In my daily work, I use what are commonly called "interest inventories" to help students start exploring what careers might match their talents and interests. Just in case your son or daughter's school doesn't offer that service and they seem to be at a loss for how their strengths might translate into future options, I thought I would pull up a few free online assessments that might help guide them in the right direction. (To ensure that I feel comfortable with their validity, I took each of the following tests myself first.)
Jung Typology Test This 72-question "yes or no" test gives results in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Keirsey Temperament Sorter terms, which is an awful lot of information for so little effort. Another benefit is that these results will correspond to countless other online resources. A word of caution--there are many ads and links to other assessments that cost money, so help your child stay focused on just the primary test. (I got the same results on this quick test that I did on the full-scale, for-fee version a few years ago.)
Princeton Review: Careers After College Very quick, only 24 questions! Good for a young person with very short attention span. Provides a list of matching careers. (It said I should be an accountant, which is a reasonable result, considering that I tend to be more organized than artistic and my bachelor's is in business.)
CareerPath.com This one uses a different format than I've seen before. I kind of liked it. They ask you to check boxes that correspond to your skills and knowledge and then rate yourself on a scale of 1-7 in those areas. After the fairly short, straight-forward process it offers a list of careers for consideration. (Personally, the results from this one were the most accurate, in relation to my actual career path.)
Similar Minds Another short one--only 30 questions, rating brief statements on a scale from "very accurate" to "very inaccurate." (These results were also spot-on for me.)
These links can be useful for adults as well as teens. In this era of employment instability, taking a little time to explore and self-reflect on what might be a viable, fulfilling "next step" is a valuable opportunity for almost everyone.
Just in case you're wondering, the inventories I use most often at work are either pricey or aren't available to the public, but in case you're interested I have linked to them here:
JIST Career Exploration Inventory
Career Locker
