McGill P.E.A.C.E., is it worth the 50$?
In todays day and age our society is so focused on the future, what it will hold for us, what we will do with the options in front of us and who we will become. Now multiply that times 100 for confused, broke, lost and anxious university students with little sense of direction in life. What is one supposed to do in these times of confusion?
I know for myself; lost and unsure about what to do with my career, I would consult a professional, perhaps a few work shops for some direction. More specifically I have been looking into the McGill P.E.A.C.E. program. The program is supposedly there to help young students make future career decisions. This is accomplished by “a series of four workshops that include vocational testing and a complete self-assessment.” The program states that after you will be able “to understand your personality type, identify your skills, interests and values, and how they relate to various occupations.” Additionally, participants will have a better understanding of resources and realistic goal setting plans. All for the low price of 50$. Wow this seems like a pretty good deal; figure out my life goals and future career plans in 4 days for only 50$. Count me in!
To the desperate student this seems wonderful, however, there are multiple problems with these individual self assessments that most students over look. One of the main issues with these types of promising work shops and self assessments has to do with the mindset in which the individual is entering the test with. For instance, people often can not get away form their own standards of thinking, so the descriptions will end up telling little about the individual if they are already blinded by there own self mindset. Second, there maybe a lot of personal restraints that the person masks themselves with in order to get the score they want, perhaps without even knowing it. Lastly the individual often enters theses situation in high hopes that these programs will straighten out their life’s problems and when the end results are not all they are cracked up to be the participant becomes dissatisfied with the program.
Aside from the problems lying within the individual who is taking the test, there are also problems that arise within the assessment itself. One of which is that these personal assessments do not always take into consideration the “abstraction” from the process of living, i.e. will power, grit or self confidence. These abstractions of life can have a dramatic impact on anyone’s career path or future plans. Another issue that arises is that often times the most convenient trait for rating is often the most superficial one that leaves from for much interpretation and not much certainty (which is what the individual wants and expects from the test).
On the other hand this assessment could be very beneficial for some. All in all however, its worth noting that these issues merit consideration for all lost and unsure students who are contemplating taking this program. Perhaps think twice about it before dropping the 50$.
