Unveiling the Vocational Tapestry: Personality Types and Career Interests Among Student Veterans in Rehabilitation Counseling Master's Programs

Background Understanding the interplay between personality types and career interests among student veterans in the rehabilitation counseling profession holds both intrinsic and practical significance. Objective To understand the interplay between personality types and career interests among student veterans pursuing a career in the rehabilitation counseling profession. Methods An online survey collected demographic information, military background, and employed the 18REST to measure Holland RIASEC vocational interest types and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) to assess the Big Five personality traits. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were used for data analysis. Results The mean age for the participants was 41.63 years ( SD = 10.73). Dominant Holland type interests were social ( M = 4.43) followed by enterprising ( M = 3.37) and investigative ( M = 3.02). The highest Big Five personality scores were in conscientiousness ( M = 5.48), openness ( M = 5.27), and agreeableness ( M = 4.82). Significant correlations included Extraversion and Openness ( r = .35, p < 0.05), and Social and Enterprising ( r = .57, p < 0.05). Conclusion The study provides nuanced insights into the personality types and career interests of student veterans in rehabilitation counseling Master's degree programs, informing practices for academic and career support. These findings contribute to optimizing educational experiences and facilitating successful integration into the rehabilitation counseling field.