PathwayU 101
Need help navigating the platform? View our frequently asked questions for each section.
Access our instructional videos below for visual walkthrough.
- PathwayU is a software as a service (SaaS) subscription model
Users create their very own account and also allow university advisors to see their results. Like LinkedIn or Facebook, PathwayU does not interchange data with the academic record at your institution or require an IT project to deploy it to your users.
- Beyond Career Counseling PathwayU Offers Student Success from Recruitment to Retirement
PathwayU is not a skills, abilities or simple interest inventory. Instead we are a platform with a predictive algorithm that works for learners age sixteen through retirement. The platform guides a learner the educational choice, vocation exploration and employment pathways where they will find the greatest sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. This in turn, improves outcomes all along the way and enables the learner to better map their education journey to get there.
- How is PathwayU really that different?
PathwayU uses predictive science to guide learners to education pathways, vocational choice and ultimately employment based in scientific measures of where they will find a deep sense of purpose and meaning. Using conventional interest and values matching coupled with a patented algorithm showing this prediction of purpose, PathwayU goes well beyond traditional counseling applications and moves the needle to the positive in areas of student success.
PathwayU was created from years of research and development in predictive analytics pertaining to vocational psychology in career development. The result of these analytics helps develop strategies that students, alumni and job seekers in general can implement to identify and pursue education and career paths that fit them well. The end goal of this process is to raise graduation rates, improve vocational program completion statistics as well as help users build satisfying and purposeful careers once they graduate.
The online user portal contains assessments, personal reports, a job-matching instrument, and “how to” tools designed to help students and other users find an education and career path that fits, make informed choices about education and career options, navigate the job search and interview process, and shape their work in ways that make it meaningful.
- For the Administrator
The PathwayU Admin console provides immediate access to a student’s PathwayU results designed to augment counseling and intervention sessions. This interface presented in similar fashion to the user interface is geared specifically with easy to navigate information to help the learner and the counselor interpret and use the recommendations from the platform.
The PathwayU data collected from users allows the administrator to conduct advance outcome studies by correlating “fit” data against academic performance and success outcomes.
- For the Faculty
PathwayU is easy to use. It does not require a background in career counseling and or advising to easily understand the student information and scores it presents. It also allows learners to share downloadable reports with instructors that will help in “getting to know” their students.
PathwayU is rich in tools and curriculum that can use used in the classroom, remote services and webinars.
PathwayU offers resources that are designed to teach and instruct administrators and faculty on best practices for using the platform when interacting with their students.
- It looks similiar but PathwayU is VERY different from assessments you have done before
PathwayU is not a skills, abilities or aptitudes inventory. Instead it’s a platform you can use at any age, empowered by a predictive algorithm to help guide you to an educational choice, help with vocational exploration and find employment pathways where you will live with the greatest sense of purpose and meaning.
Your online account contains assessments, personal reports, a job-matching instrument, and “how to” tools designed to help you navigate the education through career journey as well as help with job search and interview process, and shape a future work life in ways that will make it meaningful.
- How do I create an account?
Getting started with PathwayU is super easy. Just visit your school’s unique site and click Join Now to create an account. All we need is your name, email, and a password. Then, check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the button to activate your account. Be sure to check your Spam folder if you can’t find the email after a few minutes.
- How do I sign in?
Once your account is activated, return to your school’s PathwayU site and enter your email and password to login.
- What do I do if I forgot my password?
If at any point you can’t remember your password, just click the Forgot Password button and we’ll help you reset it.
- What is the My Journey page?
When logging to PathwayU, the first thing you’ll see is the My Journey page. This is simply a visual representation of the recommended path towards finding joy, meaning, and purpose in your education and career. It is designed to help you navigate the many steps in that process and connect you to resources that will support you along the way.
- How do I navigate the My Journey page?
There are clickable links to guide you towards different parts of the platform that are most relevant to where you are in your journey and even direct you to some of your school’s online tools. So, if you ever find yourself stuck and don’t know what steps to take next, you can always reference the My Journey page for guidance.
- How do I take my assessments?
All 4 of the PathwayU assessments take only about 20 minutes to complete. You can take them all at once, or space it out and take them one at a time. Some of the assessments use an agreement scale, while others are card sort activities where you will follow prompts and select the cards that are most or least important to you. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here, so just be honest with yourself. Once you have completed the assessments, you can review all of your results on the summary page, or dive deeper into each one by clicking on the tabs.
- Can I retake my assessments?
Yes, if at any point you feel like you may have changed since the last time you took your assessments, you can always retake them. Look for the “retake” button next to your assessment results. Keep in mind, your previous results will be replaced with the new ones, so be sure to Print or Download your results first so you can compare them later.
- Can I Print and Download my results?
Yes, look for the print and download buttons at the top of the assessment results page.
- How do I send proof that I completed my assessments to a teacher/professor/counselor?
If you are required to complete the PathwayU assessments as part of a class assignment, you can send a quick Proof of Completion email to your professor either 1) right after you finish the last assessment 2) or at any time from your results page.
- What does each assessment mean?
