These days there is widespread concern about advancements in intelligence technology taking over jobs. Unfortunately, our world of work is not immune to that fear. Academic and career counselors have expressed concerns that predictive analytics programs are becoming replacements for their specialized services. Although PathwayU falls under this umbrella of predictive analytics, our career guidance assessment tool is designed to serve as an aid to career counseling services rather than a replacement.
The PathwayU platform provides individualized career guidance assessment results that help converge key attributes of a student and align them with pathways for purposeful education and work. While our feedback is intended to be easily interpreted, students still need assistance in wading through these new insights and career information. This is where career counselors come in! Their expertise in synthesizing information, guiding conversation, and building trust help students to gain a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of themselves. Using this renewed insight, career counselors can guide students to find education and career pathways that match their unique attributes. It is this systematic rapport building and specialized interpretation that creates an atmosphere in which students feel comfortable and confident in their career exploration process.
So how can PathwayU add value to career counselors’ skill set? For starters, our career guidance assessment tool results can be used as a means to facilitate deeper, more personalized conversations. As students complete the assessments, they are prompted to schedule a meeting with an advisor who will have shared access to students’ results. Counselors can then use their students’ unique pattern of attributes as a simple starting point or a strategic guide for conversation. The individualized feedback can also be used as prompts to discuss personal experiences and characteristics that students may have never considered to be relevant in a career counseling session. This mutual sharing of assessment results creates an open dialogue between counselor and student that will provide infinite avenues for in-depth discussions and explorative activities.
Research on trends in student guidance suggests that many Career Services offices fail to treat students as a “whole person”, resulting in students’ disappointment with basic, generalized tips. PathwayU provides counselors with a comprehensive summary of a student’s relevant characteristics, which allows them to take a more holistic approach in their guidance techniques. Additionally, taking the PathwayU assessment as a student gives him or her a more active role in the self-discovery process. Removing the apprehension of receiving generalized treatment and basic resume tips may even get more students to take advantage of their underutilized career counseling services!
In addition to fostering deeper conversations, PathwayU broadens the reach of career counseling services to those who may not have access to them. For example, ex-military members looking for civilian jobs or alumni struggling to find passion in their work may need an easily accessible tool to begin their career search. As these individuals continue through their journey of self-exploration, they may be inspired to seek out additional expertise. Even current students have difficulty meeting with counselors. Students have busy schedules filled with class, work, and extracurriculars and may struggle to find time for counseling sessions during normal working hours. Also, students enrolled in online degree/remote learning programs likely do not have direct access to career counselors on a regular basis. In these instances, our platform can serve as an aid to career counseling services by enhancing their ability to reach broad audiences in a deeper capacity.
Ultimately, PathwayU and career counselors share the same goal: assist individuals in their search for career success driven by passion and purpose. With PathwayU’s predictive science and career counselors’ support and interpretation skills, together we can lead more people to confident career choices and meaningful work!