoticons.
• Responses from the questions in the assessment reveal the top 3 interest areas and a list of associated careers that match up with that particular interest area.

• Save your results to compare and contrast with future results when the assessment is re-taken. These are viewable on My Digital Portfolio
• Under the Discover Careers tab, go to the Career Search tab, and then select USE MY INTERESTS in the left-hand sidebar to discover occupations that may appeal to you based on your interests assessment results
• You can narrow down your career results by selecting a specific career category on the left-hand sidebar that sounds interesting to you. Only the careers within that category will then be shown.
• Click on each career to review daily tasks, common work activities, and wages. Look at the professional qualifications and review what education, experience, job training, and knowledge are necessary in order to have a job in that field. Consider if the career is a potential for you.

• To save a potential career to your Careers Lists, click on the SAVE button on any specific career page.

Follow the same steps for the What are your Work Values? assessment. Compare the list of careers generated with both assessments. Are there careers that appear on both lists? This may be a sign! It's important to be aware of any trends or differences as you develop your post-secondary plan. Retake the assessments each year, print out your Digital Portfolio, and keep track of the results. Take note of how your interests, values, or careers change. Continue to update your Career List appropriately to help lead yourself to a field of study in college that suits you and can lead to one or more of your potential careers. Select courses that fit into potential particular career paths while making sure you are on track for graduation requirements.

The resources and guidance available within MEFA Pathway can help students build their future plans and alleviate the stress of the unknown. Students as well as educators can easily create an account to instantly gain access to valuable information and tools. If you do not already have an account in MEFA Pathway, it's easy to register. Students can go to mefapathway.org and click Register Here to sign up and start the journey toward college and career planning and success. Educators can create an account by contacting Jennifer Bento-Pinyoun at jbento@mefa.org or by contacting the MEFA Pathway contact at their school.