
Career Quiz: How to work out your life and career priorities and discover your passion
I went through a bit of a career change a while ago – and it was the best thing I had ever done. All of us have many skills and often we find ourselves falling into job roles we can do, but that we don’t enjoy for one reason or another.
Work out your “working style”
One person’s “horror task” is another person’s freedom. You need to work out what you like and don’t like – and then find a way to get paid for it. Often the role we take on is less important than the basic mechanics of our job.
For example, I spent many years in radio. Radio announcers in Australia typically work a 3 to 6 hour shift, often alone, in an air-locked, sound-proofed studio. It took me nearly a decade to work out that I didn’t like working by myself in a small room for 15+ hours per week, and I would often find any excuse in the world to ‘escape’ the studio; to photocopy something, talk to a manager or things like that.
One of my friends is an auctioneer. A major part of his job is to drive around to multiple auctions on Saturdays, often with a very tight time frame, to unfamiliar locations in far-flung suburbs. As someone who hates navigating unfamiliar roads, this would be a “horror job” for me, as I know I would find it stressful – but my friend absolutely loves it.
Some people hate working in an office. Personally, I can think of nothing better than coming in to a quiet desk most days where all my work is set up nicely on a desktop computer that I don’t have to pay to maintain. I am also your classic nine-to-fiver; I used to hate working odd hours, casual shifts and weekends – but for some people, that’s not a big deal at all.
Now work out the “working tasks” you enjoy
When I decided to change careers, I was getting paid to do lots of things I could do, but that I didn’t really enjoy doing. Some people love admin, some people hate it. Some people love writing, some people hate it. Some people love managing others, some people hate it. Some people love to collaborate, some people love to be autonomous.
The Career and Life Quiz
I found this Career (and life) Quiz which I filled out about 18 months ago – and my answers were hilarious, particularly my answers to questions 8 and 9. For “What do you discuss internally the most?” I wrote, “How lousy I am and how much I want to improve,” and for “What do you discuss externally the most?” I wrote, “How lousy (my ex) is and how much I want (my ex) to improve.”
Now that was an eye-opener! Obviously some personal issues there! I’m about to do my test again – hopefully my answers will paint a different picture of my life now. Once you’ve done your answers – save your quiz to a calendar and re-read it (and re-do it) in 6 months’ time.
Discover your passion with the Career (and Life) Quiz.
Step 1: Write a short answer for these 12 questions. Be honest!
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What do you fill your space with (home and office)?
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How do you spend your time?
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How to you spend your energy?
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What do you spend most on, beyond your set weekly expenses?
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Where in your life are you most organised and ordered?
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Where are you most disciplined and reliable?
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What do you think about or focus on the most?
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What do you envision or dream about the most?
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What do you discuss internally the most?
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What do you discuss externally the most?
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What are you most inspired about?
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What do you set goals towards the most?
Step 2:Count your duplicated answers.
Whatever gets the highest score (where you seem to be the most dedicated, focused, ordered and disciplined) is your highest value and something you should aim to focus on for your personal satisfaction. Generally, your top three values will be where you put most of your energy and attention.
How did you find the quiz? How is your life and career going? Please tell me!