Job Sampler - General Interests
Discovering your general interests is a critical step in the career planning process for one simple reason: People excel easier when they are interested in their work! What may appear as a tedious task to one person may be easy and enjoyable to another who is naturally motivated toward that type of work. In general, work that interests you will be fun even when it involves tasks that, under other circumstances, would be difficult or boring.
Because of the very nature of your interests, your leisure pursuits may influence your general interests scores. This means you will have to use some discretion when interpreting your General Interests section of the report.
For instance, if you enjoy physical fitness and sports, "Athletics" may surface as a high general interests group. However, since so few individuals become professional athletes, recognize the high score for what it likely is -- something you will do for fun and leisure but not for a career.
On the other hand, the more you can relate your work to areas that excite you, the more likely you are to be successful. One person who loved shooting a bow and arrow became the top salesperson for a leading archery company by pursuing strong interests in archery and outdoors. Likewise, many people develop successful businesses from their hobbies. Keep in mind, the more you enjoy what you are doing, the more likely you are to be successful at your work, and the lower your work stress will be.
There are a number of ways to categorize vocational interests. This report uses 31 General Interests groups arrayed within five broad vocational categories as shown below.