Search Results for: career change statistics

A career quiz seems like a fairly innocent and fun thing to complete.
Career tests and quizzes are all over the Internet and are often free to complete.
So what’s the problem?

Although they might be fun and easy to complete, they present some significant problems for a person looking to make quality career choices.

1. A Career Quiz Will Limit Your Thinking
About Possible Job Types

Most career quizzes provide a list of careers at the completion of the quiz.
This job list is very finite and leaves out numerous career choices that any given individual could consider.

The dictionary of occupational titles [no longer in print] listed over 22,000 different job types and even this did not cover all possible job types available in the world.

So a quiz that produces a possible list of perhaps thirty or forty career choices, will always be woefully insufficient for a person considering how to choose a career.

Some career quizzes don’t provide specific job options in the results but provide general areas of work to consider.
Although this may be a slightly better option than one that offers specific job types, the root problem of ruling out so many possible career choices still exists.

2. A Career Quiz Usually Lacks Validity and Reliability

The vast majority of career quizzes on the Internet lack verifiable validity and reliability.
This is true even of the very best of these quizzes.
Renowned global career experts agree that there are some serious problems with career quiz results.

Howard Figler [co-author of The Career Counselors’ Handbook], Arthur Miller who has worked in the corporate side of career consulting for more than forty years and author of “The Power of Uniqueness” together with the National Career Development Association [NCDA] in the United States have all voiced their concern at the number of career quizzes that are untested and probably invalid.

The NCDA noted in 2008 that one test that was flawed was actually sponsored by the US government.

3. Better Career Selection Methods Are Available

One of the basic problems of these types of quizzes is that they simply do not probe very intelligently, nor deeply enough into a person.
They do not provide good information for anyone entering the workforce nor quality career change advice for those looking to change careers.

All good career selection processes should begin with a proven and in-depth analysis of the individual’s unique gifts and inborn job skills and seek to unravel the sometimes masked desires of a person.

It is very difficult to overstate the benefit of spending some time one-on-one with an adept career counselor.

A computer software program can never be substituted for the intelligent, fluid and trained mind of an encouraging career counselor.

As someone once said a computer is nothing more than a dumb machine that adds numbers.

But as is the case in any industry, there are good career counselors and not so good career counselors.

So be prepared to do a bit of investigative work in an attempt to get a recommendation from somebody you know who has used one before.

4. A Career Quiz Provides a Quick Answer – But Quick Is Not Always Good

There was a plaque that hung in an office that I worked in that said:

We do three types of jobs here-Good, Fast and Cheap.
You may choose any two!
If it is good and cheap, it will not be fast.
If it is good and fast, it will not be cheap.
If it is fast and cheap, it will not be good.

A career type quiz invariably falls into the “fast and cheap, but not good” option.
There are many times in life when quick and cheap is not good.
One of those times is when you are making some fairly weighty career choices.

Although it is true that you are not stuck in a job for life, it is one of the more important decisions a person makes in their life and some careful thought and planning would be wise and prudent.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

The tendency to want fast results to address life’s challenges is a growing dilemma in every area of life.

Often the answer to quality decision making is to simply slow things down.

5. A Career Quiz Is A Superficial Way of Dealing with An Important Issue

A career quiz is a relatively superficial intervention.
There is no evidence it can help solve the weighty issue of making quality career choices.

If you have a reasonably important issue in life that you need to solve, you would typically address that issue with the relative importance it deserves, including respected and proven resources and methods.

For example, if you had a large amount of capital to invest, nobody would recommend filling out a quiz online about finances that will ultimately tell you where to invest your money.

Most people would wisely say “this is an important issue that needs to be dealt with by the best people and with the best resources available”.

For most people, a good career choice can represent many years of their lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

An evenly paced decision-making process involving the best practices available is the best approach when making career choices.

So What Is the Best Approach?

The foundation of all good career choices is about knowing who you are in relation to your motivated abilities and inborn job skills.

