ENVS 151

SKILLS / INTERESTS / TRAITS:

A Personal Assessment

Purpose:

1) To gain a better understanding of your personal abilities and preferences and reflect on what these traits suggest about possible roles, life styles, trades, professions and other environmental interests you might pursue.

2) To apply this understanding of yourself to your consideration of careers and research topics in the environmental field (i.e. will aid in identifying Careers/Life style questions and area report topics).

3) To present this understanding as part of your Personal Statement in your academic plan.

Assignment:

Part I: Self-Exploration

Through class discussion, conversations with friends, family, coaches, teachers, fellow workers, classmates in 151 and personal reflection, identify those skills (and non-skills), interests (and non-interests), preferences (and non-preferences) and personality traits that are likely to shape your life in the near and distant future.

Below are several suggestions about how to conduct this self exploration. You don’t have to do any or all of the ones below, but you must have some process that is appropriate for you. They are just suggestions that may be fun and worth a try!

1) Organize a “focus group”, i.e., a focused conversation among a small group of friends. Develop the questions you want them to address about yourself and the process they are to follow. If you feel self-conscious about asking them to do this, tell them you have to do it (or something like it) for a paper in this course. It is a good excuse to get some feedback you may have always wanted!

2) Consider taking self-tests that indicate traits. For example, you can take the Meyers-Briggs test at the Career Center. The Learning Center may also have tests of learning styles. Many books that offer career guidance also include some basic self-quizzes. Remember the tests are only indicators, not predictors; they do not determine your fate in life! They simply provide an opportunity for reflection on some of your natural tendencies or preferences.

3) Try applying the ideas suggested by Ian in class.

4) Think about home, family, friends and places that are special to you. What skills, interests, or traits have grown out of these experiences?

5) Consider free-writing on one or more of the topics below. Try making lists, charts or diagrams if you are so inclined. Reflect also on how you chose to explore these topics.

a) What words best describe you? -- curious, adventurous, thoughtful, sensitive, ambitious, loner, inquisitive, indecisive, etc. Would you choose different words than others who know you well? (Ask them!)

b) Compare yourself to someone you’d like to emulate (at least in part) and describe how you are similar or different.

c) What activities do you find stimulating and energizing? Why do you think that is so? What activities seem uninteresting and are difficult for you to stay focused on? And why might that be so?

6) Try drawing a picture of yourself including symbols depicting your skills, interests, and traits. Ask someone (or others) you know to do the same. Reflect on what you see and what you thought about while doing it.

Part II: Writing Up your Reflections

Write a 4-5 page double-spaced thoughtful essay, demonstrating your depth of self-reflection.

Put your name and page numbers on it and staple it together.

Components of the paper:

Include a brief methodology section. Please include:

What did you do to come to these conclusions?
What are your observations or reflections on these methods of self-exploration?

Describe the skills, traits and interests you currently have and/or would like to develop. Comment on how you think you obtained them, and any additional observations (e.g. how you feel about them.)

Discuss how these insights might affect your career or research preferences in environmental studies. Comment on how these observations will be reflected in your academic plan.

Grading: An excellent paper will be thorough, thoughtful, and show depth of inquiry and reflection. Of course, being on-time and complete is also important.