Birkman Says...

Yesterday, I probably nauseated you with my description of the Birkman Method and what it told me about my behaviors and my interests. Today my plan is to make you actually vomit with a detailed description of what jobs I should have. That is, if you keep reading.

The thing to remember is that this analysis is not based solely on my interests. It's also based on how I like to work and what kinds of behaviors I exhibit in the workplace. Generally speaking, I tend to like to work alone and uninterrupted, but as part of a larger team and toward a greater goal. I like a lot of freedom in what I choose to do next though I can adapt to pretty radical change if given enough warning. I'm pretty good with other people, though I'm not at all interested in selling to them. I like to treat others as customers (not clients) and I like to make them happy.

That said, here are some careers I should NOT pursue:

• Sales. For example, selling stocks or medical equipment or software. Not for me.
• Delegative Management. Basically managing low-skilled, low-responsibility workers. Managing a hotel or a restaurant would fall into this category.
• Accounting.
• Banking and Finance.
• Enforcement/Security, e.g., policeman, paramedic, enlisted military.

While I didn't need a Birkman or a Blog to tell me some of these, I was suprised at how low the "selling software" thing was, particularly since I did it for 18 months in my younger years. Maybe that's why it only lasted 18 months.

Here are the job categories that best fit my profile:

• Knowledge specialist - a job that uses personal experience and specific knowledge for problem solving. Some examples include psychologists and physicians, career and school counselors, and college professors.
• Artistic careers - visual, literary, or performing arts. Architect. Travel agent (???).
• Medical professions - doctor, pharmacist, nutritionist, etc.
• Petrochemical - oil field operations, oil field drilling work, chemical plant technician.

Now, it's interesting to contrast this list with the initial short list I had:

• Pastry chef
• Writer
• Math teacher
• Private detective (yes, I have this on my list and I think it would be a cool job and not that different from product management, when you think of it)

It's probably too late for me to be a doctor and I'm not sure I'm cut out for the oil field thing. But the rest of the list is pretty consistent. If anything, this tells me my initial instincts were right and maybe gave me a couple of new places to look.