A good investigative career counselor is a great place to start, however, you can advance this process by doing some self-assessment work on yourself.

If you aren’t sure exactly where your hearts desire lays, or you think you may know but need to confirm your ideas, I recommend you complete the inborn job skills assessment.

This assessment is the most accurate and deeply probing career assessment instrument that I know of.
It does involve a little work on your part, but it is time well spent in the long run.

Learn more about your inborn job skills.

Will your planned career change really lead to greater fulfillment in your worklife?

Gallup research suggests that between 60 and 80% of all workers are disengaged in the job.

Below is a list of the main reasons why people change careers and a few thoughts to discover if the reason for your career change is on solid ground.

1. Frustrated and Bored in Your Current Job.

Of course, there are many reasons why people get frustrated and bored at work but the biggest single reason tends to be a poor match between the work a person is doing and the natural abilities they possess.

Nothing is more frustrating to us as human beings as spending most of our waking hours doing something that we are not that good at, nor like doing.

If this is the situation you find yourself in, one of the best things you can do is to complete this career change assessment.

2. Problems with Management

This would be a close second. Almost half of all career clients I see complain about a poor work culture and the main reason for this is substandard leadership and management. Ironically, employers that I talk to tell me their biggest problem is getting good quality staff.

3. Money

Money is often a reason for changing careers.
If somebody has been struggling financially for a while, they may come to the realization that staying in the industry they are in is never going to bring them the income they need.

But this is an area that we need to be careful.
I never recommend people should change careers based on money alone.

Why?
Because money alone will never result in long-term job satisfaction.
Of course, there are times in our lives when money is in fact, the number one issue we need to solve.
And that’s fine so long as it’s a short-term measure.

The irony is that if we spend some time working out what we are naturally good at, then it is a reasonable assumption that the money we earn will increase.

The very best way to increase your income is to do a job that you love, and usually the job you love to do the most will be the job you are best at. You will invariably get paid more for work that you are best at.
So if your motivation is money, then focusing on finding the job that fits your natural abilities is probably the best way to earn more money in the long-term.

4. Changes in an Industry

We live in a world, where each year many jobs simply cease to exist due to changes in technology, demand, etc..

This is one situation where your career change reason is forced on you rather than chosen by you.
If you are in an industry that is heading for the doldrums, you should get out quick because you are better off finding a job with your current skills before the industry totally collapses. Otherwise you will end up with a lot more competition from other workers with similar skills to you looking for the similar jobs at the same time.

There is a tendency for people to hang on longer than they should when the writing is on the wall.

5. Midlife Revelation – I Need More Meaning from Work

Many years ago, I went through a transformation of this type myself, resulting in my retraining as a career consultant.

However, this reason is not just restricted to midlife career issues.
Many people of different ages have a revelation or spiritual awakening that affects their career.

Their new motivation often involves helping and serving others in society more.
A Pepsi marketing executive was once asked the question “Do you really want to be selling sugared water to kids for the rest of your life?” When you see your job from this type of perspective, it may not seem like an inspiring career anymore.

6. You Want to Work from Home or Start Your Own Business

This is also another common career change reason around midlife.
People began to ask the question “How come I’m working so hard for this guy when I could be earning all these profits for myself?

People are lured by the attraction of having more control over their destiny and the possibility of unlimited earnings.
This was a very strong reason for my career change when I was 22 years old.

The most common industry to start your own business in is the one that you are currently working on and have had the most experience in. Many business owners have seen their staff members leave and set up in opposition to them.
The entrepreneurial lifestyle has tremendous appeal, and when it goes right, it can offer a much better lifestyle both in freedom of work practices and income.

But don’t rush into it because it’s not always a bed of roses, particularly during difficult economic times. Planning well, getting good advice and starting off small while you remain in your current job are often a good ideas.

7. Injury or Illness

This is another forced career change reason. If you find yourself in this situation, I believe one of the most important things you need to do is to surround yourself with positive people.

