Career Exploration - Assignment Example

Career exploration: A good understanding of what really interests a person has been found to be the basis for effective choices in matters of carrier. Such is the case that an individual requires to first identify his/her areas of interest, skills, natural talents and abilities then begin the carrier exploitation adventure. Once this is followed to the latter, one can rest assured of an outcome that only promise a distinctive and self –driven carrier roadmap, offering a better ground for assessing carrier possibilities; even showing out alternative carriers previously overlooked. Online solutions provide a wide range of tools that can be helpful in the career assessment. These tools have been uniquely tailored to not only disclose individual’s interest but also reveal how such interests translate to related carrier options. In this work I will detail the outcome of the following assessment test: Career Directions Inventory, Campbell Interest and Skill Survey, and the Jackson Vocational Interest Survey. Carrier Direction Inventory (CDI) tool was the first tool I used. The CDI looks into 3 factors that uniquely identify an individual. The factors considered are: 1. Individual’s uniqueness- Personality 2. Individuals like or dislike- Interest 3. What one considers important - Values The initial assessment focuses on personal trends throughput the different carriers. The results highlighted here depict my interest level with regard to particular activities when compared to other people. The assessment questions are customized to gauge an individual’s work-style and occupational interests. These Occupational interests are divided into 12 different interest types. The Basic Interest scores are displayed individually as percentiles. For instance, a score of 80% implies you obtained a higher score in this Basic Interest compared to 80% obtained by other people tested. Based on this assessment, the measures of my occupational interests came out as follows: I scored highest in clerical, a factor that simply implies that I enjoy Answering phones and greet clients warmly. Assist in filing duties, Perform basic bookkeeping duties, Compile financial records, organize office activities and other related duties. The “work styles” revolves around common attitudes frequently depicted by persons as they consider particular aspects of work. I got high score in Persuasive, signifying that I take pleasure in work that entails advising, influencing, counseling, motivating, guiding, and directing the tasks of others. Based on Assertive scale it is obvious that I prefer a work situation that allows one to assert his/her authority on others. This may include monitoring and directing their tasks. The second factor considered in the tests is the personality concept. This assessment follows John Hollands RIASEC theory that views the world of work based on six different models (Baker, 2014). Here, the test is stretched to include a seventh model that depicts aspects found in service based industries. It identifies explains persons who enjoy people, prefer variety and serve in the hospitality field, personal care and travel. The new model is termed “attentive (servers)”. The seven approaches include : Investigative (thinkers), Conventional (organizers), Realistic (doers), Artistic (creators), Enterprising (persuaders), Social (helpers), T- Attentive (servers). This area of assessment produced the following results: From the result I had higher scores in Enterprising, artistic and investigative approaches. Enterprising personalities are people –oriented. They enjoy talking to people, trying to influence or persuade them. Artistic people are commonly thought as being creative and original. These types of people like expressing themselves artistically through acting, creating music, dancing or doing music. They may also express themselves through debates and discussions. Investigative persons enjoy challenges and may prefer solving issues in mathematics, science and technology (Burtnett, 2010). Additionally they like areas that are practical and abstract and can be technically creative. The third part of the test evaluates values. This test considers what an individual’s values are simply put as their priority in life. The following list presents a list of my values. Intrinsic values Relationship Independent Achievement Community Ownership Challenge Assisting others Autonomy Knowledge Supervising Assertive Using abilities Recognition Support Work condition Leadership Company policies Short commute Power –authority Supportive supervisor Variety-change Advancement Stability Compensation Persons, who find internal motivation from their carriers, value the intangible payback (intrinsic values) such as having a sense of achievement following a job well done. On the other hand, extrinsic values follow motivations from outside factors like good salary, prestigious title and recognition. A good understanding of the source of motivation assists one to come up with equitable options when trying to find the right work. Having completed all the test sections, I went through the whole career list checking