Abstract
Career choices are quite hard to make and some people often find it hard to make a choice. In fact, some young people find it so hard that they have to consult or see career counselors to help in the same. However, making career choices cannot be as hard if an individual understands himself well. This essay looks at the Meyer Briggs test and how it can be used in determining career choices for different individuals.
Career Project
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a “form of psychometric questionnaire designed to gauge psychological preferences in the manner through which people perceive the world and make their decisions” (ANA, 2012). The MBTI results are quite efficient and resourceful in helping individuals come up with career choices. This is because the results of the tests help in determining the field that an individual is best suited in. The results are enumerated in four categories. These categories determine who an individual is by analyzing his personality. These personality traits help in identifying the strengths that an individual has and therefore places him in the right career. After going through the test, my category turned out as the E=6, S=7, F=5 and J=2. These indicate that I am moderate in both association and socialization. I am slightly intuitive and have a slight sense of judgment (MBTI, 2012).
Judging from the personality analysis, the strong results placed my personality under the conventional and social themes. This is expected given that I am already quite good in terms of associating with others. This can help me to easily interact with people. It is therefore not a surprise that I fit in it. Judging from these results, the various careers that I can venture into should revolve around the health sector. Three of these careers include nursing, respiratory therapist and pharmacist (Career Exploration Worksheet, 2012). From this point, I will look at the various careers in detail.
Being a pharmacist was my childhood dream though I later changed and developed a liking for other health professions. Though pharmacy came out strongly as one of the fields that I can specialize in, it is not my choice. Therefore, I cannot pursue that line in life. The requirements also do not fit my liking. The course is not as interactive as such, and therefore cannot fit my outgoing personality.
My primary option is nursing. According to Career exploration (2012), nursing calls for an individual who is caring, considerate and specific to details. This means that an individual has to have an eye for detail. This career also has a flexible schedule where the individual can work in any place in the world as long as one has a work permit to work in the area for which the individual seeks to work. This, therefore, makes the profession a favorite for an extrovert, since there is the opportunity to interact with people from different regions of the world. Furthermore, there is the possibility that the field is headed for greater development as the health care facilities around the globe continue expanding.
Another factor making the career quite popular is that it has developed in the recent past to such an extent that there are various specializations within the nursing sector (ANA, 2012). These subdivisions of the career make it possible for an individual to move from one area to another. There are also various levels of qualification, and an individual can move from one level to the next. The most notable thing for the career is that it has a code of ethics that has to be followed by professionals. This makes the career quite interesting and a desire for many. I fully agree with the MBTI results and the Strong results recommendation for nursing as my career. I feel that I can comfortably fit in it.
The other career that I can venture in, my option B is the respiratory therapist. Just like the registered nurse profession, this career is based on health matters of individuals. It also involves interacting with other people. Despite these similarities, there are some striking differences between the two. For instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012) indicates that to be a practitioner in this field, it is a requirement that an individual has a degree qualification in the field. This is the difference with nursing since there can be different levels of specialization in nursing. Though the two careers are also similar, the difference is that the starting salary or the earnings for the two careers are quite different, with the respiratory therapist getting relatively more.
Looking at this profession and my personality traits, I understand that it might not be fully compatible with my personality. Although it falls under health profession, it is not as interactive as the nursing profession. I therefore feel better matched for nursing rather than respiratory therapist. Respiratory Therapy (2012) indicates that this profession is expected to continue growing in the foreseeable future. The demand for the career is growing and becoming a favorite for many. Of course, the same goes for other medical or healthcare professions. However, this career is more demanding than nursing. Therefore, in picking a career, an individual has to be quite sure of exactly what he is looking for.
Looking at the discussion above, I realize that the MBTI test is quite efficient. After taking it, I realized that most of the conclusions from the test go with my personality traits. The exact traits mentioned tend to be quite dominant in me. For this reason, I find no reason to doubt the findings of this test.
In terms of the career choice as recommended by the strong results, I totally agree with these recommendations. As earlier stated, I had an early inclination to the pharmacy profession. I had developed these instincts with no outside pressure or coercion. In essence, this shows the precise nature of the tests. Though I changed my favorite course from pharmacy to nursing, it is notable that I still find more comfort in taking a course that is closely related to those suggested by the strong results.
In conclusion, I have looked at the MBTI test and the strong results as they relate to my career choice. As discussed in the essay, the results of my test indicate strong correlation with the actual facts in my life. My favorite career choice as well as my personality is in total agreement with the conclusions from the test. It is for this reason that I concur that individuals stuck in a dilemma as far as career choice is concerned should consider taking this test. The test not only gives the individual an idea of his strengths and personalities, but also suggests the career choice that an individual should take. However, I would also like to caution such individual that despite considering the results of such a test, an individual still has his free-will. Therefore, the test should be used just as one of the avenues to determine the career choice rather than the only reason for making the choice.
References
ANA. (2012). Nurse’s Career Center. Retrieved on 28th Feb 2012 from http://www.nursingworld.org/careercenter/
Career Exploration Worksheet. (2012). Registered Nurse. (Word Document).
Career Exploration Worksheet. (2012). Pharmacist. (Word Document).
Career Exploration Worksheet. (2012). Respiratory Therapist. (Word Document).
National League for Nursing. (2012). Nursing. Retrieved on 28th Feb 2012 from http://www.nln.org/
Respiratory Therapy. (2012). Find Your Respiratory Therapy School Today. Retrieved on 28th Feb 2012 from http://www.respiratorytherapy.net/