Not unrealistic people, but positive people who will help you get back on your feet.

One of the most memorable things from my time working as a vocational rehabilitation consultant was the realization of the different ways in which people reacted to injuries.

Some people had decided early on that their injury was not going to stop them from achieving in life, while others had the opposite viewpoint.

I also noticed that those that had a very positive approach to overcoming their setback invariably recovered a lot faster than those who didn’t.

The other thing that can make this experience less traumatic is having a emergency cash fund in a savings account. People like Dave Ramsey are strong advocates of this

8. Changed Family Circumstances

Perhaps a family member has become sick or died and this has caused you to reconsider if you want to re-prioritize your career.

Perhaps your reason for career change is connected with the cost of raising children and you are reconsidering another career for monetary reasons.

Or having children has made you reevaluate whether you want to be away from home as much.
Getting your work-life balance right is a never-ending issue for most people.

This is another reason why some people opt for self-employment or work at home careers, hoping it will give them more control over their time.

Complete this career change assessment if you are considering changing careers

The minute you begin to do what you really want to do, it’s really a different kind of life

Buckminster Fuller

If you are one of the 65-80% of workers who are in a job that you don’t like (and are not suited to), I have good news for you.
The Dream Career Finder is a well-tested career assessment tool to assist you in making the optimal career choice.

It can provide:

• an increased sense of personal fulfilment at work?
• a feeling of contributing something meaningful to the world?
• greater respect from work colleagues
• better pay
• increased happiness at work …and at home

The Dream Career Finder Will Reveal Your ‘Talent DNA‘

Hi, I’m Simon Davies; I’m a qualified Career Counselor from Australia with over 15 years experience in the sector.

The Dream Career Finder (DCF) is a remarkable assessment instrument that will reveal startling insights about the core DNA of your career talents…talents that you may not be aware of.

Perhaps for the first time in your life, you will be able to go to work in a job that affords true meaning and purpose and rewards you with more money.

The DCF provides critical feedback about your natural inborn abilities and the world of work in which you should use them. It probes selected achievements in your life to uncover your common theme of unique work aptitudes and motivations.

You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending

CS Lewis

The Key to Job Satisfaction: Find Out What You Are Good At

Only after you know what you are innately good at, can you begin to make career choices that use those talents.
If you don’t know what your innate talents are, your choices will be frustratingly off the mark.

Many people go through their entire life without a clear understanding of what their primary aptitudes are.
And they pay the price with a disillusioned work-life, year in year out.

Know thyself – the words of the great philosopher Socrates are as true today as they were 2500 years ago.
Finding out what you are genuinely good at will likely be the most valuable career-related knowledge you will get.
And that’s exactly what the DCF will do for you.

The results provide you with insight into the core aptitudes that bring true meaning and fulfilment to your work life, enabling you to make very reliable career choices.

Feel More Appreciated

You will become appreciated more by your boss and fellow workers as a more competent and capable employee.
Why? Because you will be working in an occupation that is in sync with your innate aptitudes and therefore you will contribute more to the organization.

The most productive and proficient workers are usually those who are doing what they love to do, in roles that utilize their strongest talents.
Even others within your industry may begin to respect the work you do and acknowledge your expertise now that you are doing what you love.

This sense of being valued by others, research shows, will make you a happier, more fulfilled person(1).

Not Just Happier At Work…..At Home Too

Less stress in the home equals enhanced relationships and a more enjoyable life.
If you are working in a job that you enjoy and are good at, you will be more content and fulfilled.

That happiness and satisfaction will filter through to other relationships and your home life.
And if you are a mum or dad this translates into better relationships with your partner and children and the satisfaction of being a more stress-free parent.

Passion And Energy Up, Frustration And Depression Down

Being stuck in a dead-end job can be utterly frustrating and depressing.
But when your work brings immense personal fulfilment, it’s as if you’ve been reborn.
Frustration and disillusionment vanish.

