Frequently Asked Questions
When is it too early or too late to come to the CEC?
It is never too early to come to the CEC. We are always delighted to see first-year students set up an appointment after hearing about us in orientation. We can assist students with different career needs as their UT experience progresses. For example, they can start by learning how their values, interests, personality and skills may help them identify which majors and career directions to explore. We can share strategies that could help them learn more about possible majors before finalizing their choice. Once they have determined a major, we can describe strategies and resources for finding internships and deciding whether graduate school may be advantageous.
It is also never too late to come to the CEC. Students commonly change their minds about majors and/or careers several times during their college years and career exploration is often the next step in determining a new direction. UT alumni are also eligible to receive CEC services within the first year after graduation for a $15 fee per counseling session. The CEC Library is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm and until 7pm on Tuesdays.
How would career tests benefit my student?
Taking career tests at the CEC can provide validation for what students already know, as well as open up new ideas for consideration. However, no career test is sophisticated enough to define a "perfect" career for a student. Career tests do not tell students what careers they should pursue. Nor do they tell students what they would be good at doing. Instead, the test results describe patterns of personality preferences and interests that correspond to those patterns commonly found among people who are satisfied in various occupations.
For example, having interests that are similar to architects suggests a commonality with architects, but it does not necessarily mean that the student should be an architect. The desire to use certain skills or express certain values might point the student in a different career direction. Career tests can be helpful to identify interests and personality, while counseling and career card sort exercises can help students identify their values and the skills they would most prefer using in career.
Our student has career plans that we think may not be best. What can we do?
Could it be that certain professions, such as medicine, business or engineering, are highly valued in your family, perhaps because these occupations are expected to generate prestige, stability or high income? If your student is veering away from the expected career routes, it may be because a unique blend of values, interests, personality and skills calls your student in a different direction.
People who are true to themselves are likely to be successful in whatever career they choose, whereas people who follow external expectations without learning about their own unique strengths may fall short of success or feel unfulfilled. A great variety of careers include niches that offer the potential for prestige, stability and high income.
Our career counselors work with students to help them discover career paths that will play to their strengths, as well as how to work around obstacles and integrate individual and family values.
Is there a fee for CEC services?
The Career Exploration Center is funded by your student’s tuition. Therefore, you and your student have already paid for the individualized counseling that the CEC provides.
We do charge a modest fee for career testing because we must pay the test publishers for their services. The fees for our various test options, which range from $7 to $65, are much lower than what is typically charged in the private sector. Professional test interpretation is at no extra charge.