Did You Choose the Right Career?

There is a lot of career advice out there. Too much, actually. It starts when we are kids. Well-meaning adults ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" (In my case, the question was, "What do you want to be if you grow up?" I digress.)

In middle school or perhaps our first year in high school we take aptitude tests that seek to identify the kind of future we are best suited for. They rarely work and I've never met anyone who went on to achieve success and happiness in the career track their vocational tests predicted.

Guidance counselors weren't much help, either. Their earnest and big-hearted efforts were often diluted by the volume of kids they had to serve, making their impact minimal at best.

Post-secondary education, whether it be community college, trade school, or a four-year degree program, is often chosen for a smorgasbord of reasons, only one of which might resemble anything akin to "Where will you truly shine?" A lot of the educational tracks after high school are chosen based on monetary concerns, proximity to home or other geographical criteria, parental pressure, and other factors that have nothing to do with long-term happiness.

If you are on social media (and who isn't) you will be overexposed to glossy platitudes with fancy fonts over aspirational background photos passive-aggressively making us feel guilty for not pursuing our dreams. "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" is a common theme. It may be technically true but the reality is far more complicated. What if you love to play Minecraft?

What if the platitudes aren't just hot air and fluff, though. Maybe pursuing what you love really is the key to career bliss.

Discover your true self and then do what is true to that truth.

Once we break down that kind of language linguine, we discover something profound and shockingly practical.

Step one is to follow Socrates' advice: First, know thyself.

If you want to find the perfect job, the perfect career, take a psychometric assessment. Really. If you don't truly understand how you are hardwired, all your effort to find the career that is completely in your wheelhouse will be nothing more than a life-long slog of trial and error.

Discover your true self, but choose the right tool to do it. There are a lot of personality tests and quasi-famous psychometric assessments out there, so pick a good one*. Otherwise all you'll learn are tidbits so vague you'd think they were written by out of work astrologers.

"According to my personality test, I like having a sense of accomplishment and enjoy working with nice people."

Wow, that was helpful.

* Hint: check out the Core Values Index psychometric assessment. It's the most reliable available with real data to back it up, and takes just 8 minutes to complete.

A good psychometric assessment will tell you exactly what you need to know, both what you're likely to be good at and will enjoy, and where you will struggle. Are you the kind of person that likes nothing more than solving problems? Do you feel the most fulfilled when building consensus and motivating others? Perhaps you thrive in situations where you can take charge and make things happen? Maybe you feel the happiest when you are gathering and sharing knowledge with others.

All of these questions can be answered. If you are the Builder type who likes to take charge and get things done, you probably won't be happy doing the same thing day in and day out, working alone and without metaphorical monuments to build. If you're the Innovator type, finding ingenious solutions to challenging problems will make your days go fast and end with a profound sense of satisfaction.

So far we've mentioned two of the four primary core value types found in the Core Values Index psychometric assessment. The four types are called Builder, Merchant, Innovator, and Banker. Everyone has a particular combination of energies from these four types within them, and it is the specific combination and ratio that defines their personality's DNA.

Even if you chose a psychometric assessment or personality test other than the Core Values Index, understanding how you are hardwired is the single most important step you can take toward finding the career path that will be the most fulfilling for you.

Take that first step and discover your authentic self.

Anything else is just guesswork.

If you are curious about the Core Values Index and want to learn more about it, visit eRep.com/core-values-index/ today. It is the psychometric assessment and personality test that can truly change your life.