Your passion and energy levels soar as your innate abilities now become completely aligned with your day-to-day work activities.
This results in a more vibrant and enthusiastic you.

Your self-esteem will also increase when you realize that you really are very good at some things in life.
I still vividly remember when I first completed this assessment; it was an inspiring and enormously encouraging experience.
My spirit was rekindled as I discovered my motivational thrust in life – the things that really drove me and for which I wanted to make my life count.

Each of you should use whatever gift (gracious divine endowment) you have received to serve others

Peter, the Apostle.

The Most Important Benefit You Will Get

1. There is one benefit you will get from the DCF that surpasses the rest.
   The reward of helping others.
   And research confirms that a life focused on helping others is critical to our well being².
2. All work is ultimately about the betterment of other people’s lives.
3. And the greatest benefit of working in a job that you are very good at, is that you help people in a much more valuable way than if you were working in just any job.

The real benefit to you, others and society as a whole is when you are working in a role you are best at. And this is what the DCF is all about, finding out what you are best at and enjoy doing the most.

How Can I Be Sure I Really Have These Talents?

Our inborn aptitudes will repeatedly show up during our life whether we are aware of them or not.
Evidence within the career counseling field confirms that our innate abilities are so ingrained in us as individuals, they continue to express themselves in our daily endeavors.
The DCF will assure you that these abilities absolutely belong to you and more importantly that you are innately driven to use them.

When you see these reoccurring aptitudes show up in various exploits throughout your lifetime, it’s a confirmation that these really are part of the fabric of your being.
You become totally revitalized in your work life and receive a potentially life-changing new vision for what it is you need to achieve in life.

Proven Method

This Dream Career Finder’s approach has proven to be extremely useful to workers around the world.
Similar systems are used by Fortune 500 and non-profit organizations to help find the best fitting employers for their organization.

No other career assessment instrument that I know of, offers more valuable information about your essential work motivations.

You Will Likely Earn More Money

You will inevitably earn more money if you in a job where you are using your natural inborn abilities.
It makes sense – if you are working in a job you love and are good at, you will be worth more to an organization than working in a job you are not great at nor enjoy.

Those who are paid the most in any given industry are those who are the best at their work.
The amount of money an average lawyer makes might only be half as much as the highest-earning lawyer in his town.

So what is the difference between the two of them.
In the majority of cases it’s simply a matter of one being better at it than the other.
And they’re better at it, in most cases simply because of natural ability.

It is quite likely that the lower earning one is in the wrong job.
If you want to earn more money, get into a job that uses your innate abilities.
Not only will you love the work, you’ll earn more. And more money gives you options.

Trading Your Money for Time…it’s an Option

You are now in a position to trade some of the money for time with your family or to pursue other interests…if you choose to.
More money means you could choose to work less for the same amount of money.
You may like to reduce your working hours to do more things with the kids or pursue another interest.

Or perhaps a greater income may mean moving into a bigger house in a nicer area.
Or providing some things for your kids that you currently can’t afford like extra after school lessons in that subject they’ve been struggling in or whatever else is on your list of “if I had some extra cash…”

If you can provide some of these things, that will make you feel like a better provider, that sense of happiness that comes from being able to give.

You Will Likely Get A Job Faster

People who engage in a career aptitudes evaluation like the DCF, find work faster…. considerably faster.

It takes on average about 12 weeks for a person to find a job from the time they actively begin looking.
With traditional job search methods, many job seekers begin with insufficient knowledge about what their chief aptitudes are.

This puts them in a very poor standing when it comes to presenting their most valuable skills to an employer through their resume and job interview.
Consequently, their job search takes longer.

But if you know what you are best at and can articulate that to an employer, you dramatically increase the speed at which you will find a job; saving you time and getting that new paycheck faster.

