Vocational guidance tests

are apparently "in" at the moment - or being commented on by people I know.

Ms W has yet to come across one of those. She will soon. Her father asked me to explain them to her some weeks ago and I did. I got her to do an on-line one so that she would understand more about them.

I remember doing them. We did not do one at school. I don't remember being given any careers advice at all. Our teachers casually discussed options with those who were not "going back on the farm". The girls chose between things like "getting married", "working in a shop" - or "the bank" or "going nursing" or "teaching". The boys might have had more options but my brother chose teaching so he could get a degree at the same time.  I know other boys who did the same thing. 

We did "aptitude" tests to enter teacher training college. My brother and I were well aware of how we should answer the questions. The Senior Cat had explained all this to us!  

We knew far more about teachers than most children. Teachers were always in and out of our house. They stayed for cups of tea and even meals. One year I was given chalk, instructions and a classroom blackboard by the deputy head and told to do the timetable for the senior school in various coloured chalks. (I have to explain that the senior school had about forty-eight students and four teachers who had to teach everything so it was not as difficult as it sounds.) I baby sat their children and was privy to any number of their problems.  Answering questions designed to see if we were suited to the profession of teaching was a doddle for us. 

I did more complex tests when I applied to enter the "public service" and other jobs.  By then I knew about Myers-Briggs and other tests. I knew how to answer them to manipulate the results if I chose. I had even participated in designing such things for research purposes.

And naturally Ms W wants to know "how do they work?"  I have explained the theory. (She was cynical. "On Monday you might want to be a teacher because you had a good lesson at school and on Wednesday you might want to be a vet because you have to take your dog to the vet. Then on Saturday you might want to be a gardener because you pick all the tomatoes you grew.")

And there might not be much employment in the areas which most interest you.  There may be new work roles coming up, things we have not yet thought about. Not so long ago a very young friend told me, "I'm going to go to Mars and work out how to make  the air and food there so we can go and live on it."  It may not be as ridiculous as it sounds. I was careful not to laugh at him.

Vocational guidance is no laughing matter.