Assessments are good. They point out traits and tendencies. They are quite reliable and are an important starting point when determining career suitability. Unfortunately, the characteristics they discern need to be generalized. This is because the tests are taken by literally billions of people around the world. It's a good thing to take an assessment just to get some things measured, documented and sorted out in some sensible way.

Ah, and that is where the next important step comes when determining what you want to do. Critical to making sense of these results is to have a counselor who can think outside the dots. Those generalized summaries are worth about as much as the paper they're printed on if what ultimately happens is you're pigeon-holed into something that sounds like the right job but just doesn't fit. The buzz words are important but they need to be compared to as much of the career spectrum as possible so that good ventures into career fulfillment are achieved.

One young woman took a new look at these buzz words and came up with mortician and undertaking as a profession. This choice -- especially for a woman -- is a little different. So the question was whether she was interested in the public side of the profession in that she would be providing care and support to the family. There is work with the public. There is providing care. Well, she admitted, that was part of it. But there was more.

She's been exposed to the full spectrum of mortuary work and become fascinated with it. Part of the fascination is hinged to her interest in science. She also has a rather direct personality that is not too well suited to full-time work with people enduring stress. She is not keen on hygenic details.

Well, let's evaluate her choice given the buzz words and the other factors. Mortuary worker is a science-related career. There's no backtalk -- or attitude -- from the principle client so a direct personality is not a huge issue. When it comes to medicine in this end of the spectrum, hygiene is important but not life critical.

Finally, the next big plus about this career is that it is not likely to be offshored to a cheaper market and it is not likely to become obsolete. The demand will be constant. And the pay is probably quite good, especially compared with the amount of education required.

When you take those assessments and come up with generalizations such as those above or others, get a little creative. Think outside the usual and make certain you have a counselor who also does so. There are a lot of options available. Research your buzzwords in some of the career guidebooks or the Occupational Outlook Handbook. But most importantly, make certain you consider more than just the staid summaries. There are thousands of careers and professions. Some of them are paying high dollars because they're so obscure and so many people overlook them that the takers are few. Entry into those professions is probably very easy.