Late adolescence is a period in which some of life’s most important decisions are made. One of the most important choices students make during this time is the selection of a career path.

While many have an idea of “what they want to be,” for most, the process of career exploration can feel uncertain and confusing. A career assessment can provide a map to these uncharted waters.

A recent study found that career satisfaction has declined over the past 20 years (Zingeser, 2004). A possible factor in this finding is the ever-changing nature of the career force and, perhaps more importantly, a lack of understanding about the factors involved in career satisfaction.

People who are satisfied in their careers are able to find positions that match their style of relating to others (i.e. personality), as well as their preferences for work environments and activities (i.e. interests; www.cpp.com/products/career/index.asp ).

Therefore, when choosing a career, it is important to consider your personality. Are you a people person who likes to work in groups, or a reserved person who likes to work on your own? Do you prefer to learn through experience and pay attention to “the facts,” or do you like to think about the “big picture” first and find out the facts as you go? Do you make decisions logically, weighing the pros and cons, or are you more likely to make choices based on your “gut feeling?” Finally, do you consider yourself a task-oriented person who likes to get work done before relaxing, or are you more likely to keep plans to a minimum and approach work as a mixture of tasks to accomplish as well as fun to be had? The combination of these preferences determines your style of relating to others, and each has its own benefits and challenges. There is no “right” way of being. Instead, the point is that the way you are “wired” influences your preferences for work, and the more you are aware of these preferences, the more focused you will be when choosing a career.

The second factor to consider is your interests. Do you find that you are drawn to creative pursuits, or are you more comfortable working with concrete information? Do you envision yourself working with others, or do you prefer to work on your own with machines, computers, and/or other “things?” Do you value being your own boss or would you rather work under the supervision of others? Again, there is no “right” answer to any of these questions, but a thorough understanding of your preferences will go a long way towards choosing a fulfilling career.

Of course, you must also consider your “aptitudes” (i.e. abilities and skills) when choosing a career. If you struggle with physics like the author of this article does, a career in engineering might not be in the cards. However, if you are interested in doing things that engineers do, and have a personality that “fits” with this profession, the information gathered through a career assessment could provide you with options that you never considered. A final factor to consider is the nature of the current workforce. Although it is important to consider the “realities” of the job market, the fact is that these realties will shift many times during your life. Choosing a career based entirely on current “job trends” (i.e. the emergence of new fields and changing nature of current areas of work) is likely to result in the need to make another major career decision down the road. Your personality style and preferences for work are less likely to undergo significant change over time; therefore, choosing a career with these factors in mind is likely to result in the need to make “adaptations” to changes in the workforce, rather than sweeping changes.

It’s true that many people are able to find a fulfilling career without a formal assessment. You may be one of these lucky people. However, very few individuals can achieve the depth of self-understanding that a career assessment can provide. This information could prove to be invaluable during the process of your initial career selection, and can be an investment in your future that provides life-long returns. If you would like to learn more about career assessments, contact Eckert Psychology & Education Centre.