Career assessment is a test of measurement of an individual’s potential to play a critical role in a particular job position.

With students, it is important to help them understand how a variety of personal attributes and skills can impact their potential success with work.

Having such knowledge can help them navigate the different career options.

Alphonse Uworwabayeho, a lecturer of mathematics at University of Rwanda’s College of Education says career assessment provides students with the information needed to make better career decisions, and most importantly, save them from wasting time and resources on something that won’t help them in future.

"Career assessments help individuals better understand how their interests, values and skills will influence their ability to succeed and find satisfaction in a variety of careers and work environments,” he says.

Why it’s important

Uworwabayeho believes that career assessment can help those who are seeking to settle for particular careers to discover their skills, which can even lead them to new career discoveries.

"These assessments are meant to be useful in assisting them to discover new career opportunities and explore careers in line with their talents and goals, which would be beneficial in the future,” he says.

However, Jane Nakaayi, an educator at Riviera High school says career assessments can help students decide about a career and begin thinking about their future aspirations.

She says career assessments have proven useful especially in getting learners to consider new career options previously undiscovered, increase satisfaction, confidence and increase self-understanding.

Nakaayi goes on to note that career assessments are a useful tool for helping people, especially young stars who have not decided upon a career to consider different options.

In addition to this, she points out that a good career assessment helps learners increase their self-awareness and their understanding of the job market. 

Meanwhile, Uworwabayeho says a career assessment has been proven to be a scientific tool that helps career mentors or individuals to identify career interests, passions, and abilities of the individual to be used in the career counselling process. 

This, he says, helps educators in supporting their learners when it comes to making informed career decisions.

Besides, he notes that regardless of whether you are still a student or in the job market already, for those who are still undecided on what best suits them, there is need to look for a mentor or counsellor who can help to avoid being in the wrong career for the rest of your life.