Sometime in your middle and high school years you will be asked to participate in career aptitude testing. This means you will be sat down with a booklet in front of you and a bunch of answer bubbles to fill out that could possibly determine your future. The test can be stressful whether you have an idea of what you would like to do after graduation or not.
It’s A Test, But Not Really
The best thing to keep in mind while filling out your answers it to be honest. The test is not for a grade. It does not determine whether you pass a class or not. This test is just trying to help you figure out some possible career choices. It bases its analysis on what you answer. What you like versus what you do not like. It is a simple algorithm that could help save you the trouble of guessing what on earth you should do with your life.
When the results come in, you do not have to agree with them. There will likely be several career options listed, and some of them may be more similar than others. This just means that for the similar ones, you must have liked 70% or more of the things required for those jobs.
What To Do After You Get the Results Back
Try not to discard the test before checking into the results. The employment options given could be work fields that you may not have considered otherwise. It would be in your best interest to give them a chance, even if it is a small chance. Google can quickly give you the information you are looking for.
If you find that some of the career options seem interesting, then you can move on a step. Check to see if there are local businesses that offer those type of jobs. Then, you can reach out to those businesses and ask to interview an employee or even request to job shadow someone. Job shadowing is just taking the time to watch the employee work for a couple of hours. It can go on for one hour or if the person working agrees to a longer period, it could last for several days.
When interviewing or shadowing, try to take note of the things you did not know were required for that job. Ask them questions about other things that they did not know before getting into their field of work. Find out how much school and time goes into the position.
If you are in high school, you may be able to ask for an internship if there are any available. Explore as many different work fields as possible before settling on one. This way you can experience the variety of options available to you, and can determine which best suits you. If you get a head start before entering college, you may be able to save yourself a lot of time and money.
An Opportunity to Explore
There is currently an opportunity available to you, if you are interested in pursuing a career in writing of any kind. This site, GirlSpring, is always on the lookout for new talent to showcase. Even if you do not know if writing is for you, just give it a try. Everyone has something they would like to say, so why not use this platform to be heard? It would be a great addition to any resume and gives you a feel for whether it is something you could pursue for career purposes.
At the end of the day, if you still are unsure what career choice you should make, do not worry. You are young and have plenty of time to try out different things. I know some people who are in their sixties and are back in college for a career change. You can easily get a degree that covers many different fields. I, for one, am an English major. I plan to pursue writing, editing, teaching, researching languages, event planning, and marketing.
Here are some extra links to check out if you want to try an aptitude test on your own:
https://www.whatcareerisrightforme.com/career-aptitude-test.php
https://www.yourfreecareertest.com/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyperez/what-career-should-you-have
