I’m opening a new business soon as part of Employee Hold’em, a company that will work with high school students (and their parents) determine the best course of action during their junior and senior years of high school and beyond.  The cost of a four year private university is approaching one-hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars and public colleges are nearing forty-five thousand dollars. Worse yet, only about fifty percent of students graduate in four years, meaning another twenty percent added to the bill.  With these kinds of costs,  it makes dollars and sense to spend a little energy making a more informed choice.

My business partner and I are working on our coaching plans, how we will counsel the students and their parents as they go through this difficult but important process… together.  We have settled on an assessment tool that will be the foundation of our efforts, the Strong Interest Inventory.  It is not a skills test, it doesn’t measure the knowledge or experience of the student. Instead it helps define their interests, their learning style, and the possible careers and jobs available to them based on where their interests lie.

We’ve made contacts with high school counselors, administrators, colleges, even education grant writers who have given us a “thumbs-up” on our thinking and plans.  We have gone through initial pre-testing of the instrument with friends and family members, our next group of clients is already lined up.

The process (as well as the instrument itself) is often used with people going through career transition.  And sad to say, we have already had interest from some of the parents of the students to use the assessment themselves, as they move from one career to another one.

One of the most important factors in determining work satisfaction is having a good fit between the interests of the applicant and the job.  It works the same way, whether you are thirty-six years old, or sixteen.

More to come…