Anyone tried the Aptitude Tests?

[jigga]

I recently stumbled upon this organization called Johnson O'Connor which tests aptitudes- our natural talents for doing, or learning to do, certain kinds of things.

My research so far has shown that it isn't a scam, but at $675, it's still very pricey. I am getting some birthday moolah soon and was wondering if anyone here had taken an aptitude test at Johnson O'Connor? If not, are there other centers out there?

[Zelazny]

Why do you want to do this test?

[jigga]

Ah, I completely forgot to set some context here. So I studied Engineering in college (Computer Science) but by junior year realized that my degree choice wasn't exactly the best. After talking with a few others, I realized that I was one of the few students in the program who felt like they were "swimming against the current" when it came to doing work. I was trying really hard and busting my ass, but never seemed to make progress like others i knew. I was unhappy and didn't want to switch majors and take on more college debt so I stuck out senior year and graduated. I took a summer internship in the field to see maybe if it had just been school, but then realized that the work truly wasn't for me after I got fired for not taking the job seriously any more.

Fast forward to today. I have a much better idea of what I want to do personally speaking (comedic blogging/vlogging), but since I'll need a job to sustain myself, I'm trying to find something that I can actually excel at and enjoy. I also made a thread about "mental masturbation" when it came to job hunting and I applied to 4 jobs that I thought could work out, but no luck. Looking back, these jobs were primarily Engineering based and it is possible that my lack of confidence in my engineering abilities/lack of interest in the field may have shown through. I was thinking I could suck it up and do it for a couple of years, but now I just feel tired of bullshitting myself.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd like to do aptitude testing to get clear on my strongest natural talents. I'd like to use this information to help me filter out which jobs I will/will not like. I also have to make sure not to put unrealistic assumptions on this test and expect it to hand me a career path out of thin air. I also found an eBook on the JOCRF website about Understanding Your Aptitudes that seems to break down the different aptitudes they measure. I think I'll read this before committing to pay $675 and see what happens.

Hope this clears up my shitty first post!

[SeXyBaCk]

Yeah 675 for some test? that sounds like a scam to me. How about go to a recruitment agency, or even headhunter if you're higher educated, they assess your skills for much less.

[Zelazny]

So, if I get this straight : You want a test to tell you what to do because you do not know what you want? Being good at something does not automatically mean you'll love working with that for the rest of your career. I love singing and theatre, but I'd hate for it to be a job.

Also, I have some doubts with agencies that claim to be able to help you decide your life for you. It's another form of mental masturbation to prevent taking chances. You seem intent on not repeating your earlier mistake, but it's not something that is fully dependant on aptitude, but on enjoyment and personal preference. What would make you a happier worker?

The only way to figure that out is by having a good idea or by having experiences at jobs that allow you to sample this. So figure that one out, instead of trying to figure out what you're good at. If you want something, you'll get good at it.

I've seen people with the wits of month-old roadkill attain their degree before me, simply because they put the effort in. No amount of aptitude can beat motivation and enjoyment in getting really good at something.

I've studied Computer Science too and am doing all kinds of jobs for my agency, from being a system operator, a programmer to being a trainer. Over the last few years, those experiences helped me in figuring out what I think I want, though I reserve the right to change my opinion at any moment.