This article was written by one of our 2024 interns, Pasindu, in collaboration with La Trobe University
To do what you love and love what you do is a key element in getting to know yourself and identifying your passion.
As we start our guess my degree series on #TakeoverThursdays, hosted by our 2024 student interns, we are delighted to highlight what our fellow students are learning at La Trobe. This made us think how diverse the areas of study can be and how excited each of our students feel studying in their prospective journeys.
Understanding yourself and embracing your passions are vital components of personal growth. Some embarked on their academic journey with ambitious career goals, while others chose a path aligned with their interests. Regardless of your starting point, self-awareness and recognizing your personality traits are invaluable assets for navigating university life, shaping your career path and fostering fulfillment in life.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® is an assessment first developed in 1962 and has evolved as one of the popular personality assessments at current times. Through a series of questions this helps to identify your natural preferences in the following areas of your personality.
- How do you direct and receive energy?
- How do you take in information?
- How do you decide and come to conclusions?
- How do you approach the outside world?
Even though the original MBTI® is a paid assessment, there are plenty of free online tools based on this which helps you to know your personality. They further let you know what traits suit you to improve yourselves and some even suggest careers that would best suit you. Further there are many other theories and models that explain your personality and character. Here are some free tools based on different models that would help you to understand more about yourselves.
| Tool | Specialty |
| 16Personalities | Free interactive personality test based on MBTI®. This tool generates you a profile and provide valuable insights on various aspects within your life. |
| Communication Style Questionnaire | A self-assessment to assess your communication style which is based on the book “Personal Styles and Effective Performance: Make your Style Work for You by Dr. David Merrill and Roger Reid (Radnor, PA.: Chilton, 1981) |
| Humanmetrics.com | A personality test based on Carl G. Jung’s theory of psychological types and MBTI®. |
| CareerExplorer.com | A test that asses your passion, personality and suggests suitable career paths that would fit your profile. |
All these tools can be helpful to understand yourselves and shape your future through a happier journey. The only thing you must do is answer the questions truthfully while reflecting on yourselves. There is no one judging you from your answers and it is just a tool to help you understand yourself.
Good luck!