Career Tests?
We have all heard many stories about a high-school student who followed the career path suggested by the results of a career test, and ended up having to make big, inconvenient changes later. However, there have also been many people who said they learned a great deal about themselves through the use of a career assessment and who found this increased self-knowledge helpful in thinking about their career direction. So what’s the verdict?
Personally, when I took a career test in grade 10, I don’t remember it being too influential in my decision of what career path I wanted to choose. In fact, I remember completing the test, all the while, thinking about how I really hoped the results would say “Journalism”. When I think about it now, I was most likely subconsciously selecting answers that I thought were more inclined towards the personality/skills/interests of a journalist. And the reason as to why I can say the career test did not influence my decision, is because even though Journalism was one of the career options listed for me; very soon I changed my mind to choose psychology.
Nonetheless, looking at career tests and their advantages and disadvantages, it seems as though they lack validity. Even though the name suggests that it is a test to assess which career would best suit you, the test actually assesses a person’s interests and there has been evidence to show that even though one may be interested in something, they may not necessarily have the necessary skills or the aptitude for it. If the test is really a measure of a person’s interests, should the test really be called a career test? It is arguable that it is a person’s interests that lead them to choose a career. No one chooses a career they are not interested in. However, there are many people who base their career decisions on these tests, and later realize that they are not suitable for that particular career. Now this can be blamed on the test itself, or it can be the lack of clear guidance by the career counselor/test administrator that the test is not a completely accurate predictor of what career is best for the person.
People are complex, multi-faceted creatures and no mere paper and pencil test can predict with complete accuracy the right career for each individual. However, if career tests are encouraged, one should consider the implications of the test results on the individual. Is that person guided and made to understand that the results merely suggest areas of interest that could turn into successful careers? Or are they left to interpret their results on their own?
