Riding the wave of automation before the dystopian tide of the future inevitably takes us out to sea, we’ve enlisted the help of an AI robot to source answers to the most common career- (or in fairness, anti-career) related questions.
For this article, we wanted to dive into the vast career quiz sub economy to see if we could identify ones that, for starters, actually help guide you towards your next career. With open hearts (and in some cases, wallets), we scoured the web in search of clarity.
Editor’s note: Don’t fret, we’ll also give our take and liberally remove any answers we find to be unhelpful, unclear, or insufficient.
Career quizzes: A robot's journey
For this article, we asked the robot to source the best career quizzes out there. We aimed to be agnostic of whether they came at a financial cost or not, but that doesn’t mean there are not tons of great free quizzes out there.
Below, we explore the top five recommendations, organized alphabetically.
1. CareerExplorer
The robot says: This quiz uses a variety of factors, including your interests, skills, and values, to recommend careers that are a good fit for you.
Our take: CareerExplorer’s partnership with public libraries gets a notch in our pros column. They also offer up a few case studies to support the program. Check out your local library to see if they offer up CareerExplorer or a similar tool.
2. CareerFitter
The robot says: This quiz is based on the Holland Code, which categorizes careers into six different personality types.
Our take: Reviews of CareerFitter are primarily positive, and a science-backed assessment is a helpful jumping off point to understand where you can shine in your next career. There is a one-time cost to entry (this review notes $39.95), but that does note it comes with unlimited access.
3. MyPlan.com
The robot says: This quiz offers four different assessments to help you find your ideal career, including a career personality test, a career interest inventory, a career skills profiler, and a career values assessment.
Our take: Approaching the career assessment process from a combination of angles, MyPlan.com gives users multiple paths to understanding their best career fit. Good for people who aren’t necessarily convinced by Myers-Briggs or the like. That said, reviews of MyPlan.com are limited across the web, so it may be worth proceeding with caution and doing some individual research before jumping in head first.
4. The Myers-Briggs Organization
The robot says: This quiz uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to assess your personality type and suggest careers that are a good fit.
Our take: Myers-Briggs is arguably the quiz most embedded in the cultural zeitgeist, basing your career preferences on psychology — ultimately how people perceive the world and make decisions — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it checks off all of your career-seeking boxes.
Career assessments of the past have the nagging tendency to not age well, case in point (via Wikipedia): “Despite its popularity, it has been widely regarded as pseudoscience by the scientific community.” Proceed with caution.
5. The Princeton Review
The robot says: This free quiz is designed to help you find a career that is both rewarding and lucrative.
Our take: Our editorial skeptics would recommend proceeding with caution, as The Princeton Review may be attempting to lead you to its paid offerings through a free assessment. However, like all quizzes, the accuracy will be tied to how honestly you can answer the questions.
Career quizzes: Parting thoughts
The robot says it well: “no single career quiz can be 100% accurate. However, these quizzes can be a helpful starting point for exploring different career options and narrowing down your choices.”
It’s probably wise to leave big decisions to a mix of robots and humans as well — check your local government agencies (or head back to your local library!) for verified career resources that can help you get started on the right path.
