Where I am headed? My Career Compass Reflection

     According to my combined results from the Focus 2 Career Assessments, my “best fit occupations” were not surprising to me. The top occupations that appeared in three out of the five assessments were STEM careers that relate to my major, aerospace engineering. Some of the top careers that stuck out to me were Airport Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Automotive Engineer, and Solar Energy Systems Designer. These occupations aligned with my Work, Values, and Skills test results. In general, the results from my combined tests were all mainly STEM-related fields which I was pleased about since I enjoy math and science subjects in school.

      In the Work Interest assessment, my Holland Code was RIA. This stands for Realistic: “The Doers”, Investigative: “The Thinkers”, and Artistic: “The Creators”. I believe these descriptors fit my current career interest extremely well. I think the Realistic and Investigative attributes go together nicely with engineering as it has aspects of hands-on work with machines and tools, as well as problem solving skills. The Artistic descriptor really narrows it down to my specific career interest as I wish to go down a design track in aerospace engineering. Having the ability to be innovative and create beyond convention is a skill I value and is highlighted in the Artistic category. Therefore, the RIA code helps confirm that I selected the right career choice.

     In the Leisure Interest assessment, my top three leisure interests were Inquiring: “The Thinkers”, Reality: “The Doers”, and Aesthetic: “The Creators”. On an interesting note, these leisure interests align with my work interests. As previously stated from my Work Interest analysis, these three descriptors align very well with my career interests.

     Out of the five assessments, I feel that the Leisure assessment is most important to me. I am a strong believer that work should be play. I want to enjoy the career I choose because if I don’t, my life would be boring and unfulfilling. My philosophy is supported by the results from my Work and Leisure assessments since I essentially received the same results. If I run a report with my Work, Leisure, and Values assessment results, more engineering professions appear compared to my general report with all five tests, which included more medical careers. I was happy to see Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineer on the list.

Out of all the occupations resulted on the list from my general report, I agree with most of the engineering careers. Specifically, the Airport Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Automotive Engineer, Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineer, and Aerospace Technician. I do not agree with the medical careers such as an Orthodontist, Counseling Psychologist, Dentist, Gynecologist, and Pediatrician. I’m not as strong in biology and chemistry as I am in physics, so I don’t believe going down a medical career is best fit for me. Also, I don’t like to see blood.

Therefore, I feel happy and solidified in my career choices. The test results have given me evidence to feel confident that I am pursuing the right degree and occupation.