Assessment

The first step in planning for a career is to determine your interests and natural abilities. There are a number of resources to help you.

School Resources

Your school can do some testing to help determine your skills and interests. These assessments generally fall into four major areas: educational, vocational, psychological and medical.

Each high school has resources to help you assess your skills and interests and explore possible career options. For contact information to explore resources in the public school system, select the school that serves your area:

Richmond City and Surrounding Counties:

NOTE: Special education and related services end upon receipt of a standard or advanced diploma. Students receiving a special diploma, modified standard diploma or GED are entitled to a free and appropriate public education through age 21.

There are also many free and low-cost web-based resources to test your interests and abilities.

On-Line Resources

Virginia VIEW

The Virginia VIEW includes interest inventory (Who R U), career research, and college and technical school information. It is very easy to use and gives practical results that will help you find a direction.

Kuder Occupational Interest Survey

The Kuder Occupational Interest Survey is designed to help you narrow the focus of your career search by assessing your interests, skills, and work values. Using assessment results, you can build your personal career plan and explore a variety of college and career options. Contact your school counselor or career planning staff person for your code to take the interest survey on-line. This is Virginia's Career Planning System.

The Career Key

The Career Key is a free service to help you with career choices, career changes, and career planning, job search, and choosing a college major or training program. Career Key is a professional career test that takes about 10 minutes. It measures your skills, abilities, values, interests, and personality.