The DCF Will Save You A Lot Of Time

Although you will need to spend some time completing the DCF and sending off the results to me, this whole exercise is really about saving you time perhaps half a lifetime or more. I know. Life is busy…very busy.
But that’s part of the problem…busy at the stuff we probably shouldn’t be doing.
The time you spend completing the DCF is time very well spent.

It’s an incredibly small investment of your time compared to spending years in a job you don’t like.
It’s an incredibly small investment of your time compared to what you spend looking for jobs on the Internet, in newspapers and applying for jobs (even jobs you know you won’t enjoy).

It’s an incredibly small investment of your time compared to writing out resumes, going for job interviews and then starting the whole process over when after six months you discover…this isn’t it…argh!

Don’t Play It Safe When It Comes To Your Individual Talents

Will you go to the grave with regrets about what you could have done with your life?
By completing the DCF and discovering your genuine talents, you reduce the chance of having regrets.

Have you heard about the parable of the man who goes away on an overseas trip and puts three different workers in charge of various assets?
Two of them decided to put the assets to work, investing it, gaining a return and generally being proactive with the resource entrusted to them.
The third, however, did nothing.
He buried it in the ground and left it there until his boss returned.

Here’s what his boss had to say to him when he got back:

That’s a terrible way to live.
It’s criminal to live so cautiously like that.
Get rid of this “play-it-safe”, who won’t go out on a limb (3).

So what’s that got to do with finding a fulfilling career you may ask?
It’s about making sure you maximize the use of the abilities you have been given.
You don’t want to go to the grave with regrets about what you could have done, and should have done with your abilities.

Can’t I Just Complete A Quick Online Career Quiz Instead?

Yes you can.
But we all know that you get out whatever you put in.
One of the problems with many career tests is they have no, or limited, validity.
Most of them have lengthy disclaimers about how the results may not be accurate.
And the reason for the disclaimers is not only that they lack validity but they contradict good career counselling practice by minimizing the principle of ‘helping a client help themselves’.

Career test results shift the power from the client to the test results “here are the results; therefore this is what you should do”.
It boxes people into the idea that people are not really unique but are ‘grouped’ into predetermined types.

The DCF is not a Quiz or Test

It does not provide you with a limited list of jobs you could do.
It is an achievement-based self-assessment that digs deep into your past exploits to uncover your core motivated abilities.

It gets the very essence of who you are and where your natural bents lie.
And by doing this it provides the foundation for the very best career choice approach and ultimately rewarding life.

Easy-To-Follow Step-by-Step Instructions

The DCF is laid out in an easy to follow step by step format and included are examples of what you need to do, making it very straightforward to complete.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about its completion.

Get Started Right Away

As soon as payment is completed you get direct access to the DCF assessment, so you can get started straight away.

You will be immediately on your way to a meaningful and prosperous career, and the feeling of being able to contribute in a more meaningful way to an organization and the world.
It won’t be long before you can leave the frustration of your current job knowing that a more fulfilling career is just around the corner.

It’s a very meager investment for a potentially large return.

Unlimited Month Money Back Guarantee – No Questions Asked

Now I don’t have many people who want their money back, but I just want you to know, that it’s not a problem.
Quite frankly, if you’re not happy, I’m not happy.

I provide an unlimited money-back guarantee on the DCF.
If for any reason you are not happy, and that even includes that you simply couldn’t be bothered starting it (that would be regrettable), you can receive a full refund, no questions asked.

You don’t need to fill out a form.
You don’t need to provide any reason whatsoever why you want a refund.
Just send the details through my contact page and you will receive a full refund within 2 working days.

All payments for the DCF go through the Secure PayPal gateway including credit card payments. PayPal has the highest level of secure payment gateways available using a Secure Sockets Layer Protocol (SSL) with a 128 bit encryption. So your credit card details are safe.

