During the end of your enlistment in the military, you were required to attend the Interagency Transition Assistance Program, where you got help in determining what comes next in your life after your discharge from the military. You carefully laid out a plan, which has since fallen through because it wasn't a good fit career-wise. Now what?
If you've recently been discharged from the military after fulfilling your contracted enlistment and haven't started planning for the next stages in your life, seek guidance through a career examination. Here are a few questions you may have.
What is a career examination?
A career examination is very similar to the ASVAB that you took before enlisting in the military. The ASVAB, of course, is geared towards career exploration of various military jobs. A career examination is similar but with a broader range of careers to explore or examine, which means it may take longer to complete the examination or assessment. The ASVAB is an aptitude test. A typical career examination contains an aptitude test as well as a personality trait assessment and an interest category.
Why take a career examination?
Now you're probably wondering why should you go through a career examination if you've already gone through a similar process with the ASVAB. You definitely could use some of the information contained in your ASVAB to help narrow down your career options. However, a career examination geared towards the civilian sector will give you a better idea of what major to go after when using your G.I. Bill benefits.
How can you get your college degree faster?
Since you likely already have accumulated expenses and debt that traditional college students do not have, especially if you're a spouse or parent, you'll want to obtain your degree as quickly as possible. Fortunately, you can transfer your military education and experience into college credits. After you take the career examination, speak with the advisors to see what can be transferred, particularly based on the results of your career examination.
Where can you take the career examination?
There are college planning websites that can help you with determining what career would be ideal for you based on your interests, aptitude, and personality. You may be able to take the assessment online, then discuss the results with a counselor who can further assist you in narrowing down your college choices and assisting you in the college admissions process.
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