PathwayU’s assessments measure 4 personal attributes that are critical for making informed decisions throughout your journey towards a meaningful education and career. Those attributes include your Interests, Values, Personality, and Workplace Preferences.
Your Interests describe the subjects you like to learn about, the activities you do in your spare time, and the tasks that you really enjoy performing. Understanding your interests will help you discover what keeps you motivated and energized and will give you clues into the types of careers you will enjoy in the future.
The Values assessment will help you clarify what is most important to you in your ideal job. We know that the more our jobs align with our core values, the more likely we are to feel satisfied and fulfilled in those roles. Keep in mind that all of the values will likely to be important to you to some extent, but the key is to recognize that certain values rank higher than others and to use this framework to continue reflecting on the things that are deeply important to you.
Your Personality traits describe your typical patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. For this assessment, be sure to look at your results holistically. You fall somewhere on the continuum for each trait and that unique pattern of results is what makes you, you. Remember, this is not about labeling yourself as a certain type of person but is intended to help you gain more self-awareness about how you’re wired, how other people may perceive you, and how you tend to behave in different situations.
Your Workplace Preferences represent the characteristics you would like your ideal employer to emphasize. Understanding these preferences will help you find an organization that is a great fit for you and discover what types of work environments you will thrive in.
- How should I interpret my assessment results?
Don’t worry if you don’t have much work experience just yet, when thinking about these results you can apply them any organization you have been a part of like a club or sports team. You might even consider retaking this assessment once you gain more experience in the future. Ultimately, gaining a deeper understanding of these personal attributes that make you unique is an important step in pursuing a sense of purpose in your education and career. Here, you can learn more about what Purpose means and find out if you are currently seeking, perceiving, or living out your purpose. Remember, there are always steps you can take to dive deeper into the self-discovery process.
- What do I do if I want more help interpreting my assessment results? (Reflection Questions, Set Up an Appointment ; Worksheets)
Thinking through the Reflection Questions can help you begin take the results off the screen and really apply them to your own life. If you find you need a bit more guidance in understanding what these results mean for you, go ahead and Schedule an Appointment with an advisor at your school. If you prefer to think through your results on your own, spend some time working through the guided activities in our Worksheets and get your thoughts organized all in one place.
- How do I narrow down my Career Matches?
By Using Subject Area View: Subject areas listed towards the top show where you have a high concentration of strong matches whereas subject areas listed towards the bottom tend to be a weaker fit for you. Keep in mind, a strong career match does not necessarily mean you would be “good” at that job, or currently have the skills you would need to succeed in that role. A strong match means that you are likely to find meaning and fulfillment in that career pathway, because it aligns with your unique profile of traits. This a great place to start if you don’t yet have a solidified idea of what you want you want to study in school or pursue in the future.
By Using Filters: To see a list of your match strength to all possible professions, switch over to the All Careers view. PathwayU calculates your fit to nearly 1,000 occupational paths, so be sure to use the filtering tools to narrow down your results. Use the filters to tailor your career matches to integrate your unique skill set and passions. You may come across careers that you’ve never even heard of before.
By Using the Search Bar: You might use the search bar to check out your match strength to something that you really wanted when you were kid. You might just be a good fit for it after all. Maybe you are a few months away from earning your degree in Business with a minor in Computer Science, but you’ve always wanted to make a positive impact in the realm of education.
- How do I keep track of the careers I am interested in?
Be sure to add it to your Favorites so you can easily revisit it later. As you continue this explorative process, get creative with your filtering strategies and pay attention to themes across your career matches throughout different industries and subject areas.
- I found a career that I’m interested in, now what?
When you find an occupation that stands out, click on the tile and spend some time looking through the career information provided. By looking into daily job activities, average salary information, educational requirements, and more, you can get a better understanding of whether or not this is something you would really consider pursuing in the future.
- How do I search for jobs?
Using the filtering tools, you can streamline your search process for jobs that you are well suited for, whether that be a part time job to get you through school or a big-time internship that will serve as a stepping stone into the world of work.
You can also toggle between Indeed, or a job board used specifically by your school, such as Handshake.
- How / why am I a strong vs weak match?
After exploring Career options that align with your personal attributes, you can then use our Job Board to search for real job opportunities that are currently available. PathwayU mines jobs postings from Indeed and once again remind you of your predicted fit to each available opportunity.
- Tools / Worksheets / Workbook
To support you throughout your transition into the world of work, PathwayU offers a variety of resources to help you land that next big job opportunity. Check out the TOOLS page for tips on how to create a resume and cover letter that will stand out and learn about best practices for enhancing your networking and interviewing skills. For more guidance in navigating PathwayU, try the reflection activities in our Worksheets to help you better understand your assessment results and career matches.
- Resetting password
Click on your name in the top right-hand corner and click on Account Settings. Here you can change your password.
- Changing email
Click on your name in the top right-hand corner and click on Account Settings. Here you can easily update your email address.
- Profile – changing answers to demographic questions
Be sure to fill out your Profile. Click on your name in the top right-hand corner and click on Profile. This is a great place to keep track of your current career planning needs and future plans.
