Keeping It Real

1. Please read the article below carefully.
2. Use the questions at the very end of the article to discuss with your child. Click here

Let’s be real: Some people just want a job they can do with their hands. Careers in the Realistic RIASEC interest theme are the perfect fit. 

Do you enjoy making things or taking items apart? Do you like animals or plants?

If so, an occupation that aligns with the Realistic RIASEC theme might just align perfectly with your strengths, interests, and values

How do you know if you would enjoy a realistic career?

Start by asking yourself some questions: Are you handy with tools? Are you good at figuring out what’s wrong with things—like bicycles or game consoles—and then fixing them?

People with realistic interests and values tend to prefer scientific or mechanical work over social or aesthetic work. If you can relate, you probably like working with plants, animals, tools, machinery, or wood. In essence, realistic people tend to like working with THINGS. They often love being outdoors, and they don’t mind working on projects independently.

What fields offer realistic jobs? 

Nearly every field has jobs in the Realistic RIASEC theme. There are realistic jobs in construction, medicine, sustainable energy, and more. If you think you’d like to work with animals, maybe you’d enjoy being an animal trainer or a veterinary assistant. If you like working with tools, maybe you’d like to be a bicycle repairer, a carpenter, a plumber, or a heating and air-conditioning installer. If those don’t sound quite up your alley, there’s a slew of other realistic options out there. Fish and game wardens, land surveyors, commercial fishermen and crabbers, farm workers, truck drivers, airline pilots, ambulance drivers, X-ray technologists, solar energy systems engineers, automotive engineers, barbers, manicurists, cooks, and many more occupations fall into the Realistic RIASEC theme

Are there ways to prepare for these careers now?

You bet! In fact, you might already be developing the skills you’ll need—just for fun. For example, maybe you enjoy building with plastic construction blocks, drawing diagrams of vehicles, or making things with your hands. But there’s more you can do to prepare. If jobs in the Realistic RIASEC theme appeal to you, maybe try taking apart an old toaster, television, or mobile phone that no one is using to see how the parts fit together (after asking an adult, of course). To avoid a shocking experience, be sure to first disconnect it from its power source!

Another thing you can do is make connections with people who are already working in the industry that interests you. Ask them about their jobs and for any advice they can offer to help you build up your skills—whatever those may be. Who better to tell you what to expect?