When I returned to college a few years ago, I learned one of the most important lessons about work. How much you enjoy your job is a better indicator of success than how skilled you are. This made a lot of sense when my oldest son with an aptitude for math, science, computers, and all things analytical chose to go to culinary school. Just because you know how to do something doesn't mean it will bring you happiness and fulfillment.
Instead of an aptitude test, we did exercises that explored our personality types and invited input from others on what kinds of activities made us happy. I learned that I am blue and red (
Color Code) and my strong areas are creative production, counseling and mentoring, application of technology, and managing people (
Careerleader). I took a new type of evaluation, the
Keirsey Temperament Sorter, and was categorized as
ESFJ, a guardian and provider.
It's very invigorating to do these kinds of activities. Some of the descriptions of my score described me much better than I could on my own. Knowing that I am social, loyal, great at managing and organizing, and motivated by helping people is a step toward figuring out what jobs will work for me. Money doesn't motivate me (although I like it a lot). Monotonous jobs without challenges are also not a good fit for me.
Knowing my skills, abilities, and personality traits helps me as I look at job openings. I found several already that look good and others that have duties I wouldn't enjoy. Another
resource for assessing your career interests can be found at Utah Futures. If you're searching for a job or unhappy with your present job, this is a great tool to point you in the right direction.
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