Career perceptions and personality profiles: A study of the impact of personality profiles on professional career choices among ballet graduates

The major purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between undergraduate ballet student career perceptions and personality profiles as well as graduating ballet student personality profiles and their eventual career field choices. In the end, it is hoped that the results of this study will assist Higher Education ballet programs in developing curricula that will encourage ballet students to select better-fit career choices.;Many students in higher education change majors multiple times as they become acquainted with other opportunities and interests in their college experience. In addition, students who graduate and go on to work in a particular career field may change careers multiple times during their working years, and others may not even work in the career fields they completed in their university programs. The career perceptions of college students and the career choices of the graduates in their field of study are often not the same. To better meet the needs of undergraduate students who choose a ballet degree for the purpose of making it a career choice, it is hoped that this study will assist ballet professoriate in evaluating their curricula to better prepare students for the different career options they may realistically pursue after graduation.;The research questions are: First, is there a relationship between ballet students' personality traits and career preferences? Second, is there a relationship between ballet graduates' personality traits and current career choices? Third, is there a relationship between current ballet students' personality traits and career preferences and ballet graduates' personality traits and current career choices?;The study investigated the relationship between personality traits and the ballet major students' career preferences with 173 ballet majors in higher education in both America and Asian Dance Departments and 99 ballet graduates who currently work in a variety of careers (e.g., a ballet company performer, a choreographer, a ballet teacher in higher education or in a dance studio, a dance company owner, or an employee in a career field unrelated to ballet).;The results of the analysis of data showed that undergraduate ballet students' personality profiles do relate to their career interests. However, the graduate personality profiles and resulting professional career choices do not correlate to future career paths. These findings indicate that a better knowledge of both students and career possibilities available could assist instructors in designing better curricula to prepare students for the options they will find once they finish their education.