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GOD-GIVEN DESIGN by Kevin Brennfleck and Kay Marie Brennfleck National Certified Career Counselors
To be a wise steward of your gifts and abilities, you need to fully understand and appreciate your God-given design. As the Psalm 139:14 states, "...you are fearfully and wonderfully made." God has given you a unique combination of skills, interests, aptitudes, personality traits, motivational patterns, etc. God has given you tremendous responsibility in being a steward (or manager) of your unique design. To fully use your potential you must first take the necessary time to become aware of the many facets of your design. Studies show that as many as 80% of Americans are in the wrong jobs for their skills and abilities. If you feel "mismatched" with your job, or are deciding what career path to pursue in your life, a key first step is discovering your design. Described below are four ways people find out more about their skills, interests, etc. Not all are equally helpful, and we have mentioned some of the pros and cons for your consideration. 1. Trial and error. This is the strategy that we all use to understand our design, to some extent. You try different skills out in school, work or leisure and then assess whether or not you enjoy using the skills. You also make some determination about your level of proficiency with these skills. This is a very common method that people use. The possible problem, however, in using this strategy is that it may take your lifetime to discover what skills you should be emphasizing in work. And, you may not have the opportunity to try out some skills that you really would enjoy and be good at using. Also, there are some skills that are scary to use, like giving a public speech for the first time--studies show that people rate this on a fear scale higher than death--and thus you may be hesitant even to try using skills that have a high perceived "risk factor." These skills, however, might become some of your favorite ones! 2. Feedback from other people. Positive feedback from others such as, "You seem to have some very good skills in teaching! Why don't you think about becoming an elementary school teacher?" can be very powerful! Your thinking can be greatly influenced when you get this type of feedback from people whom you trust and admire. If the feedback is accurate, it can be extremely helpful. Sometimes, however, the feedback that you get can be biased, based upon the observer's values and interests. It also may come from people who don't really understand who you are. For example, at Kevin's high school graduation party a friend of the family, Mr. Schultz (not his real name), asked him what his plans were. Although Kevin wasn't sure, he said that he was interested in becoming a physical therapist or a high school biology teacher. Mr. Schultz suggested that he would do best by using his skills and interests to become a medical doctor-- a job with a lot of prestige, status and financial security. Because Kevin trusted this person's feedback, he seriously considered becoming a medical doctor. But after doing his own career planning work and a lot of prayer, he decided that the world would be a better and healthier place if he did not become a doctor! Mr. Schultz was truly trying to help Kevin, but he was seeing him through his own values--what was important to him, not what was best-suited to Kevin. The feedback that you receive from others needs to be tested so that you can determine if the information is accurate and should be seriously considered in your career planning. Having lived through the Depression as a boy, Kay Marie's father's primary value in life was security. His career recommendation to her was that she consider joining the Army, because "they would always take care of you!" And, as though it would be an extra incentive, he said that when she finished her college degree she could be an officer! Now, although Kay Marie believes in the Army's slogan to "be all that you can be," she and the Army would have been a terrible match! Although her father wanted the best for her, he was not looking at her as a unique individual and at what type of work would best fit her, but only at his own life values. 3. Professional Standardized Career Tests*. When completed with a professional career counselor, this is the most accurate and objective way to identify your interests, values, skills, traits of temperament and other key pieces of your God-given design. Also, the results from doing thorough testing and assessment will provide you with clusters of particular careers that may fit you best. However, if your testing and assessment results are misinterpreted, the results you obtain could be misleading. While tests alone cannot tell you precisely which particular career to pursue, they are an essential starting point in the career planning process. By helping you to identify and label key aspects of your design, they make it easier for you to identify the best-fitting careers to explore. * We use the term "tests" here because people commonly ask about taking "career tests." Technically, however, a test is an assessment tool that has right and wrong answers (such as aptitude and ability tests); most assessment tools used in career counseling are really inventories such as those that assess interests, values, temperament traits, etc. 4. Self-Assessment Career Instruments. There are written resources--inventories, exercises, card sorts, etc.--that can help you to assess areas of your design such as skills, interests, and values. These resources are easy to complete and can even be used to link the results to possible career options. They are helpful resources, but may not provide comprehensive enough information by themselves to determine a career direction successfully, and may need to be supplemented with additional testing.
SUMMARY The most effective method for most people to discover their God-given design is by completing testing and assessment with a trained career counselor. Kevin and Kay Marie Brennfleck are National Certified Career Counselors. They would be glad to help you to determine the best means of assessing your unique design and identifying work that enables you to be the best steward of all the gifts God has given you.
1999 Copyright by Kevin and Kay Marie Brennfleck. All rights reserved. Source: The above information is published electronically on by Kevin and Kay Marie Brennfleck, and is intended for personal use only. No commercial use of this information is authorized without written permission from the copyright owners. For additional information, contact the Brennflecks at 626/577-2705. The Christian Career Center is found at www.ChristianCareerCenter.com and on America Online at keyword COCC. |
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