Career appraisal is critical for everyone at any given stage in life, whether in high school, university or even for alumni. I sought help for counseling because it was essential to review my career expectations. After a decade as a professional, I became unhappy about how my role was involving. I needed refocus, the career counseling helps me make inventory of my skills and experience, as well as recognize my personality and passion in order to make necessary adjustments.

I sought help for counseling because it was essential to review my career expectations. After a decade as a professional I became unhappy about how my role was involving. I needed refocus, the career counseling helps me make inventory of my skills and experience, as well as recognize my personality and passion in order to make necessary adjustments.

 Career appraisal is critical for everyone at any given stage in life, whether in high school, university or even for alumni. Making a choice on a career is a significant decision because it affects our personal lives. According to Business Insider, “the average person spends 90,000 hours in his lifetime at work and over 80% of those asked are unhappy with their work”. Therefore, it is crucial to seek advice in finding a good fit in relation to one’s personality, gifting and drive.

The necessity of finding a good fit does not stop when choosing or embarking in a career. Experienced professionals also need to make adjustments throughout their career. The requirements of the ever changing labor market demand a lifelong commitment to learning and the ability to navigate major shifts. Hence, a recurrent factor in career development is to stay current using an appropriate tool to evaluate personal circumstances, formulate ethical values and update one’s skills.

In seeking advice with John Schwaiger, a seasoned career counselor, I was greatly helped with his tri-dimensional 3D framework: Discover – Define – Develop.

His approach is distinctive from secular models, it is God-centered and holistic. The starting point is the uniqueness of the individual taking into account personality, passion and purpose.

At ‘Discover’ stage we explored my distinctive personality, as an extrovert I was made aware of the kind of activities that energize me such as communication and teamwork. Then we looked at other characteristics underlining my personality: ‘How do I prefer to interact, communicate and deal with conflicts. ‘Define’ we identify the foundation of my personality; from a personal inventory we narrow the significant skills and consider possible careers. Along I was able to formulate my values and set clear goals. The aim is not only find the right fit but also focuses my energy on realistic career options.

‘Develop’ helped with the review of findings on personality and available options in order to draw out a workable action plan. The context is undoubtedly about achieving a better alignment between who am I and what do I enjoy doing and how to go about it. Overall, John’s approach is very informative and useful to anyone who needs to think carefully and act decisively on one the most important aspect of the human life. My own takeaway is that I had benefitted from reflecting on key basic questions: ‘Who am I?’, ‘What contribution can I make in my work/context?’ and finally ‘How can I set realistic expectations and achieve my goals?’. I am greatly indebted by career counseling both in providing me with tools to answer those questions, and in particular by invaluable insights and writings.