The Self-Directed Search (SDS) Career Explorer is a self-administered assessment of a student's career interests. It provides students an easy-to-understand way to learn about themselves, their educational and career plans, and the world of work. The SDS Career Explorer may be used on its own or as part of a more comprehensive program in career exploration and educational planning. This form of the SDS is designed to be used with junior high and middle school students—young people in an early stage of vocational and educational planning. Although the SDS Career Explorer is not intended to tell a student at this stage specifically what occupation or educational path he or she should pursue, it is an effective and interesting way to get students to begin thinking about their futures and to discover things about themselves that may help with their future career decision making. Students using the SDS Career Explorer are not expected to have a great deal of occupational information or experience. The aim is to introduce students to the idea of vocational planning, provide a broad range of careers to think about, and suggest ways to get additional information about careers. The RIASEC Theory! ‘The SDS Career Explorer uses a scientific classification of vocational personalities and ‘occupations to help students learn about themselves and about careers. This classification of persons and occupations was originally developed by psychologist Dr. John L. Holland. Vocational Personalities ‘As young people learn and gain experience, they acquire distinctive patterns of interests, competencies, activity preferences, and self-perceptions. Holland’s classification of vocational personalities organizes these individual differences using six general categories. These six personality types are Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. No person is exactly like any one of these six personality types, but each of us can be described as resembling the six types to a greater or lesser degree. For example, a person who resembles the Realistic personality type tends to prefer working with things such as tools and machines, values concrete and practical accomplishment, sees himself or herself as having mechanical skills, and may see himself or herself as lacking in social or interpersonal skills. In contrast, a person who resembles the Social personality type prefers helping other people by teaching or healing them. A Social person sees himself or herself as having interpersonal skills and may avoid technical or mechanical activities. Figure | defines the personality types by showing the preferences, values, competencies, and activities characteristic of each type rom Career Exploration and Decision Skills Program by G. D. Gottiedson, 1992, Baltimore, MD: Author. Copyright 1991 by Gary D. Gottredson. Adapted by permission PAR Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc, «16204 N. Frida Mente Lt, FL. 33549 -1.800:3918978 - wonparin.com Copyright © 1994 by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. Al ights reserved. May not be reproduced in whole or in par in any form of by any means without written permission of Psychological Assessment Resources, Ine. 987654 Reorder #RO-2567 Printed in the US.A.Work Environments Different occupations require different skills and provide different rewards and challenges to those who work in them. Holland’s classification system organizes occupational information by grouping together those occupations that make similar demands on workers and that reward similar behavior. Realistic Investieative Artistic Social Enterprising Conventional Likes activities Using machines. Exploring and Reading books. Helping. ‘Persuading ‘Following and occupations tools, and understanding musical or teaching, -—ordireeting——_onderly things thingsand artiste healing, others routines, events activities, counseling meeting writing or serving clear others standards Values Money rewards Knowledge. Creative ideas. Working Money and Making for observable learning emotions.o forthe status money: having accomplishments feelings welfare power in of others, social. business. socal service ox politial affairs Sees self as Practical Analytical, Open to Understanding Having more Having better conservative, intelligent. experience, howotherssalesand technical skills and having skeptical and innovative, feel, patient. persuasive in business better manual having beter intellectual, and and having ability orpraduction and mechanical academic skills having better more social than than artistic skills than than social creative skills skillsthansciemific abilities social skills skills than clerical or mechanical ability office skills ability Seen by Normal, frank” —Ineligen, Unusual, Helpful, Having Carel, others as imroverted disorderly, agreeable, enorsy.tiking following creative outgoing tobewith rules, other people Avoids Tneraction with Having to Routines and Mechanical Scientific, ‘Work that, cther people persuade others rules and technical intellectual, or does not ‘or sell them activity complicated have clear things topies directions Note. From Career Exploration and Decision Skits Progrum by G. D. Gotfedson. 1992, Bainove. MD: Autor, Copyright 1991 by Gary. GGottbedson, Adapei by permission Figure 1. Interest types. ‘The occupational categories have names that parallel the personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. No work environment resembles one environmental type exactly, but we can describe any occupation or work environment according to its degree of resemblance to the six categories. For example, the occupation of Bookkeeper most resembles the Conventional occupational type because it requires careful record keeping, following conventional rules, and encour- ages an orderly and traditional outlook. In contrast, the occupation of Actor most resembles the Artistic occupational type because it rewards originality, creativity, and artistic expres- sion while allowing unconventional or flexible outlooks.Figure 2 defines work environments by showing the requirements, rewards, styles allowed expression. and activities characteristic of each environment. Realist Investigative Artistic Sovial Enterprising Conventional Requires Manual and = Analy killin killin Clerical sith mechanical technical, abil teaching persuading skill in stills using scieniie skills: emotional treat ‘thers or meet machines. ‘writing or expresso orhealing getting precise tools, and talking sills others others to ind for objects dothings performance Rewards Following Thinking Imagination Empathy, ——_‘nitative, Ability rules, practieal long and hard "in writing, urmanitar- financial plan work, accomplish-tounderstand ar or music anism, ambition. conformity, ments and solve sociability, assertiveness, dependability tough problems, Iriendliness self-confidence writing about new knowledge ‘Values or Practical, Learning by Unusual Concern for Power- “Traditional personal styles productive, reading, study, ideas oF the welfare oriented ‘outlook and expressed and concrete or investigation manners. ‘ofothers styles, ‘concera for values; strong, artistic responsibility, orderliness risky, adven values leadership and routine turous styles Occupations Physical or Research or Creative Working with Selling, ‘Working with| involve practical intelectual workin music, othersina——_leading, things activity: use activity aimed writing, helpful way persuai numbers, or fof machines, at problem performance, others machines t0 tools, materials solving or sculpture: toattain meet specified creation and use intellectual . souls standards ‘of knowledge work Sample Carpenter, Psychologist. Musician, Counselor, Lawyer, Production ‘occupations truck driver, microbiologist, interior clergy retail store editor, clerk. rancher chemist designer, member manager. seeountant edivor teacher ‘manufacturer's representative [Nit From Caseor Exploration and Decision Skils Program by G. D. Goldson, 1992. Baltimore, MID: Author, Copyright 1991 by Gary D. Gotan, Adapted by permission Figure 2. Occupation types. Similarities Among Types ‘Some vocational types are closely related to others, and some types are particularly different. For example, the Investigative and Artistic personality types are similar because both tend to involve tellectual activity. Enterprising and Social personality types are similar because both involve dealing with people; and Conventional and Realistic types are similar because both involve traditional, concrete outlooks.‘The hexagonal arrangement shown in Figure 3 of this guide summarizes the similarities and differences among types. Realistic and Social personality types are distant from each other on the personality hexagon because one involves things (while avoiding people) and the other involves people (while avoiding machines or tools). Conventional and Artistic person- ality types are distant from each other on the hexagon because one involves orderliness and conformity and the other involves spontaneity and nonconformity. Similarly, the hexagonal arrangement of work environments shows Investigative and Enterprising occupations far apart because Investigative environments require skepticism ‘nd analysis whereas Enterprising environments reward enthusiasm and persuasiveness. Realistic Investigative Conventional Enterprising Social Figure 3. The RIASEC hexagon of vocational personalities. If you would like more information about the RIASEC theory, you may wish to read Making ‘Vocational Choices (Holland, 1985a) or the Self-Directed Search Professional User’s Guide (Holland, Powell, & Fritzsche, 1994).