1. www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/06/why-money-cant-buy-happiness-feeling-respected-matters-more/259032/
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/do-the-right-thing/201207/helping-others-offers-surprising-benefits-0
3.Bible MSG, Mathew 25:26

The ten hottest careers according to the US Bureau of Statistics are:

(*see below for what constitutes a ‘Hot Career’)

1. Computer software engineers – applications
2. Computer support specialists
3. Computer software engineers – systems software
4. Network and computer systems administrators
5. Network systems and data communications analysts
6. Desktop publishers
7. Database administrators
8. Personal and home care aides
9. Computer systems analysts
10. Medical assistants

* Ten Hottest Careers source: US Bureau of Statistics

What Do These Careers Have In Common?

Did you notice that nearly all of the ten hottest careers are either health care careers or computer science careers?

But before you think of getting a job from this list of careers, have a think about what really constitutes a hot career.

How Are the Ten Hottest Careers Obtained

Are they simply just the highest paying careers?

No, they’re not the highest paying necessarily. The ten hottest careers are simply the result of the Statistics Bureau identifying which jobs will have the greatest demand and reduced supply in the foreseeable future.

High career salaries are often identified as the most important aspect of a new career.

However, research suggests that it is not as important as most people think when it comes to overall job satisfaction.

What about types of jobs that you simply receive a great deal of personal satisfaction from and perhaps even have some fun along the way.

More and more people are looking for fun careers these days as the stress of many high paying jobs causes them to re-examine their career choices.

The ten hottest careers list above is hot because these types of careers supposedly offer better job security due to the projected strong demand in these job sectors.

But is job security the most important thing for you.
Job security doesn’t rate that highly when it comes to overall job satisfaction for most people.
Neither does the entry into one of the ten hottest careers listed above.

What Makes You Satisfied At Work.

So what do we know about job satisfaction?
Here are some facts that might constitute a good career change advice.

‘To business that we love, we eagerly arise and go to with delight”

-William Shakespeare-

We know from research that satisfaction at work is most commonly derived from the following factors:

• Workers want to feel respected (even loved) by their superiors
• Workers want to have interesting and challenging work where they feel they are using their natural inborn job skills, abilities and motivations
• Workers want to have autonomy.
  They want to be given genuine responsibility and freedom in the workplace
• Workers want to be fairly rewarded for their work
• Workers want to work in an environment where they feel their organization is making a difference in the world or in people’s lives

Click this link for the full results of my career survey –
“Job satisfaction: employed versus self-employed people”

Critical Component of Job Satisfaction

So although a job from the above list of careers may purport to be one of the ten hottest careers, and may bring greater job security, it doesn’t address any of the key components of known job satisfaction.

And there lies the problem.
We see that career salaries are certainly relevant to most workers but we only know that they want to be fairly rewarded.

This would indicate that we probably shouldn’t be focusing too much on the highest paying careers.

What we do know is that of the five satisfaction attributes above, the one that many workers regard as critical is the ability to work in a job where they can genuinely use their natural skills, abilities, and motivations.

Other research tells us that job performance is important in achieving satisfaction at work.

‘I just got paid handsomely for an hour and a half of work.
If you want to call it to work.
It was fun.
And here I am holding a big pile of dollar bills going “Gee this isn’t so bad”.
‘I mean, doing hair is about my second favorite thing in the world at this point and I’m getting paid for it.’

-Words from a hairdresser who had found her dream career

It’s the productivity or achievements an individual can accomplish at work that makes her feel satisfied and fulfilled.

So a primary goal in achieving worker fulfillment is to be in a job where you feel exceptionally productive and are personally achieving well.

And the best way to feel exceptionally productive is to be doing work that fits snugly with your inborn job skills.

This is why I have produced the dream career finder assessment to help people precisely identify their inborn work abilities.

Don’t Get Stuck In A Frustrating Career

What we also know from research is that up to 80% of people are in jobs where they are not fulfilled and not working in roles that match their innate abilities or gifts.

Our dream career finder helps you identify what your natural work abilities are.
This is an assessment instrument that has been proven to accurately uncover any person’s inborn motivations and how they relate to work.

