Once upon a time, a graduate would find a job, make it a career and retire years down the line from the very same job. Today, individuals change careers as often as they change socks. Career-minded folks aren’t afraid to try new things, to tempt the proverbial unchartered waters. It’s a big world out there, and people are exploring the numerous job and educational avenues like never before. How should you help your student start? One way to begin the journey is by taking vocational tests and assessments. Initially, vocational testing’s sole purpose was, going back to that one-job-per-lifetime thing, to tell people the career to pursue. Now, the tests stress a broader need to understand all of a taker’s preferences. Vocational tests can increase self-awareness and help students explore educational and career options. “In this day and age, people have about seven jobs,” says Linda Kent, an employment and assessment specialist. “We’re always talking about the next step. The first step is determining where you are now. It’s a series of steps determining long- and short-term goals. Assessment is like putting pieces of a puzzle together to determine where you are, where you want to go and how you’re going to get there.” Vocational tests are both diagnostic and predictive tools that can point to your student’s strengths and weaknesses. There are countless varieties of vocational tests. A vocational counselor is often your best bet to help you determine what kind of testing would be most beneficial for your teen. The results from these tests can encourage your teen to consider new career ideas. They can indicate what kinds of courses your teen should take in college and the work environment in which he or she might excel. Cenza Ferrante, a senior at Webster High School in Rochester, N.Y., took a vocational test offered through her local Board of Cooperative Educational Services. In two four-hour sessions, Cenza participated in assessment activities that included hand and eye-coordination exercises, such as sorting nails and screws, piecing together booklets of fabric and taking memory tests. “It was less of a test and more of little activities,” she says. “They helped me to understand what my strengths are.” Cenza recommends vocational testing to other high school students, though she felt there should have been more discussion about her results after taking the tests. “I had a mixture of feelings. I was able to get a full range of jobs, but I had a little bit of a hard time deciding on them,” she says. The assessment helped Cenza confirm some of her interests. But, she says, “the rest is up to me now. I know I’ll be good at these certain jobs, but I’m still not sure what ones I’d really like.” Researchers also realize that it is an individual, not a test, who makes the best personal career decision. As a result, less emphasis is placed on test results and more on increasing a student’s self-awareness. “Education is not a destination—it’s a journey,” Kent says. “All kids need assessment to make intelligent, informed decisions on this journey.”
