CAREER INTERESTS

What is Career Interest?

unlimited career opportunities enormous footsteps talents

career... based on your skills, interests, and
Career interest is a desire to discover (1)________
talents
(2)________. To find a career that interests you, you need to know what you like to do and
how to categorize your interests. A century ago the process of choosing a career was a
footsteps
much simpler matter than it is today. A boy often followed in his father's (3)________. His
sister learned the household skills that would prepare her to become a wife and mother.
Nowadays young people grow up in a much freer society where they enjoy almost
unlimited career opportunities. In recent years there has been an (5)________
(4)________ enormous increase
in the kinds of careers from which it is possible to choose.

Career Interest Assessment

tentative period realistic period fantasy period

Career interest assessment is a tool that measures an individual interest and helps evaluate
potential careers. Career choice is often based on self-concept, the idea that you have of
your own personality. If you think you are persuasive, you might decide to become a
salesperson. If you think you are artistic, you might go into the field of design. The process
of choosing a career develops in several stages. In early childhood, there is
the (6)_______,
tentative...when a person dreams of becoming an astronaut, football player, or movie
fantasy... when young people of about 12 to 16 become more
star. Next comes the (7)________,
aware of their individual interests and skills and more familiar with the world of work.
realistic... when basic decisions about careers must be made. A few
After 17, comes the (8)________,
people may know just where they are headed from a very early age. But for the vast
majority, choosing a career is not always an easy task. There is much a person can do to
reach their goal of finding the right career.

Career Interest Examples

Conventional Realistic Social

Investigative Enterprising Artistic

As one begins to explore the world of careers, there are many questions to be answered.
Which fields will offer the best opportunities? What kind of education and training will be
needed? What are the working conditions? Fields that are expected to offer increased
employment opportunities include computer science, health care, and other service
industries. Knowing the different types of career interests makes it easier to identify your
own. Here are some career interest examples for each type:
conventional
(9)_________: Let's say you enjoyed interning as an assistant in a corporate office. In your
everyday life, you enjoy keeping to a schedule and staying organized. Based on this
information, you may find interest in pursuing a career as an administrative assistant.
investigative
(10)________: During high school, you enjoyed your math classes and finding solutions
to a variety of mathematical problems. You also received good grades in all of your math
classes. Based on this, you may find interest in pursuing a career as a statistician, research
mathematician, or operations research analyst.
social
(11)________: For as long as you can remember, you've enjoyed helping people. During
high school, you worked as a tutor and even helped your siblings with their homework.
You excelled in all of your classes and genuinely enjoyed learning. Because of this, you
may find interest in pursuing a teaching career.
artistic
(12)________: Let's say you're a newspaper reporter. For every assignment, a staff
photographer travels with you to take photos of the subject or setting. You enjoy assisting
the photographer by helping them frame the shot and setting up the lighting. Because of
this, you decide to take a few photography classes. Though you enjoy writing, you think
you'd find more enjoyment as a photographer or videographer.
realistic
(13)________: During your free time, you enjoy building and selling furniture. Though it's
not your full-time job, this job has often brought you more joy than sitting behind your
desk in your 9-to-5 job. Many people have even complimented you on your woodwork.
Because of your interest in this hobby, your apparent skills, and your enjoyment of making
practical things with your hands, you may want to pursue a career as a carpenter.
enterprisingWhile you enjoy working as a paralegal, you've found that you enjoy
(14)________:
delegating and making important decisions. You also remember that you enjoyed
participating in your high school's debate team voicing your opinion on political issues
(politics). From this, you gather that you may want to go to school to become a lawyer.