PathwayU: Supporting Students in Discovering Purpose and Possibility

PathwayU is an online career exploration tool designed to help students identify careers and majors that align with their interests, values, personality, and workplace preferences. It’s especially helpful for students who are unsure where to start or are questioning their direction.

Key Messages to Share with Students

This tool is about you

PathwayU helps students learn more about themselves, not just about careers or majors.

It’s A Starting Point, Not A Final Answer

The results are meant to guide reflection and spark curiosity, not make decisions for students.

Exploration Leads to Clarity

By understanding what’s important to them, students can pursue paths that feel more purposeful and engaging.

Tips for Talking with Students

  • Normalize using tools for reflection: You can frame it as a low-pressure way to learn something new about themselves.
  • Encourage curiosity, not commitment: Students don’t need to agree with every result. What matters is what resonates with them and why.
  • Help them make meaning of the results: Ask what stood out or surprised them, or how their top matches compare to what they were already considering.

Sample Conversation Starters

  • “Have you taken the PathwayU assessment yet? It can be a great way to get clearer on what matters to you in a career.”
  • “Would you be open to doing a short reflection tool that connects your interests and values to possible career paths?”
  • “What did you think about the top matches? Do any feel exciting? Or totally off?”
  • “Your results suggest you might enjoy work that’s creative or service oriented. Do you see that in yourself?”

Campus Resources to Share

PathwayU is available for free to all students. PathwayU is hosted through the Career Services website and only takes about 20–30 minutes to complete. Students log in using their campus credentials. It includes four brief assessments (interests, values, personality, and workplace preferences) and provides career matches that align with their profile.

All students enrolled in FYEX 100 are required to complete PathwayU as part of their coursework. Faculty and staff can reinforce its value by referencing it during advising or classroom conversations and encouraging students to revisit their results as they grow and explore new interests.

Students can meet with a career educator to review their PathwayU results and explore how their personal profile connects to majors, industries, and job functions. They can also help students identify action steps, such as researching roles, connecting with alumni, or finding relevant experiences.

PathwayU results can serve as a conversation starter during major exploration or course selection discussions. Advisors can use the results to help students consider how different academic paths align with their career interests and values.

Career Services offers workshops and classroom sessions that incorporate PathwayU to help students reflect on their strengths and align their academic and career planning. Faculty and staff are encouraged to invite Career Services into their classes or refer students to group sessions.