In taking the StrengthsFinder 2.0 Test, the five strengths that I obtained are: Learner, Context, Strategic, Achiever and Self-Assurance (Rath). It’s quite remarkable that most of the points made stemming from these strengths are quite accurate and has led me to understand myself much better.
Were your strengths what you thought they would be?
Response: Yes, they did turn out to be the ones that I thought I would be. In fact, I spend a lot of time trying to understand my past and how it will affect my future instead of blindly trying to leap forward. Learning is a big part of my Life right now and I share information with friends and family whenever possible. This is despite the fact that they might not share the same enthusiasm for learning as I do. Achieving and being self-assured are very important to me and takes up most of my day. So yes, these strengths were exactly what I thought they would be.
Which strength surprised you the most?
Response: I think the one that surprised me the most was Self-Assurance as I do have to battle doubts about choices these days. If you are under a lot of stress, it tends to exhaust you but this might be true as I always pick myself up and keep on moving forward when the going gets tough. I might probably be more self-assured than I think.
Which of your strengths relate to communicating? How?
Response: Self-Assurance, Achiever and Strategic are the strengths that are related to my ability to communicate openly and fully with people who are open to ideas. To be honest, I enjoy discussions and debates rather than being a mute observers or a good listener. Of course, listening is also an important part of communication but this I prefer analytical discussions with people who are just as open-minded and generally seek them out if I’m not too preoccupied with other matters. Given my self-assuredness, I find it easy to discuss a number of subjects which could be either intellectual or practical in nature. Since achieving is a strength of mine, I like to use communication as a way to either reach a particular objective in a strategic manner or in trying to understand complex concepts. There’s a lot of sorting, sifting and rearranging that goes on in my head sometimes.
Which one of your strengths would you like to build upon?
Response: The strength that I would like to build on is Learner and which involves spending more time with my books away from other responsibilities. Being able to concentrate for longer periods is something that I really need to work on even if the amount I do spend now is more than enough.
Develop a plan to build upon this strength.
Response: While I do spend at least 5-10 hours a week with study-related activities, I would like to increase that amount to 15 hours by the next three months and then increase it further to 20 hours per week. This is so as to cope with difficult courses that are up ahead as I pursue my education in Pharmacy.
Summarize the APHA career pathway evaluation article in 400 words. How well does the career option profile you reviewed match your personal interests? How will you use this self‐assessment in career planning?
Response: If one must begin with the end in mind, choosing to study pharmacy was not easy. However, given my desire to help people has become a personal goal that I cannot deny. Since the subject requires deep research and study but also combines skills where one to understand what patients are expressing, pharmacology has become a personal interest of mine while pharmacy practice is how I feel I can possibly put my knowledge, covered over the years at university, to good use. Of course, while there’s no personal experience of mine to share, I’ve always been intrigued by how medicine works on the human body and the dynamics involved as well. I do know that in being service to people who are unwell, I will make Chicago a better place even if there are far more lucrative professions that have made themselves apparent. Not everything is about the money. Enrolling in the Chicago College of Pharmacy University was that first step to making this a reality. Since I understand the importance of thinking and doing, according to the self-assessment, the career options available to me are as mentioned earlier - pharmacology and pharmacy practice. As for the critical factors, a number of them are important to me such as helping people, interpreting lab values, applying scientific and medical knowledge as well as creating new knowledge by conducting research. With these critical factors in mind, it seems as if it meets my earlier desire to work in the area of either pharmacology and pharmacy practice. Of course, there are other critical factors that matter too but I do believe that if one does what they love, the benefits soon follow. Having said that, if one can also consider other critical factors such as opportunities for advancement and leadership development as well as income and self-worth, it will be the perfect position that I could aim towards, when taking this self-assessment.
In taking this self-assessment, I feel as if the career options mentioned above clearly match my personal interests since I do wish to help other people and make a difference in my community through both research and practice. The aim is to not only pursue a career with long-term job security but one that offers a feel-good factor through positive contribution to patients as well. As insightful as this self-assessment has been, every individual course that I pursue at the university from now on will keep the end in mind. Even if there might be setbacks along the way, the career options that I have picked through this self-assessment seems to make sense more than ever. Following through is what is necessary henceforth and which is why I will make every effort to turn these goals into a reality in the coming years.
Works Cited
Rath, Tom. "StrengthsFinder 2.0." Tom Rath Website. n.d. Web. 3 February 2017. <http://www.tomrath.org/book/strengthsfinder/>
