By Eva Bogomolny
Prior to our Sunday workshop with career consultant Larry Braman, the cohort had the assignment to complete an online interest report. This report was a lengthy questionnaire which prompted us with a wide variety of interests, which we had to rank. These interests spanned from future career paths to leisure activities. With hundreds of thoughtful questions, we were challenged with the task of assigning value to these interests. As I completed this questionnaire, I found myself having both very strong interest in some items and very little interest in others. Very few items fell on the spectrum of having an unclear value in my life. Feeling confident that my answers were strongly rooted and representative of my interests, I looked forward to receiving the report back.
Upon meeting with Larry, we were given a large packet which were the results from the report. As we leafed through our individualized booklet comprised from our test results, we were able to see where our strengths and interests lay. Moreover, based on our interests, we were able to see which careers aligned with our interests. However, Larry emphasized that just because you share interests with people in certain career paths does not mean those are the career paths you must pursue.
For the majority of my life, I have had a strong interest in working with children. As I am studying education in hopes of becoming a day-school teacher, I found that my strengths and interests aligned with career paths in the field of education. Furthermore, my top career paths included: early childhood education, special education, speech and hearing pathologist, and social work; these are all different routes to which I have previously pondered.
Upon reading through our own strong interest reports, Larry allowed us time to discuss and hear from other members of the cohort. During this time, it was interesting to see if and how other people’s reports aligned with their current life plan. As some people felt very confident in their results, other people took time to self-reflect to consider if the path they were on is the best choice for them.
As my strong interest report aligned very closely to the life path I am currently on, I left this session feeling confident in my self-awareness. It was great confirmation that the track I plan on taking is leading me to a fulfilling life which will best suit me. As this day spent with Larry was deeply rooted in finding ways to merge and balance our personal and professional lives, I found this session to be comforting. It appears that there will be cohesion between my personal and professional life as the professional path I hope to take aligns perfectly with my interests. It is of the utmost importance to me to love and have great passion for what I hope to do in life.
