A reader inquires about employment personality assessments, and how to follow a dream.
Career Assessment Tests
Q) Hi paym
i was reading your article on career change,and figure you can help.I am 32 married with two children and no career ,how ever i took a test at y local community collage and summed me up as REC - REALISTIC ENTERPRENUAL CONVENTIONAL kind guy,have loved being a pilot since i was young boy but a few things like economy,military first priority is given those positions anyway lately ave been leaning towards enviromental engineering or mechanical aerospace engineering so i start flying and give me advantage over the military guys my question is should i do what i love or what brings the bread home ? also help me with the whole REC personality,
Thanks in advance
A) First of all, always understand that any assessment test is only as good as the day you write it on – meaning unless it is an extremely extensive, these assessments can only be used as a frame of reference. It`s doubtful any assessment will uncover hidden talents, or ones you did not know you had. If it does, chances are the assessment itself is flawed.
Having said that, assessments are great to help you figure out a path to start out on. You don`t mention which test you did at your local community college, but it sounds as if you took Holland`s Theory of Career Choice, where there are six major types of personality, and six major work environments that correspond to those personality types.
Holland`s Theory of Career Choice
Basically, according to John Holland, the six personality types are Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. Holland also proposes that people stay within their own groups, so to speak – meaning those who are Investigative tend to hang around other Investigative types. Nothing new there, but remember, Holland published his work in 1985.
Click here for a complete run-down of Holland`s Theory. Or check out The Self Employment Key`s synopsis of Holland`s Theory. Both give great examples of the six personality types and environments.
Work for Love or Money?
With regards to your question as to do what you love or what brings in the money – why do you think you can`t do both? If you need to attend school to get to your dream, enroll and get a part time job to help with income, and see if you quality for any scholarships, bursaries and/or student loans. It's definitely worth the investment over the long haul – BUT you must make sure your family agrees with this. Does your wife work outside of the home? How old are the children – do you need to find daycare if your wife needs to supplement the family income?
This is a decision you cannot just make on your own, as it does involve your immediate family. If your wife is scared about the temporary loss of income, you both need to sit down and work out a budget; not just for the short term, but the long term. Or consider taking part time courses to start, to ensure you are taking the right courses for the career you love, while still working part or full time.
Good luck!
Bottom Line
Career assessment tests are a great way to confirm what you already know, or to help support your decisions. Don't be afraid to follow your dreams – just ensure you have the support of those who depend on you, and that you have a plan of action and a budget to get you through.
**Note - all letters are reprinted as received (typos and grammatical) but names and other identifying details are deleted.
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