Tremendous liberty is often experienced when you finally realize what your inborn abilities are.
Progressing from a career that you know has failed to bring any real accomplishments to a job which just seems to push all your right buttons is a wonderful feeling.

Follow Your Bliss

Is a person’s meaningful contribution associated with doing a type of work that is held in high regard by society?
Henderson’s research suggests it is more directly related to a person’s ability to be doing work where their interests and likes can be expressed.
Henderson found that participants had a passionate and unwavering commitment throughout their career to follow their interests, competencies and what they enjoyed doing.

“If a person is doing what they love to do, there is a logical conclusion that they will feel they are making a meaningful contribution ….”

Henderson, S (2000) Follow Your Bliss. Journal of Counseling and Development

A great deal of long term unhappiness occurs in people’s lives if they feel stuck in a job that is unsatisfying and going nowhere.
And this unhappiness inevitably flows over into other areas of life.

Many people receive a tremendous boost in their self worth by completing the Dream Career Finder as it reveals to them – often for the first time – where their god-given abilities lie and how this directly relates to their chosen career.

Another common aspect of worker satisfaction that isn’t in the above list is the desire to work in a job that is not too stressful.

One of the biggest issues in work today is the increased stress that workers are feeling and there is nothing more stressful or frustrating than working in types of careers that don’t fit well with your inborn gifts and abilities.

Investigating YOU Is the Key

The dream career finder uncovers your inborn abilities by examining achievements from throughout your life that you have enjoyed doing and felt you did well at.

The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

– Socrates

This works equally well for people who have achieved a lot as well as those who say they haven’t really achieved anything significant.

It works so well because these inborn abilities show up in your daily living whether you recognize them or not.

Because they are inborn, they just naturally manifest themselves whether a person knows that it’s happening or not.
This assessment is about uncovering those often hidden talents.

Even if a person comes from a very disadvantaged background, these inborn skills, abilities, and motivations will be able to be identified through the dream career finder.

If you are thinking about changing careers you should think twice before using a career assessment test as a quick fix solution.

This move to resolve an important life decision with the seemingly instant solution of a test is part of a growing trend to use quick career tests to solve one of life’s most important decisions.

A British think tank study showed that a significant number of people are willing to use dubious means when making significant decisions in life.

The research showed that 22 percent of people believe in astrology and horoscopes and 15 percent believe in tarot cards as ways of giving them direction in life, including career change advice.

Part of the spiritual makeup of human beings wants to believe that these mystical solutions can be helpful.

Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say that a career aptitude test and fortune-telling are in the same category, there are some obvious areas of crossover.

Please Tell Me What I Should Do

A need to have someone or something directly tell us what to do about our problems and to avoid the usual personal decision-making process is not usually conducive to personal growth.

Career Counselors often include a word of warning about a career assessment test before they are administered to let clients know the potential pitfalls.

But even if a good career counselor spends some time spelling out the potential pitfalls of a career placement test, it seems to often fall on deaf ears.

A client may even go to the extent of asking a career counselor directly, will a career test work for me?.
The career counselor who gives a negative response can often be met by a suspicious and unbelieving client.

Most clients see a career test as a type of magic wand and think that the test ‘must be right’ even if they nod their head in agreement with you while explaining about the limitations.

If you seek career change advice you should consider the long-term personal cost of opting for quick-fix solutions to your career selection decisions.

Even providers of the worlds most commonly used career aptitude test, the self-directed search makes it clear that no single career test can help you decide which career to choose and that other forms of career change advice should always be considered.

In the end, the more involved self-discovery process of finding your inborn job skills will always be the better option to help you understand what career you would be good at.

Other career development articles relating to career tests that you may be interested in include:

Career tests – Why they don’t work!
Career aptitude test – Poor career counseling results?
Career placement test – How they can limit career choices.
Career personality test – Is money the motive?
Career assessment – Uniqueness not highlighted!
Career testing – Why the experts are running.