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Paths in Color Career Assessment

A career assessment for people of color. Part 1 maps your interests to six career areas, using everyday activities from your community, church and neighborhood. Part 2 measures the work values many of us bring to a career, such as giving back, providing for family, purpose, representation, ownership and belonging.

60 statementsAbout 10 minutes6 interest areas · 6 work valuesCareer ideas and role modelsDownload your results
Part 1

The six interest areas

These follow John Holland's RIASEC model, which is used in career counseling and in the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET system. Most people combine two or three areas, so your result is a three-letter code.

Part 2

Work values that matter in our communities

Many career tests leave out values that shape career choices for people of color, such as responsibility to family, giving back, being the first and finding workplaces where we belong.

Next steps

Turn your results into a plan

Explore careers

  • Look up careers that match your code on My Next Move (O*NET, U.S. Department of Labor) for pay, training and job outlook.
  • Ask someone in that career for a 20-minute informational interview.
  • Shadow, volunteer or intern before you commit.

Find your people

  • Join professional groups for people of color in your field, such as the National Society of Black Engineers, SHPE, the Association of Black Psychologists or the National Black Nurses Association.
  • Look for mentors who understand your background.
  • Use campus career centers, TRIO programs and alumni networks, including at HBCUs, HSIs and tribal colleges.

Choose a path

  • Community college, a four-year degree, a registered apprenticeship or a certificate can all lead to strong careers.
  • Compare cost, time, pay and debt before you choose.
  • If ownership matters to you, look for small business development centers and minority business programs.

Second chances

If you have a criminal record, many careers are still open. Ask about fair-chance employers, record-clearing (expungement) options and licensing rules in your state, and use reentry and workforce programs. Your interests and values matter here too.

About

About this assessment

Why a culturally responsive career assessment?

Career choices are shaped by more than interests. Research on career development for people of color highlights family expectations and support, perceived barriers such as discrimination, the importance of role models, and values like giving back to the community (Lent et al., 1994; Fouad & Byars-Winston, 2005). Paths in Color pairs a familiar interest model with those values, and its activities come from community life.

How to use your results

  • Use them to explore, not to limit yourself. You can grow interests through new experiences.
  • Talk them over with a counselor, teacher, mentor or family member.
  • Do not use results to hire, admit or screen anyone.

Research version

This is version 1.0. Doc Lobe is studying its content validity with an expert panel and its reliability (Cronbach's alpha) as people take it. Sharing your anonymous answers helps improve it. See the research page.

References

  1. Fouad, N. A., & Byars-Winston, A. M. (2005). Cultural context of career choice: Meta-analysis of race/ethnicity differences. The Career Development Quarterly, 53(3), 223–233.
  2. Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Psychological Assessment Resources.
  3. Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122.

Original items written by Doc Lobe Teaching, Learning, and Research Firm. Not affiliated with or adapted from the Strong Interest Inventory®, the Self-Directed Search® or the O*NET Interest Profiler. For education and career exploration only.