One of the most enjoyable ways to explore college major and career interests is to simply browse the collegemajors.com Majors List and Career List and identify those to investigate further.

 

Are there quizzes that can guide you in discovering your college major and career interests?

Yes, and some of the most effective are based on the respected Holland vocational interest RIASEC model.

Used by high school guidance counselors and college career centers, the Holland model identifies vocational preferences and sorts them into 6 personality types, often called interest codes, and abbreviated by the first letter of each, or R-I-A-S-E-C, that can be used to suggest college majors, and career preferences.

The Holland interest codes can be combined by first, second and third levels of interest to provide even more inspiration and decision-making value.  Use a Holland code career quiz as a starting point or to get un-stuck in your career and college major search.

Holland (RIASEC)

A researcher named John Holland came up with a Theory of Career Choice which stated that people are most happy doing jobs with people similar to them, which utilize their skills and abilities, and which fit their values. Do what you are good at, with people you like, who share the same values and goals as you, and you will be more satisfied professionally and be less susceptible to career burn out. As obvious an observation as this may seem, it has been the main basis for career development theory for decades.

Quizzes based on the Holland model use the Theory of Career Choice types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Entrepreneurial and Creative, or “RIASEC”) to point people towards jobs for which they’re suited. Holland takes into account the fact that no one is simply a type – we all have combinations of first, second and third order preferences, so often RIASEC based quiz will give you a 2-3 type code.

Many career quizzes integrate this model. Organized by Holland code (RIASEC), jobs are categorized by type, and similar types are linked together to help people see how certain occupations are similar, even when in different industries. Each occupation lists statistics and information about topics of interest - education required, what kind of technology is used, future forecast, salary range, etc.

Realistic

realistic

  • Working With Hands
  • Being Outdoors
  • Building Things
  • Doing Physical Activities
Social

Social

  • People
  • Helping
  • Service
  • Communication
Investigative

Investigative

  • Ideas
  • Analysis
  • Intellect
  • Curiosity
  • Problem Solving
Enterprising

Enterprising

  • Leading
  • Taking Action
  • Persuading
Artistic

Artistic

  • Creativity
  • Self-Expression
  • Innovation
  • Design
  • Media
Conventional

Conventional

  • Organizers
  • Data
  • Numbers
  • Details
  • Procedures

Why take a college major/career quiz?

The more you understand yourself and how your strengths, skills, values and talents play out in the career world, the more educated, and most likely positive, decisions you can make. Ultimately, this can save time and money—by picking the right level and mode of education that fits you and what you’d ultimately like to do and reducing the amount of change or wasted time spent on indecision. Career assessments are great tools for starting to build that framework of understanding.

For a middle or high school student, assessments can give you a better idea of what the options are to explore and how to find a college that will give you the best experience for you and the program you’re seeking.

For students in college, they can identify possible majors, narrow down what types of occupations exist which use those skills and help you figure out how your skills, values and wants combine to find the best work environment for you.

For anyone out of school, whether recently or after a period of time in a career, assessments can help fine tune our understanding of skills and abilities, refocus those skills on a new path, and help people understand how their ways of working and viewing the world interact with others to be most productive on a team or in a specific environment.

The insights that an assessment offers can be broken down into four basic categories – your personality, your work related values, your career interests, and your skills and aptitudes.

The Most Widely Used RIASEC Career/Major Quiz

The most widely used career/major assessment by schools and counselors is the Strong Interest Inventory®, published by the Myers-Briggs Company.

It is more scientifically based than others.

There is sometimes a fee to take it, and it does require an interpretation with a trained facilitator, which can help you make sense of the results you get and gain the biggest benefit from taking it.

Click for information about the Strong Interest Inventory®.

Click to view a sample report of the Strong Interest Inventory®.