Rhonda Bracey: At Random

A friend’s blog had a list of careers that the “Career Cruising” site matched to her interests. Because I used to work with her and had a good idea of her skills, it was interesting to see how close a match this automated process was for her.

So I did the test myself and came up with this list of the top 25 jobs most matched to my interests. The ratings next to each are according to a further test on my self-assessed skill levels. Here’s my list:

1. Editor – Very Good Match
2. Market Research Analyst – Very Good Match
3. Communications Specialist – Very Good Match
4. GIS Specialist – Good Match
5. Public Policy Analyst – Very Good Match
6. Print Journalist – Very Good Match
7. Translator – Fair Match
8. Technical Writer – Good Match
9. Lobbyist – Good Match
10. Political Aide – Good Match
11. Public Relations Specialist – Very Good Match
12. Activist – Good Match
13. Criminologist – Very Good Match
14. Computer Network Specialist – Good Match
15. Cartographer – Good Match
16. Writer – Very Good Match
17. Critic – Very Good Match
18. Economic Development Officer – Very Good Match
19. Desktop Publisher – Good Match
20. Computer Trainer – Very Good Match
21. Cartoonist / Comic Illustrator – Fair Match
22. Corporate Trainer – Good Match
23. Artist – Fair Match
24. Economist – Very Good Match
25. Website Designer – Good Match

Interestingly, my first career—teacher-librarianship—didn’t rank in the top 25 at all.

Of those 25, some are just so way out there that they were a surprise (esp. those to do with politics, economics, art, and PR). However the rest are really interesting! I currently work as a technical communicator (#3) which encompasses some website design work (#25) and critiquing (#17), tech writing—of course—(#8), DTP (#19), and editing (#1). I’ve been interested in maps and map making since I was a kid and would’ve pursued cartography (#15) or GIS (#4) if they were available. I was also fascinated by genetics and forensics (#13). For some years after leaving the secondary school teaching environment, I did computer training for adults (#20), and more recently I’ve presented to colleagues at international conferences (#22). So that’s 11 out of the 25 that I currently do, or were interested in pursuing. Not bad considering there are *thousands* of careers and job titles out there.
You can do your own assessment…

1. Go to http://www.careercruising.com/
2. Username: nycareers, Password: landmark
3. Answer the “Career Matchmaker” questions (top left).