Apptitude Schmapptitude

Have I mentioned how bored I get doing accounting? How some days it feels as if my job is sucking the marrow of life straight from my bones? How the thought of adding up one more column of numbers causes my inner child to scream in horror and pull her hair?

Well, I've mentioned it now.

Today I decided to take one of those career apptitude tests again. I took one back in high school, but don't really remember much about the results. I seem to remember High School English teacher being pretty high on the list. I think the reason I didn't pay much attention then, was because I already had decided what I wanted to do, so I just tuned it out. What I wanted to do, was become an OB/GYN and deliver babies. Then, my senior year, right before graduation, I had second thoughts. I couldn't afford medical school and I wasn't sure my math and science scores were high enough. I mean, I had a 4.0, but still you have to have strong skills in that area. I decided to take a year, go to community college and figure it out. What I've figured out in the last 10 years, is that I would have hated the high-stress level of medical school, I hate taking college courses that seem pointless to my chosen goal and I'm better in math than I thought. I've also discovered that my love for writing could be used for financial gain. (Minimal so far, but the potential is there.) I also found myself with a career as a bookkeeper, something I NEVER would have chosen for a life career.

SO, today I decided to see if my desire to become a writer full time was really the way I should go, or if there was another career out there that could earn me a better living, and more quickly. Wanna take a stab at what my results were?

Writer/Journalist was my top match at about 98%. Medical science came in at a close second at around 95%, and Educational Instructor was third at about 90%.

Well, GEE, what a surprise. I would never have guessed that those would be my best fields. Sorry, that's sarcastic, I know. But, really. I guess what I needed was a test that could tell me how best to get into those fields and make a living without having a degree or a giant life savings to support me while I get my new career up and running.

This means, that for now, I must stay in my tedious accounting position while trying to write a bestselling novel in my spare time. (Ha! Spare time!) My now bald inner child weeps.

I suppose I should focus on the positive. At least I know I'm on the right track. Maybe 10 years from now, I'll be celebrating a long and productive career as a novelist, as opposed to this year when I celebrate 10 years as a bored numb bookkeeper.

Keeping the dream alive,
A.