Choosing a Career Path in 2004 (Part 1 of 3)
by Beverly Baskin
How do I choose a career?
Since a person's career is a very personal choice and reflects his or her personality, creativity,
interests, and goals, it is sometimes beneficial if one begins by choosing a career path, instead of a
career. Often career counselors conduct career pathing sessions with their clients to assist in
matching innate skills and abilities with short and long-term goals. For example, if a person
demonstrates an interest in the field of biology and also enjoys dealing with people, the following is
an example of a career path he or she might consider: If the person wanted to enter the workforce
immediately upon graduating from college, he or she may explore the areas of pharmaceutical or medical
sales, working for a medical or scientific publishing company in which there are research, copywriting, or
editing positions, or he/she may seek an alternate route as a biology teacher. All of these positions
would serve as rungs on his/her career ladder.
As the person continues to climb the ladder to a successful career, the prospect of additional promotions
within or outside the company, continued educational opportunities, and the eventual possibility of
starting his or her own business are also career pathing options.
Now, for another scenario. If the same person who demonstrated an interest in biology decides to become a
medical doctor or research biologist immediately after graduation, that person will need to obtain an
advanced degree in order to complete his or her chosen career path. After the required post graduate
education is completed, there are a number of options within the specialty for the person to climb the
ladder of success. He or she can go into private practice as a physician, become a senior research
biologist, a professional manager within a research or scientific environment, or work for a state or
federal government.
These are only a few examples of career pathing. With the help of a career counselor, one can explore
many more career paths. The career counselor often talks with the person at length to explore the
subjects the individual liked in school, what he or she considers to be personal strengths and abilities,
as well as what other people have said through evaluations at work or volunteer activities. The counselor
will ask about the person's daydreams, his or her ideal job, and aspirations. Clients often feel that the
time spent with the counselor leads to more insight and investigation regarding several possible career
paths.
Matching Interests with Careers
There are several instruments that counselors utilize to match interests with careers. One of the most
popular career/interest inventories is the Self-Directed Search by Dr. John Holland, a noted
psychologist and career theorist. His research concludes that people with the same interests often
seek similar work environments. One can think of the metaphor "birds of a feather flock together" and
how it applies to different work environments. If we think of employees working in a particular
occupation, they usually have similar vocational and outside interests.
Dr. Holland says that people can be loosely classified into six different groups or personality types
labeled Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. After a client
completes the Self Directed Search inventory (it takes approximately 30 minutes), he or she will have
a three letter code corresponding to the three highest interests. For instance, if a person receives
a score with the code SAE, his or her strongest vocational personality type is Social (S), then
Artistic (A) and then Enterprising (E).
The counselor and client then review the code and its variations in the Holland Occupations Finder for
the purpose of investigating careers that correspond with the client's interests.
If a person has a strong R (Realistic) type, he or she may like to work with his/her hands and use
physical skills. The person may like to use tools, repair things, work outdoors, and have a desire
for adventure. Possible career paths include Engineer, Military, Mechanic, or Skilled Trades Person.
The Investigative personality (I) tends to focus on ideas, investigation, research, and technical
activities. Occupations such as Physician, Analyst, Technical Writer and Medical Technologist are
found in this code.
The Artistic Type (A) person is usually creative, intuitive, expressive and a non-conformist. Typical
occupations include Musician, Writer, Interior Decorator, Photographer, or Actor/Actress. Artistic
people are the most creative of the six personality types. People who are a strong Social Type (S)
like to engage in Care-Giving activities, Group Activities and Social Events, Teaching, and Leadership.
Career paths include preparation as a Counselor, Teacher, Religious Worker, Psychologist or Speech
Therapist.
If a client thinks he/she would like an enterprising job, such as a Salesperson, Manager, Business
Executive, Television Producer, or Buyer, the client will probably score with a high Enterprising (E) type.
E types are found in the business world and include jobs in corporations and small businesses. The
Conventional (C) vocational personality likes conventional jobs such as Bookkeeper, Financial Analyst,
Banker, Accountant, or Tax Expert. They have arithmetic abilities and are organized and efficient.
Codes can vary over the years. Very often a recent college grad will have an Enterprising (E) code at the
end of his or her score, but when the person gains a few years experience, the Enterprising code may
become the highest letter which means the person might be ready for a career in management or possibly
starting his or her own business. The opposite can happen to an executive in mid life who wants to become
involved in more altruistic activities. If the Social code (S) is very high, the individual may want to
change his or her career path towards teaching or counseling for the purpose of helping others.
The point is that change is a constant, and people are always forming career paths. What they really do
is that they take some aspects of the job that they presently hold or some aspects of their college
coursework and parlay those favorite work functions into their new or anticipated job. Some people can
market themselves to employers and communicate their skills and abilities so effectively that they
eventually wind up creating their "ultimate job."
***End of Part 1 of 3***
About the author:
Beverly Baskin
Why Shouldn't We Hire You?
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