interests_assessmentA

Interests capture your time and attention without the expectation of compensation or tangible reward. Gardening is an interest. Music, theatre, baseball, fishing, hunting, photography, and politics - these can all become interests. Interests ebb and flow over time. Some are so compelling that they lead you to a full time job or occupation. A gardener can become an arborist; a skier, a ski instructor; a mountain climber, a professional preservationist.

People usually pursue interests compatible with
their abilities. The reason for this is fairly obvious. Why add to the other pressures in your life an activity that is itself stressful? The mind and body reject and repel stress. This means that a strong interest can add a new and helpful dimension to your work life - especially if you recognize and encourage it.

Assessing Your Interests

Most assessments of interests are called interest inventories. They ask you to answer a series of questions about yourself. Your answers suggest how you compare to other test-takers on six basic interest scales. Your score on each scale indicates your possible level of interest in occupations supposedly consistent with that scale.

As is typical of most assessments, these interest inventories reach their conclusions according to predetermined standards and formulae which look for cues in your answers. We think a more effective way to define your interests is to ask you how you spend your time and what you like to do.