Online Help to Choose the Right Career

You might have taken whatever job you could grab out of financial necessity. It paid your bills, but now you want to work at a job you actually like, too. You might have taken a job in your 20s because your parents told you it was a “good company”, but now you are in your 40s and aren’t really sure you want to stay there. Looking at the “Help Wanted Ads” can make matters worse, whether they offer too many choices or too many jobs that don’t match who you are. How do you figure out what you want to do? There are a number of self-assessment tests and related information out on the Web. None of these are intended to replace a trained employment counselor or mental health professional, but they may offer insight into what profession or position is right for you. They are also interesting for those already (and happily) employed.

ACT: Information For Life’s Transitions http://www.act.org/
You may remember this organization as the company that provided your college entrance exam. They still offer that test, but they also offer a number of career-related tools, whether you ever attended college or not.

CareerResource.com http://www.careerresource.com/Careerplan.html
This site provides information, online tests and other resources to help you decide on a career. If you feel the “new economy” has passed you by, take their online test to decide whether a career in technology is for you.

Queendom.com http://queendom.com/tests.html
Not what you think! This Canadian (and not necessarily gay, though not homophobic either) web site has a plethora of online tests you can take about your career and other issues. Created by several mental health and other professionals (which you can read about at the site), it also offers tests and surveys on sexuality, personality and related topics. It is an interesting site, but some of the non-career surveys are very personal. You can, however, skip questions you do not wish to answer.

JobHuntersBible.com http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/
This is the web site of Dick Bolles, author of the famous What Color Is Your Parachute? books. The author recommends using it in addition to his book, but the site is worth checking out even if you have no intention of reading the book.