Future career?

Question

I've been asked to make an essay about my future career. The problem is i dont know what i want to do with my life. I've heard there are websites where you can take a test to give you an idea about what career is good for u. So do any of you know what websites I can use. Please help

Answer 1

Unfortunately, they don't exactly work that way.

There are a lot of companies that put these tests together. They sell them to schools, child psychologists, counselors, and the like.

They also put out websites...

The problem is that they allow you to take the test for free, but to get the results, you either have to sign up, and then for the rest of your life, you receive 1,000's of spam emails, or you have to pay them a fee.

But there is another strategy...

What this is all about is called aptitude. The American Heritage Online Dictionary defines this as:

NOUN:

1. An inherent ability, as for learning; a talent.
2. Quickness in learning and understanding; intelligence.
3. The condition or quality of being suitable; appropriateness

In a broader sense, you can define your own aptitude as it would relate to a career.

Start with the most basic.

Do you like to work with people, or would you rather work alone?

Then from there, think about the things you like to do, and the things you hate doing, and you can relate this to your school subjects.

A good thing to do is to write down a list. Take a sheet of paper, or use Word on the computer, and list the kinds of things you like doing, and list the the the things you hate doing.

Then after this, think about situations you like being in, and situations you hate being in.

Then what I would do is take that list to either parent, and show them the list, then between the two (or three) of you, you can come up with a list of jobs that best fit the lists you made.

That's how aptitude or career tests work, anyway. They ask you a bunch of question about things you like to do, things you don't like to do, and then ask you about situations, and how much you would like to be in that situation.

Then from your answers, a profile is made, and a list of jobs or careers is fit to that profile. It's really not any more complicated than that.

And to give you an Idea, I'll make a couple lists about myself.

Things I like to do, or situations to be in.

1. I love to talk
2. I am a ham and I love being the center of attention
3. I like being around other people more than being alone
4. I am very detail oriented
5. I am a very good listener
6. I believe I am more prone to empathy than others
7. I strive to fully understand subjects that interest me
8. I like wearing suits (I put that in because it's stupid, but I like it)
9. In groups people look to me for advice and leadership and I thrive in that position
10. I have the confidence to believe that very few are smarter than me

Things I hate to do, or situation I don't like being in.

1. I hate being embarrassed because I'm unprepared
2. I hate being ignored
3. I hate other people's schedules, I want to make my own
4. I do not want to be "stuck" in an office behind a desk all day
5. I'll work as a team member as long as I'm running the show
6. I hate wasting my time on paper work
7. I've worked for large companies, and I don't do politics very well
8. If the job requires a calculator, give it to someone else
9. If I don't believe in it, I ain't gonna do it
10. I don't like being around introverts.

I'm not writing a book here, but if you look at the two lists, you can probably see why I'm a sales manager and not an accountant!

It's easier to look at the first list, formulate some ideas, then compare that to the second list and narrow things down.

Most importantly, I am a people person, and I would feel more comfortable in a position where I'm listened to. Empathy and listening are good qualities for certain jobs, and not important for others, and those kinds of things in a list can help direct you to certain career choices.

Actually, I think going through this process would be more fun than taking a "stupid" test, and the exercise will certainly be more empowering to you in the long run. And it will certainly give you new ways of looking at yourself.

Good luck!

Answer 2

oh i would love to know to although i dont know how accurate those tests are