Joining the college bandwagon? Yes, studies show that high school graduating seniors will jump on the bandwagon. Eighty-four percent of them, according to the 1992 National Education Longitudinal Survey, have a goal of completing a college degree as a post-high school graduation goal, typically without any job-related goal in mind. Unfortunately, of those who enroll in college, the majority will drop out after only a few months, some lasting a few semesters, less than 42 percent will actually complete the goal of a college degree. Of those students who had poor grades in high school, only 14 percent will get a higher level degree. For the other 86 percent of these low achieving students, college is just another failure experience (Rosenbaum, April 2002).

The misconception that all students should attend college not only sets many students up for failure, but also leaves many floundering for job options when college plans do not work out. Since students face a high prospect for not completing a college degree, they should be warned of this high potential for failure and advised of multiple alternative career options.

Many times high school advisors and counselors are "placed in a box" by parents who believe that their children should be university bound immediately following high school graduation, when, in fact, that student 1) may not be emotionally mature enough to adapt to the high standards of university work, 2) be unmotivated toward academia, 3) has little or no insight as to a vocational/professional objective, or 4) simply would enjoy employment which requires "hands on" skills versus professional or administrative levels. The labor market demands high skills, but does not necessarily demand a college degree. Many desirable "careers" are available in many interesting and challenging fields that do not require a two or four-year college degree. College is not the only option and certainly is not the best option for everyone.

Students and parents may be assisted in determining goals and plans beyond high school by providing a student with a comprehensive vocational assessment. The value of a comprehensive vocational assessment is tremendous from a financial viewpoint, as well as from an emotional aspect. The cost of a post-high school education can be anywhere from $20,000 to beyond $100,000. Setting a goal based upon individualized data about personality preferences, temperaments, aptitudes, abilities, motivational level, and interests is excellent insurance prior to a heavy financial investment in a post-high school education. Further, a student who sets a goal based upon quality information can feel more confident about his long-term happiness and success in a chosen career field. In these times when we spend many hours in the workplace, this job satisfaction factor becomes very important.

Many do not understand what is meant by a comprehensive vocational assessment. Many times an individual may complete an interest inventory or a personality assessment via the Internet or other source, believing that this is a vocational assessment. Though these testing instruments can be helpful for some individuals, a comprehensive vocational assessment is much more than simply taking an interest assessment to discover likes and dislikes or a personality assessment to discover careers that match personality traits. More often than not, an interest assessment alone leaves a young person, who has little knowledge of occupations, more confused and undecided than when he began his search for a suitable career option. This happens because an interest inventory provided without specific knowledge of occupations may lead a student to show high interest in all occupations or worse yet, no interest in any occupations. A personality inventory evaluated without guidance from a trained professional may lead a student toward a career field that may indeed match his personality, but does not match his level of motivation, general aptitude or natural abilities.

A comprehensive vocational assessment should include a thorough review of the student's background and experience to gain a solid understanding of the individual's level of knowledge about the world of work and other issues important to long-term success. This "psychosocial" review enables a trained professional to understand the student's level of economic and emotional support available as well as begin to gain an understanding of the student's soft skills. Assessing soft skills through the interview process gives the evaluator a better understanding of the student's poise and presence and ability to articulate. This interview process also helps to assess the student's level of understanding about work habits expected, such as dependability, perseverance and attention to detail. Though some "formal tests" are beginning to be developed that address the issue of soft skills (emotional intelligence), most have not been tried and proven, thus an effective method for assessing these factors is in an interview process and by discussing such issues with teachers and parents.

A comprehensive vocational assessment should also include a series of assessments to determine general intelligence and general skill level in various areas such as math and reading. Though achievement testing and grades aid in a vocational assessment, these evaluations are not a solid determination of a student's competency in a subject. Achievement testing provides a percentile ranking and grades give indication of a student passing or failing a specific class. Even high school exit exams vary greatly thus may not provide meaningful information. The intelligence and competency-based testing provided in a comprehensive vocational evaluation should provide the student with an understanding of his strengths and weaknesses and should not be under an umbrella of pass or fail. If weaknesses are discovered in a subject, the student should be given alternatives for improving the area. If his future goals are dependent upon competency in that area, perhaps he should be guided toward a career requiring less skill in that particular area. For instance, if a student were interested in a technical career such as in the field of engineering, scores in math and abstract reasoning would need to be high.

At least two educational or career interest inventories should be included in a comprehensive vocational assessment. Though effectiveness of most interest assessments is dependent upon the individual's level of exposure, experience and knowledge of careers, they still provide the experienced vocational evaluator with a starting point for vocational exploration with a student.

At least one personality assessment should be administered to discover more about how the student perceives and interacts with his or her world. The personality is evaluated from a vocational viewpoint to assist the individual with matching career options and personality traits. Subjective testing is needed to better determine the student's temperaments, work values, and his or her understanding of natural abilities and talents. Hobbies also should be reviewed to assist the vocational counselor with guiding the student toward education and employment. This helps the student achieve his current perceived desires and also long-term job satisfaction. A student may often focus on earning a high salary and overlook many other aspects of job satisfaction or vice versa.

Other factors important in a comprehensive vocational assessment include a review of known disabilities to gain a better understanding of current and potential future limitations that may be imposed. A brief depression assessment is also valuable to discover possible potential for emotional problems that may interrupt an employment or training objective.

Finally, and most importantly, a comprehensive vocational assessment should include a private and confidential counseling session with a trained professional vocational evaluator. The counseling session should convey to the student his current qualifications for jobs or college. The student needs honest, authoritative information that helps him review realistic career options. This information should be communicated in a positive, uplifting manner to include a review of competency scores and a review of strengths and weaknesses. This information is important for all students, and especially necessary for the student who does not have a good understanding of the demands of college or lack knowledge about employer expectations. It appears that the number of students who lack this information may be quite high. According to a survey reported in the May 9, 2002 issue of the USA TODAY only 10% of high school students surveyed reported receiving career guidance at school and more than half say they could think of no one at school who had helped them with career exploration.

A report written in plain language is also vital in a comprehensive vocational assessment with recommendations clearly stated. Much information is forgotten or sometimes lost in verbal communication; thus the written report is vital for the student, parents, teachers and others interested in the student's future career.

Ideally, the assessment process would be ongoing throughout a child's educational process and it appears that some career guidance initiatives are in place in public and private schools. However, a comprehensive vocational assessment would be vital for a high school junior or senior as the current concept of encouraging all students to attend college is leaving many parents and students disillusioned, confused, and frustrated when college plans do not work out. Conversely, college bound students who have not decided upon a degreed objective need a comprehensive vocational evaluation to gain insight into a more specific area of concentration. Overall, a comprehensive vocational assessment can greatly relieve stress for both the student and the parent and also save the student and parents' time, effort, and money wasted on uninformed career objectives.

Though absolutes are not possible with any level of testing and counseling, to truly gain a solid understanding of a student's most suitable career options, many puzzle pieces need to be thoroughly reviewed and analyzed. Only then can an informed, logical decision regarding future employment be reached. If all the puzzle pieces are a fit, one's chances for success, and above all happiness, in the work place can be greatly enhanced.

-- Contributed by Richard L. Moore, Ph.D., a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Board Certified Counselor, Certified Vocational Evaluator, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and Forensic Counselor. He holds a Master of Education Degree and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and has been in the field of assessment and counseling for over 30 years. Dr. Moore and his wife Connie Moore, M.Ed. own PRC Assessment Center and have offices in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas. Dr. Moore will travel to schools throughout the country to provide assessments in the school setting. He can be reached at 1-888-319-6384 or visit the PRC website at www.prcassessment.com