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Career assessment is taking a close
look at your present career or a potential career
to see if it is the right choice for you. It involves
a variety of things that can help a person get on
the path to the right career.
Why is career
assessment necessary? Education costs increase
every year. According to an article from NPR in
2005, an average four-year college education from
a public school can cost over $40,000. For a private
college, this price increases to over $120,000.
This is not money that most people can afford to
waste, either in changing majors many times, thereby
extending the time and money it takes to receive
a degree or by realizing later in life that the
degree received was not the best choice to make.
A career assessment made in high school or early
on in the college years can save both time and money
as well as helping the student to make better career
choices.
Can a career assessment only help
those who haven’t entered into the work force
yet? No. A career
assessment can be done at any time in life.
Many people who have been in their careers for a
number of years find a career assessment helpful.
It can reaffirm that they are in the right field
for them, and also help them find other job options
within that same field. This can be helpful for
a person who is feeling “burned out”
or dissatisfied with their current job, or for a
person who has lost a job due to downsizing or other
reasons.
Many times, a mother who has stayed
home with her children decides to reenter the work
force after a number of years. A career assessment
can help her learn about changes in her field since
she last worked as well as helping her find new
options for a job choice.
Sometimes people want to branch
out into a career field that is completely different
from their present career. A
career assessment can help them see what other
talents and skills they have which will translate
into a new and exciting career for them. A career
assessment can even help retirees who want to work
in a new career field after their retirement. Relocations,
divorces, and many other life changes can create
the need for a new career choice. A career assessment
taken at any stage of life can be beneficial.
Click
here for Part 2 of Career Assessment
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