There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to picking a career. One of the questions that people might be asking themself would be if the career path they intend to pick aligns with their identity. Are you interested in the work that is a part of the career you have chosen? Do you have the aptitude to excel in the field? And does it suit your personality traits?
To answer these questions you also need to be aware of what interest, aptitude, and personality mean and how it can help you choose your ideal career.
Interest is a subjective experience. It is the attitude held by the individual, which acts as a motivator for them to put in their efforts into certain work. People are naturally inclined to focus on areas that interest them more. It also increases enthusiasm towards facing adversities and allows the person the strength to face adversities. It is very important to give weightage to the interest in the career or subject before selecting it.
Aptitude is an inborn potential or level of competence. Unlike interest, it isn’t a measure of perseverance, but simply a statement of being good at the job. Basic aptitude tests illuminate the individual’s inclinations to excel at certain fields simply because they have an intrinsic bend of mind for it regardless of training in the said field.
Personality greatly differs from aptitude. It is a set of traits or behaviours which mostly remain more or less consistent through time and situation. It is pervasive and constant. It involves the individual’s patterns of thoughts, behaviours and emotions and how they affect daily life.
When searching for a career or subject. It is very important to keep these three in mind. Interest will allow them to enjoy what they do, an aptitude towards the job would mean they are naturally good at the work given and if it matched their personality quirks then the decision is perfect. What happens when either one of these do not align with each other? Then they will experience a dissonance. A lack of interest would mean a lack of enthusiasm towards completing the task. A lack of attitude would result in the individual not being competent in their chosen field. A mismatch of personality would serve as an obstacle for the person, even if they have high interest and aptitude.
So what to do when confused about analyzing the three components?
Keep you mind calm by using guided meditation
Keep your mind open. Listen to yourself and list down your area of interest
Take an aptitude test to confirm that your interest and aptitude align.
Take a personality test to ensure that your traits don’t create a difficult time for you at work.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Namita Sankar is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.