the professions that fit my profile. Surprisingly, the CDI test provided a limited career list free of charge. Based on the list, I would excel in several leadership potions, including: business manager, director, accounting executive and Chief Executive Office. From the various career options provided I was happy to identify the position of Director of radiology listed. I have had a long experience in this area during my first two years of employment. Following this I have developed an interest in finding a career that will help me build further the experiences and opportunities presented in this field. As such I have opted to Director of radiology and Chief radiologic technologist as possibilities. The good thing about it is the fact that both positions will help make better my present profession. Career exploration Director of radiology Alternate job title: Diagnostic imaging director/Head of Radiology Description: overseeing the radiology department. Making sure that the equipment in the department is up to date with technology. Assigning duties to the employees in the department to maintain efficiency in the work flow and ensure patients are served to their satisfaction to achieve maximum productivity in the department. Managing promotions and terminations from work of employees within the department which will enable him to assess the progress and the growth of the department and for each individual employee (Callaway, 2013). Job-related skills, interests and values: be knowledgeable on the latest advancements in technology; have a long experience gained from working as a radiologist in a busy radiology department. Be careful to produce high quality services to all, have good communication skills and have good interactions and work relations with his juniors. Education requirements: minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree that is preferably in a field that concerns radiology. In order to qualify as a director, one should have at least seven years of experience in a busy radiologic department with at least five years in management. Salary range: an average salary of $125,014 annually which ranges between $99,516 and $155,983. Career outlook: the technological world is fast growing and any person who seeks to remain relevant ought to advance their technological know-how. As a director of radiology, one should not be left behind in this advancement. Chief radiologic technologist Alternate title: Chief Diagnostic Imaging Operations Technologist Description: performing x-rays procedures on chests and musculo-skeletal including on corpses, assigning and reviewing the work of the subordinates and coordinates the radiologic services to be offered. Recommends new and improved equipment or the equipment that may need to be modified. Instructs new employees on the policies of the firm, operating procedures and ensuring that the safety standards are maintained at all times in the unit. Prepares records and reports. Job related skills, interests and values: have an extensive knowledge on the theory, principles and the techniques of taking x-rays, be well equipped with the knowledge of radiation safety, have an in-depth knowledge of the human anatomy as it relates to taking of x-rays. As the chief technician, have some knowledge on supervision and training and management (Dutton, Lund, & Bluth, 2014).. Educational requirements: qualifications for a chief radiologic technologist are minimum with an associate’s degree from an accredited school of radiologic technology, be registered as a technologist by the body of radiologists and have an experience of at least four years in a busy unit. Salary range: an average annual salary of $73,188 with a range of between $55,904 and $94,351. Career outlook: with a large population aging in the developed world, the need for medical care and search for medical attention in this aspect is growing as well. These two career paths are promising in the radiological world for me and are promising a fulfillment if I ventured into them serving as great opportunities for growth and improvement in my career. References Baker, S. R. (2014). Who Will Be the New Radiologists?: A 2012 Assessment. In Notes of a Radiology Watcher (pp. 89-91). Springer International Publishing. Burtnett, F. (2010). Bound-for-career guidebook: A student guide to career exploration, decision making, and the job search. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Education. Callaway, W. J. (2013). Professional Associations. Introduction to Radiologic Technology, 225. Dutton, S. C., Sze, G. K., Lund, P. L., & Bluth, E. I. (2014). Radiology Practice Environment: Options, Variations, and Differences—A Report of the ACR Commission on Human Resources. Journal of the American College of Radiology, 11(4), 352-358. Parker, B. C., Duhon, J., Yang, C. C., Wu, H. T., Hogstrom, K. R., & Gibbons, J. P. (2014). Medical Physics Residency Consortium: collaborative endeavors to meet the ABR 2014 certification requirements. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, 15(2). Watson, L. (2014). Medicare Reimbursement: What RTs Should Know. Radiologic technology, 85(3), 271-286. Read More