New Year, New Career

"It's so expensive," I said. "I don't want my folks paying."
"Well, look at it this way," my friend told me. "Your parents are investing in their child's future."

That makes a sort of sense, and I must say that I feel the entire process was worth it. What process? Why, my career aptitude test at the Ball Foundation. An all-day battery of tests on the 3rd preluded a three-hour session last Saturday with a PhD career psychologist.

The Ball Foundation is interesting in that their test measures 20 different kinds of aptitudes, figuring out what comes easily to you so you can find a job that uses those strengths. The entire meeting was extremely illuminating, and I came away with a one-inch-thick binder explaining everything and which careers I should think about.

They test for every sort of job, so in addition to subjects such as math and vocabulary, I had to do a strength test. Gripping a metal bar with each hand, I pressed with as much force as I could muster. My score: in the 5th percentile. Let me say that again: the 5th percentile. It was laughable. But also quite intriguing--the doctor told me studies have shown that people with lower grip strength need more sleep. It's true! I simply cannot function properly on less than 8 hours! How neat to know.

My sesquipedalian proclivities permitted me to score in the 99th percentile in vocabulary. Go figure. I also scored high in spacial/visual functions (typically a male trait, if we're talking about gender issues), and of course scored high in creativity and artistic aptitudes. Surprise, surprise.

What was surprising, though, was that I scored in the 98th and 99th percentiles for analytical and inductive reasoning, respectively. Inductive reasoning--what's that? In a nutshell, it's the ability to see patterns between things. Someone who's a deductive reasoner enjoys researching every angle before arriving at a conclusion; inductive reasoners march in and make a snap judgment. We're trouble-shooters. We go in, see what needs fixing, and critique things. This can sometimes create problems, as we're not always able to explain how we arrived at a conclusion. And of course, critiquing can sometimes rub people the wrong way without a little tact and diplomacy. I ran into that problem at my first job at King's College: fresh out of college, and American to boot, I had some of my co-workers mad at me from my "let's fix it" approach. They felt I thought I was always right (well, I was, okay?) and was too critical of their entrenched programs.

This criticism can be internalized, though, and according to the doctor, was probably the reason why I self-scored myself low in many subject areas. (For instance, I rated my abilities "below average" in math, when in fact I am a little "above average." And I scored myself low in analytical reasoning when I ended up being in the 98th percentile. See what I mean?) This is entirely true, because even during the session I caught myself thinking, Why didn't you score in the 99th percentile in everything? What's wrong with you? It also gets to the root of some underlying insecurities, because I've been hard at work convincing myself that I'm not only a failure career-wise and have no employable skills, but that I'm also less smart than I was in high school. It was reassuring to have the doctor tell me that I'm intelligent a couple of times, because I certainly don't feel that way very often.

The other major and defining trait that will color my career is that I am a specialist. I need a job where I am knowledgable about a certain subject matter (or several inter-related ones). I need to be asked for my expertise on said subject area, and work with said subject(s). In fact, later in life I may even wish to teach, say in an adjuct professor cabability, as long as it's in my area of knowledge. I can already see how that's true: my Europhilia has caused me to know a little more than the average person my age about Europe. (And the inductive reasoner in me points out that many people know much, much more than I.)

Now for the crux of the matter: what jobs were recommended. Keep in mind that I need:

• to specialize in an area or related areas
• to be asked for my opinion on said area
• to have a lot of variety
• to be surrounded by upbeat, positive people
• to, if I go to grad school, be able to see the concrete career benefits of doing so

And, ladies and gentlemen, given all you now know about me, here are the Top Career Choices for Theresa:

• Designer (e.g., Graphic, Interior, Fashion, Set, Costume)
• Art Director
• Event/Convention Planner
• Public Relations Specialist
• Training & Development Spcialist
• Museum Curator
• Appraiser (e.g., Art, Real Estate, Jewerly, Antiques)
• Journalist/Biographer
• Professional Photographer (e.g., Fashion, Product, Events, News)
• Art/Music Therapist
  

So now what? The doctor said a couple of them should jump out at me, but I'd like your opinions as well. What do you think I'd be best at? (You can vote for more than one.)