The Career Center has offered three Discovery courses to help students find future careers that fit their individual talents and personalities.

The five-week Discovery course has taken place every semester on ACU campus for four years. This semester, two sessions are drawing to the end while the newest one started last week.

Cynthia Cooke, career development manager, said some students come to the university without any defined path while some have already declared a major, and the program is a good way to confirm their choices. Some students know what majors they want to study but do not know what occupations they want to pursue. The course is not only for freshman but for all students at ACU.

Cooke said the course is based on the understanding that God has uniquely gifted every person.

“Selecting your occupation should be a spiritual pursuit,” Cooke said. “The program allows students to know how God has uniquely created them, and know the occupation choices that are good for them. We all share a common call that we live  to honor God throughout our occupational choices.”

Cooke said she illustrated the importance of selecting the right career by asking students to write down their names and hometown then move the pens to their non-dominated hand and write again.

“It takes a lot of effort to accomplish the task,” Cooke said. “That is an example saying that if you pick a career that does not suit you naturally, it will be awkward and tiring, and you will not be able to perform your best.”

About 100 students attended the three sessions this semester. Most are freshmen, like Drew Ritchie, freshman biblical text major from Lake Jackson.

He said the course was helpful for him by encouraging him and the other students to think about potential careers from  a new perspective, even if the class didn’t generate an immediate answer for what every student should do.

“From the course, I realized more of my strengths and weaknesses and learned more about my personality,” Ritchie said. “If you take the course seriously and create a relationship with Mrs. Cooke, you will get a lot out of it.”

Blair Bloemke, freshman biology major from Dallas, also said the Discovery was a great choice for her.

“The personality tests that were given were very helpful,” Bloemke said. “Not only did it tell me which job would suit my personality the best but I also learned a lot about myself. All of the jobs that were suggested were mainly in the medical field, which really encouraged me to pursue my dreams — to become a doctor.”

To earn more about the Discovery course, interested students can visit www.acu.edu/discovery or call the Career Center at 325-674-2473.