Running

head: WILDCARD ASSIGNMENT

Jessica Gerke
122 S Hampton Pointe Athens, GA 30606 jlg14985@uga.edu 7708436358

Wildcard Assignment
Jessica Gerke
HDFS 3110
University of Georgia

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Abstract
For my wildcard assignment, I chose to go to the Career Center and pay for a Strong Interest Inventory assessment
that they offer for an in-depth analysis of interests and how they relate to careers and majors in college. This
assessment measures your interests to determine how fulfilling and satisfying different careers would be for you,
based on certain categories. Going into this experience, I felt as though it would be beneficial to see how fulfilling a
future career experience would be for me based on research, because I have many different interests that I want to
look into further. I really enjoy taking assessments, because I feel like I become more confident in the things I
already know about myself, and also learn some new things that help me understand how I work a little better.

Summary of Strong Interest Inventory

After taking the assessment online, you have to schedule an appointment with the Career Centers
consultant that is certified in interpreting the results. Kali Dewald, the consultant I met with, introduced the results
by explaining to me that they go from broad to specific as you progress through them. During the appointment and
interpretation, we first went over the General Occupational Theme, which is based off of the Holland Code typing
system with your interests being put into categories listed as Artistic, Social, Investigative, Enterprising, Realistic,
and Conventional (Strong Interest, 2012). Each individuals code is the three highest letters that they have interests
in. It then goes further into detail by using the Basic Interest Scales, which represent interests and work related
activities within those six categories. With all of the information already given, it then shows a list of the ten top
occupations for you, which is called the Occupational Scale. Finally, it shows you a Personal Style Scale as it
relates to the workplace, and how you may work best (Strong Interest, 2012). I will now go into detail about my
specific results.
General Occupational Theme
My top General Occupational Themes were Artistic, Social, Investigative, and Enterprising (Strong
Interest, 2012). Investigative and Enterprising were tied for third highest, but we later discussed how I am probably
an ASE, not an ASI. I am first and foremost artistic, and an artistic result is associated with words like expressive,
imaginative, and creative. I am secondly social, which is associated with words like people-oriented, counseling,
and understanding. Investigative seemed to be high because I am interested in certain aspects of medicine, but it is
mostly associated with science and mathematical research. I felt as though I was enterprising because I relate to the

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ideals of leadership, entrepreneurship, and influencing others. With the theme code ASE, there is a database of
careers that matches with my interests very well. This is to be kept in mind as the results move to the Basic Interest
Scales (Strong Interest, 2012).
Basic Interest Scale
The Basic Interest Scales have to do with your interests and how rewarding and motivating you find them
as a person. My top five interest areas were: Religion and Spirituality (S), Performing Arts (A), Visual Arts &
Design (A), Counseling & Helping (S), and Social Sciences (S). These areas are determined based on certain
questions I answered, and they all point toward Artistic and Social areas of interest (Strong Interest, 2012). Kali
made sure to mention that even though I am interested in something, it does not mean I have to use it in a career
setting. It could possibly just mean I would benefit from including it in my daily routine. It can also be noted that
my areas of least interest include: Computer Hardware and Electronics (R), Law (E), and Athletics (R) (Strong
Interest, 2012). We then talked about how I already incorporate Religion and Spirituality through my faith,
Performing Arts through playing music with my brother, and Social Sciences and Counseling through my course
work. Being that I was an art major last year, I used to have more practice in the Visual Arts field.
Occupational Scale
The next listed chart is the Occupational Scale. This takes my results and compares it to 130 careers that
have been linked to results similar to my own (Strong Interest, 2012). My top ten careers that they suggest I look
into as possibilities from highest to lowest include: Musician (A), Advertising Account Manager (AE), Librarian
(A), Arts/Entertainment Manager (A), Photographer (ARE), Instructional Coordinator (S), Career Counselor (S),
Cosmetologist (EC), Translator (A), and Editor (A) (Strong Interest, 2012). It is mentioned that these are just
general careers, and it is suggested I look into the subtypes of each of these areas to find suitable ones for myself.
When asked which ones sounded the most appealing to me if there was nothing holding me back from doing them, I
said Musician, Arts/Entertainment Manager, Career Counselor, Photographer, and Cosmetologist. It was very
exciting to see the results that I expected, but to also see the unexpected areas like being a librarian.
Personal Style Scale
Finally, it lists my Personal Style Scale, which is relevant to how well you work in certain workplace
environments, and how you would thrive. The results state that I prefer to work with people, I seem to prefer to
learn through lectures and books, I am equally comfortable leading by example and taking charge, I may dislike

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taking risks, and I probably enjoy the role of independent contributor (Strong Interest, 2012). I found that these
statements didnt truly reflect me in the most accurate way. One of the key differences being that I like working
alongside people, but I prefer to work on projects on my own because I value independence greatly. I also enjoy
hands-on learning as opposed to lectures and books, even though I like to read books leisurely. These disparities
dont lead to much issue though, because it seems to not make up a very important part of the assessment. At the
end of the results, it states a summary and possible majors that would go well with the interests and theme code that
I have (Strong Interest, 2012).
Reflection
As a whole, I felt like the assessment was very accurate and informational for me. I really enjoyed learning
about the Holland Code, because it can be a helpful guide in making people aware of the careers and interests that
give them most of their joy. For me specifically, I feel as though I have spent a great deal of my time in my degree
as a Human Development and Family Science major not being sure of what I should do. I am interested in Mental
Health Counseling, Career Counseling, and Human Resources, but I am unsure what kinds of opportunities there are
for me. This assessment helped open my eyes to see that no matter what I choose to do with a career, I can always
stay passionate about what I love to do in every area of interest that I enjoy. This alone can help keep me motivated
in my day-to-day career work as well, and help keep my life balanced in all aspects.
Another thing that I considered while reflecting on the results is my personality type in Myers-Briggs
Personality theory. I find Myers-Briggs to be extremely helpful in everyday work, school, and social life to see how
I fit in, or do not fit in, in situations with others at work. In reading about my Myers-Briggs type a great deal on the
side, I found many similarities between what the Strong Interest and what Myers-Briggs says I get energy and
motivation from in the workplace. The ASE code and being an ENFP (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiver)
are frameworks of who I am, and can help show me how I can individually be successful and learn to grow in my
career choices. Because I am very interested in personality and individual interests, I find the relationship between
these things that I enjoy to be very intriguing and worth looking into more as I progress on my professional journey.

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References
Strong Interest Inventory Profile with College Profile (Report Prepared for Jessica Gerke, pp. 1-14, Rep.). (2012).
CPP. Retrieved April 7, 2016.