Thursday, December 02, 2010

Jobs, Career Choice and Learning Styles

Your Learning Style is important not only for school. The sport you play, the people relationships you have and the type of job you choose all depend on the preferences and non-preferences of your Learning Style. When talking about your unique style at work, we usually refer to that set of preferences and non-preferences as your Working Style.

Some elements of your Working Style have no bearing whatsoever on the career path you choose. Others are of paramount importance. It all depends on the job. Because the Pike River Mine disaster is still very much in the news, I can’t stop thinking about all the people involved and their Working Style profiles:

  • Miners usually display a preference for teamwork, routine and kinesthetic learning.
  • Rescue workers exhibit a preference for working style elements such as variety, responsibility and high perseverance.
  • Security inspectors need to be analytic as well as holistic thinkers, with a reflective decision making style.
  • Crisis managers often have to be comfortable making quick decisions, so their style should be impulsive rather than reflective. Their information processing should be a good balance of analytic and holistic thinking.
  • If your job calls for working nightshifts, it’s a good idea to have a working style preference for concentrating in the evening hours.

Of course, some personality traits, such as bravery and compassion, cannot be classified using the Working Style Pyramid. And that’s as it should be. People are unique blends of their Working Styles, personalities and souls.

(For more information on determining your Working Style, have a look here.)

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