How do you tell genuine career interest apart from other people’s praise?

Identify the behaviour being praised

1. Record what the person actually noticed.
2. Map it to a possible work task.
3. Try a private exercise without real clients. Being good at arranging social gatherings does not reveal all the administration, coordination and revisions of event work; a fictional run sheet can expose one small part.

Record both attraction and reluctance

Afterwards, note what you would willingly repeat and what you did mainly for approval. Ask a practitioner about the real balance of tasks instead of making a career decision from one compliment. Encouragement can remain useful without replacing your constraints or longer-term preferences. The exercise creates questions, not a verdict about your future.

A worksheet you can use

Praised behaviour: __. Related task: __. Private exercise: __. Part to repeat: __. Disliked part: __. Work balance to check: __.

Is disliking something I do well a waste of talent?

Not necessarily. An ability can serve other work or everyday life without becoming a profession.

Evidence and scope

This is exploration, not an aptitude test; a simulation cannot represent a complete job.

Ibarra (2002) discusses career exploration. These original drafts are unvalidated. Herminia Ibarra (2002) — How to stay stuck in the wrong career

Sources and further reading

Herminia Ibarra (2002) — How to stay stuck in the wrong career

• Considering a career change? Ask about the daily work before choosing a new title
• How to maintain weak ties without making every conversation transactional
• How do you discuss career exploration with family before having a final plan?
• How do you request a bounded job-shadowing opportunity without creating unnecessary work?