Congratulations, you’ve completed your exams, and you’re on your way to university!
And then you face a stumbling block: which university?
When you ask for advice, people kindly tell you: “The university that suits your career path.” But what if you don’t know what that is, either?
Assignments, exams and CCAs are a rat race of their own, and sometimes we get so caught up in it that we never think of the big picture. We don’t know what we’re doing it all FOR.
If this sounds like you, your next step should be Education and Career Guidance (ECG).
What’s ECG, and How Does It Help?
To quote the MOE website, ECG “helps students develop a sense of purpose in life. By nurturing self-awareness and self-directedness for lifelong learning, ECG helps students develop a growth mindset, adaptability and a resilient attitude to embrace future opportunities and appreciate the value of all occupations.”
It’s definitely something we all need, especially to figure out values, interests, personality and skills (V.I.P.S.). For those going on to study, knowing your V.I.P.S. will help you identify your learning style, to make an informed decision regarding your education pathway after the GCE A-Level.
The goal of ECG is to help you discover the answers to three important questions:
1 Discovering Purpose – Who Am I?
You can ask yourself these questions:
- What are some of the things I enjoy doing?
- How would I describe my V.I.P.S. and strengths?
- What is important to me?
- What motivates me?
- How do I want to contribute to my school and community, and shape the society I want to be a part of?
2 Exploring Opportunities – Where Do I Want To Go?
Based on what you want to do/who you are, you can then begin to plot your journey there.
Whatever your aspiration – be it to move people through art or change the world with a great scientific breakthrough – you’ll probably need a university degree to get started. Which begs these questions:
- What type(s) of educational institution(s) is/are suitable for me and will help me achieve my career aspirations, taking into account my goals and purpose in life?
- What are the courses, programmes, subjects and modules offered that I can confidently take up?
- How will the programmes by educational institutions further develop my V.I.P.S. and strengths?
- What research have I done to fully understand the requirements and the programmes offered by educational institutions?
3 STAYING RELEVANT – HOW DO I GET THERE?
At this last step, get granular. It’s also time to be realistic about what you can and can’t do. For example, we all want to go to Imperial College London or NUS, but do your grades qualify you?
- What can I realistically aim for?
- What are some activities/achievements I can use to better my application?
- What are my sources of funding?
- Should I apply for a scholarship?
Generally, the answer to that last one is always: YES! Because a scholarship is a great way to get a university education and a secure career, all in one. So, there’s no harm in trying!
If ECG is a reflective journey, then MBTI is a mirror: a tool that reflects your personality type based on how you process the world, make decisions, and interact with others.
What Is MBTI?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the world’s most widely used personality tools. It sorts individuals into 16 personality types, based on four key preference pairs:
- Introversion (I) / Extraversion (E)
- Sensing (S) / Intuition (N)
- Thinking (T) / Feeling (F)
- Judging (J) / Perceiving (P)
The MBTI is used by career counsellors, universities, and major employers worldwide to guide personal and professional development.
How MBTI Helps With Education and Career Decisions
MBTI helps students understand:
- What kind of work energises or drains them
- What roles align with their personality traits
- How they tend to make decisions
- What kinds of environments might they thrive in
Many universities (including those in Singapore) use MBTI-style tools or similar frameworks during career guidance sessions or workshops.
You can try the official MBTI through licensed providers, but there are also free versions online.
Limitations of MBTI
- It doesn’t capture every aspect of personality.
- It should not be used to dictate your career path — just to guide exploration.
- Some psychologists argue it lacks scientific rigour compared to other models, like the Big Five personality traits.
Despite that, it remains a useful starting point for many students who feel “stuck” when trying to figure themselves out.
ECG VS MBTI
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all method for figuring out your future. ECG is a strong, locally grounded framework that helps you align your choices with your values and goals. MBTI, on the other hand, gives you a clearer view of your personality and where you might feel most “at home” in the working world.
Use both. Start with ECG to reflect deeply, then use MBTI (or a similar personality assessment tool) to validate or challenge your assumptions. The goal isn’t to find the perfect answer — it’s to understand yourself better so you can make decisions with confidence.