Will a test tell me if I'm suited for a job in IT?
Question:
I'm a college
student beginning my second year, and I'm not sure if the field I'm studying is
what I want to do for the rest of my life. I think I'd rather switch to information
technology, but that would be hard to justify at this point.
While I was in
high school, I took some "interest inventories" (psychological
tests). The suggested results of the jobs I would be interested in were very
accurate (in comparison to the things I liked doing then).
Now that I'm
going into my second year of a very expensive university, I don't want to waste
my money pursuing a career that I wouldn't enjoy. If you know of any interest
surveys or have any suggestions as to how I can figure out which type of career
would best suit me, I would appreciate it.
Reply:
Surveys? You
don't need surveys. Someone has convinced you that surveys mean more than what
you yourself think.
The best way to
pick a career (especially while still in school) is to spend time with people
who work in businesses that seem interesting to you. In your case, find some
people who work in IT. Look at what they do on a day-to-day basis. Ask
questions. Try the work. Do this through alumni or through friends of friends.
Interest
inventories (or surveys) are based on correlation. That is, they reveal
the interests of people who do certain jobs. Your interests are then
compared?or correlated?to the base population that participated in the
inventory.
The idea is that
if your interests match those of people in a certain job, then you, too, will
be happy in that job. (It might actually mean that you'll hate that job?because
all the others tested hated that job, too.) However, a correlation doesn't predict
success or happiness at a job.
Tests and
surveys can be interesting to take, but they're not the wondrous career
development tools they are purported to be. Please read up on the topic or
visit the psychology department of your school to learn more.
Use your own brain.
It will be much more accurate. Besides, exploring real jobs and businesses is a
lot more fun than taking surveys.
Trust yourself.
You're allowed to change your mind later. Few people I know work in a field
that they prepared for in school.
Best,
Nick Corcodilos
Ask The
Headhunte