There are some great advantages to revisiting the Birkman assessment. It may be useful when there’s a major life decision, an important relationship to manage, or just the everyday commitment to being your best self!
Not only does the Birkman assessment help you remember who you are, but it’s also a great resource for identifying and working through life’s stressors.
Life’s decisions can become easier, too, when people know and accept themselves.
How Does The Birkman Assessment Help?
Rather than expecting a student to pinpoint their ideal career, get them to review their Birkman Signature Report. Then have them start imagining the different career paths suggested in the report.
Find The Right Fit Within A Career
At the beginning of the school year, high school students choose their classes for the next year. Deciding which classes to take and which ones to avoid is a great gateway to making even harder choices. My team and I always advise students to choose the courses that align with their strengths, interests, and needs… wherever their interests lie.
You and we can, too, encourage students to customize their schedules. When they learn how to do this, they can take the next leap and customize their lives. Living the life you love is my definition of true success. Naturally, students we work with have their Birkman Signature Reports handy. We use this report to guide them and create a four-year course plan and a college plan after high school. If you can’t find the exact job you want, create it. And do it with all your heart.
The career exploration part of the Birkman assessment is so intuitive. When you’re trying to figure out what you should do, it can be really helpful also to consider what you should not do.
Ready to set your student on the path to their bright future? Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn how we can help.
Use The Birkman Assessment To Help Your Incoming High Schooler
One 8th grade student loved computers and science, specifically anything electrical. When I talked with him, he had not yet taken the Birkman assessment. After discussing his course load, I was surprised he didn’t have computer science courses on his list. I advised him to take at least one computer science class.
By talking it through with support from his parents and me, this student dipped his toe in an area attractive to him. What really made a difference was removing any pressure implying that this now defines him. Instead, he was exploring something he found interesting. This same student was pretty creative – he played tennis and orchestra. Everyone needs an outlet, and he found some great ones. So even though he was excelling in certain areas, it was important to keep these creative outlets on the schedule.
When we were putting together a plan for his next school year, we were looking over the previous year’s classes, especially where he excelled. He then told me that he never had to do homework to get As in social studies and English classes.
Even though he was excelling in these classes, those weren’t his interest areas. We decided against doing AP or dual credit classes because those would have just made him super frustrated. If we were going to choose accelerated courses, it would cater to his needs and strengths.
Contact Bright Futures today to learn how we can help your student unlock their potential.
Gear Up Towards Making Decisions
Making decisions can be one of the hardest things. But if you avoid making decisions, you’ll never move forward.
Keep your options open, and don’t keep your plans set in stone. The world is constantly changing, often weekly. Adapting may be easier for some people but very challenging for less flexible people.
For example, COVID shut down our podcast editor’s business. She took this opportunity to reinvent herself and polish up her skills in audio engineering. If she had a Birkman assessment to reference, it would have been a great time to refamiliarize herself with interests, needs, stresses, etc.
The Birkman Assessment Can Help
If decisions are stressful for you or your student, make a timeline. Don’t be rushed. Give yourselves grace and take the time to look at the Birkman assessment.
You’re creating your own life, which means adapting to the world in several ways. You’re continuously creating your own world of work, college, budget, diet, exercise, etc. Altogether, it can feel overwhelming. Using the Birkman assessment can get your child closer to where they want to be with more clarity.