Many ways to be stream smart

MATCHING MULTIPLE – INTELLIGENCE & CAREER PLANNING

Anjali has recently given her X Std exam. She is expecting around 80 – 85% marks. Irrespective of marks she has decided to persue a field very closely related to her passion of writing and expressing her ideas. Contrary to her interest, her parents believe that she has potential hence she should persue science. She visited a psychologist to clear her dilemma before she made a choice.

The highlight of the assessment is as below:-
 

     The Holistic Model

 

As seen above the findings indicate that she is inclined towards linguistic and interpersonal intelligence. Both the above findings very clearly indicated that Anjali is most suitable to persue a fields related to arts and humanities.

What do you think Anjali should do – follow her dreams or succumb to the conditioning of expectations.

We all have an Anjali in us. There are times when we struggle between what we desire and what is expected. Many times we get pulled to follow what society, parents, peers expect of us. May be its time to take a journey inwards and discover the moreness within.

Profiling occupation from a multiple intelligence (MI) perspective:-

Most of us have been conditioned to believe that:-

1. Our capacity to be intelligent is a single entity. Hence a figure   (percentage) decides our intelligence.
2. The capacity lies in our heads ( academic brilliance over arts and sports).
3. Human beings are either born smart or dumb and hence we can do little to improve our state.
4. Human intelligence can be best timed by pencil and paper (standardized) intelligence quotient(IQ) tests.

If you hold any of the above views its time to demystify them.

Having skills and talents in maths and languages certainly helps to attain academic brilliance and conversely having less talents in the above conventional intelligence indicates low academic performance. Academic achievement has a low correlation to and contribute negligibly to career success. Hence such skills are necessary but not sufficient conditions. Success requires knowledge of and identification  of many other gifts, skills, talents and competencies that are beyond academics.

It is better late then never. Identify your MI attributes and correlate them to your subsequent career choices. the list given below is indication not exhaustive. Howard Gardner proposed the concept of 8 types of MI which one can be correlated to careers in specific fields. If you show high inclination in one or more it should guide you to explore more in this fields:-

1.  Linguistic:-  Ability to use language to describe event to build trust and rapport, to be expressive and metaphonic.

Careers:- Journalism, Sales, Lawyer, Teacher, Playwright, Novelist, RJ/VJ, Advertising copywriter.

2.  Logical:- Mathematical – Ability to use, compute and describe numbers and apply mathematics in personal life.

Careers:- Auditor, Accountant, Statistics, Trader(Businessman), Programmer, Scientist, Technician.

3.  Musical:- Ability to understand and develop musical technique, to create imaginative and expressive compositions.

Careers:- Musician, Music Critic, Teacher, Therapist, Choral Director, Conductor, Music Collector, Band or Orchestral performer.

4.  Spatial:- Ability to perceive and represent the world of color, line, shapes, form and space, to interprete graphical representations and transform them into expressive creations.

Careers:- Engineer, Pilot, Architect, Illustrator artist, Guide, Photographer, Interior Designer, Painter, Fashion Designer, Inventor, Graphic, Animation artist, Cinema Photographer.

5.  Body Kinesthetic:- The ability to use the body and tools to take action or to construct repair or create new forms of expressions.

Careers:- Dancer, Actor, Mechanic, Craftsperson, Coach, Sales person, Athlete. Sculptor, Choreographer, Jewellery Designer, Forest Ranger.

6.  Interpersonal:- Ability to organize people, communicate, empathize, to help others, solve problems, influence and inspire others to work towards a common goal.

Careers:- Administrator, Social Worker, Social Scientist, Leader, Consultant, Doctor, Nurse, Public Relation Officer, Teacher.

7.  Intrapersonal:- Ability to assess and reflect on one’s own strengths, weaknesses, talents and interests and to be of service to others, to develop concepts and theories related to self identity.

Careers:- Psychologist, Spiritual leader, Writer, Artist, Researcher (botanist, astronomer, geologist), Chef,  Businessman.

8.  Naturalist:- The ability to recognize and classify plants, minerals, animals and cultural artifact like cars and sneakers.

Careers:- Botanist, agriculturist, forest ranger, conservationalist (wild life), geologist, tour operator, nature lover, photographer, horticulturist.

The above categories of MI are not absolute, chances are that you have two or three well developed MI’s. Focus on them to look beyond the conventional way to career choices.