Career Change for Professionals

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Career Well-Being Inventory

Hippocrates said that what's more important than the disease the person has is the person who has the disease. In "career health" terms, similarly, what's more important than the career transition the person makes is the person who makes the career transition.

We have developed an original paper-and-pencil instrument to measure your ability to change careers (career resilience, career versatility, and career flexibility), which reflects the career attitudes, career behaviors, and career beliefs of "career change champions," -- lawyers, doctors, scientists, engineers, and other credentialed professionals who have made both successful and satisfying career transitions.

Click here for a printable version of Career Well-Being Inventory.

Career Change Ability Scale:

Step 1. Please estimate here on a scale of 0 to 10 your overall career well being:

Step 2. Estimate here on a scale of 0 to 10 your overall career resilience:

Step 3. Estimate here on a scale of 0 to 10 your overall career versatility:

Step 4. Now consider how frequently each statement below applies to you on a numerical scale of 0 to 5.

Frequency: 0=never, 1=rarely, 2=sometimes, 3=frequently, 4=mostly, 5=always

Check the appropriate column next to each statement, and follow directions below to find your score.

Statements	Frequency
	0	1	2	3	4	5
1. I like the kinds of people attracted to my field. (3.01)
2. I am honest and accurate in assessing my skills. (3.04)
3. I am honest and accurate in assessing my interests. (3.07)
4. I am honest and accurate in assessing my values. (3.03)
5. These assessments confirm my career or job choices. (3.02, 3.05, 3.08)
6. Decisions I made at important turning-points in my career were beneficial to my career. (3.02)
7. In retrospect, these decisions seemed inevitable. (3.05, 3.08)
8. I am energetic and optimistic about my career and my life. (3.01)
9. Professional colleagues, mentors, advisors, and role-models were important in my life. (3.19)
10. These people have been helpful in my career. (3.19)
11. Excellent job opportunities and offers well-suited to me have come my way as if by chance or serendipity. (3.12)
12. In my professional and social life, I present my truest and best self. (3.13)
13. I am honest and positive in assertions about myself and others. (3.04, 3.06)
14. I strive to lead a balanced life. (3.01, 3.03)
15. I work hard and play hard. (3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 3.07)
16. I don't mind (I even enjoy) necessary drudgery in my job or career. (3.03)
17. My work and I seem uniquely suited or well-matched to each other. (3.02, 3.03, 3.04, 3.04, 3.06)
18. During career transitions, "imperfect movement is better than perfect paralysis." (3.22)
19. I am well-regarded professionally. (3.12)
20. I am well-regarded socially. (3.12)
21. I intuitively develop abiding relationships with my friends and colleagues. (3.13)
22. These later on prove to be helpful in my career. (3.19)
23. I seem to have many social and professional acquaintances and contacts who keep me up to date with what's happening. (3.13, 3.19)
24. I gain energy, pleasure, and renewal from my work or career. (3.11)
25. I have a realistic view of trends in my field and how they fit into the larger picture. (3.20)
26. I know what I can change, what I can't, and the difference between them. (3.09)
27. I can't control the wind, but I can adjust the sails. (3.09)
28. I make things happen because I work hard. (3.05, 3.11)
29. The harder I work, the luckier I get. (3.14)
30. When I add valuable contributions to my field, I feel personal satisfaction. (3.03)
31. No matter what work I do, I am fully and constantly aware of the fact that I must generate more income or value than I receive. (3.20)
32. Logical, systematic, scientific thinking is useful in many venues. (3.01, 3.11)
33. I redirect my energies, instincts and desires into useful pursuits. (3.08, 3.09)
34. I defer pleasures and problem-solving. (3.03, 3.04)
35. I strive to be self-reliant. (3.05, 3.07, 3.08, 3.09)
36. When I help others, I feel satisfaction. (3.03, 3.19)
37. In order to achieve my goals and avoid pitfalls, I plan systematically. (3.22)
38. People I work with are people I like or admire. (3.12, 3.19)
39. I respect my colleagues at work. (3.07)
40. I try to maximize my utility and usefulness in my work. (3.22)
41. I am intense about my work, my family, and my friends. (3.03, 3.05, 3.07)
42. I try to be adaptable and to accept compromise. (3.05, 3.06, 3.08)
43. I have no career regrets. (3.02)
44. Life is full of random events I attempt to convert to adventures. (3.12)
45. Humility is a great virtue. (3.03)
46. I believe in action rather than drift. (3.22)
47. I take things as they come, with equanimity and humor. (3.03)
48. Total Number of Marks in Each Column
49. Multiply Entries in ROW 48 by Numbers (0,1,2,3,4,5) at Each COLUMN'S Head

TOTAL OF ALL ENTRIES IN ROW 49 = RAW SCORE

RAW SCORE DIVIDED BY 235 = %

Step 5. To calculate your score, multiply the number of marks you made in each column by the number at the head of each column. Add these numbers and divide by the maximum score possible (235). Convert this into a percentage and compare with your initial estimates (made on a scale of 1 to 10) of your career well being preceding the exercise.

Step 6. We are eager to have your input and results to increase our sample size and to compare with the career health of different populations. We invite you to send us your completed inventory. We offer you the opportunity to see where your results fall statistically in comparison with other readers and specific academic or industrial populations. Please add personal information in confidence: your age, your choice of careers, career changes, comments about the items above; your name, phone number, and e-mail address if you wish to have an evaluation.

Step 7. To help you interpret and improve your own career health and well being, please e-mail (preferred) or fax us a completed copy of your "Career Change Ability Scale" containing all of your answers (E-mail: StephenRosen@gmail.com; Fax: 212-397-1022). Numbers in parentheses on the scale above refer to topics in our book "CAREER RENEWAL" (Academic Press, 1998)

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