BECOME A GOOD CARRER COUNSELOR

While growing up, some people want to be astronauts, police officers, race car drivers, teachers, doctors, nurses, or even cowboys. Me? I wanted to be an FBI profiler. Of course, our first career choices don't always work out. We either grow out of them or later find that they aren't suitable for us. The career tests that I took in high school pinned me as the brainy, quiet, creative type - perfect for a writer, but not so much for an FBI agent. While what I do may not be as exciting as chasing down scary, crazy bad guys every day, it really is the perfect career for me.
Of course, I'm one of the lucky ones. Some aren't so lucky. You've probably heard it a thousand times or more…

• "I hate my job!"
• "I don't make enough money."
• "My career isn't challenging enough."
• "My job is too difficult for me."
• "I'm bored with my career."

These are the laments are uttered by countless people each and every day. In fact, recent studies show that over half of Americans are unhappy with their jobs and careers.
Career counseling offers a way to change this. This is a type of counseling that focuses on helping people make the best of their careers, whether they're just starting out in the work force or they've been in it longer than they care to admit.

One of the first major books written on the subject of career counseling and guidance was Choosing a Vocation by Frank Parson in 1909. Katharine Briggs came up with the idea of different personality types in the early 20th century. Together with her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, she later helped create the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This test was originally used during World War II to help place women in positions in the industrial workforce, depending on their personality types.

Today, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is still widely used for the same purpose, along with a number of other tests. In recent years, many people have finally started to realize the importance of being satisfied with their careers. This realization will most likely make for more opportunities for career counselors.