When I left teaching over 10 years ago, searching for a new career, I wish I could have asked ‘Can AI help me to choose a career?’. With its fast response time and large input of information, it would have helped to speed up my own challenge of finding a new career and support. I recently asked ChatGPT 3.5 this question. I was interested to find out what advice AI would gather on making career choices, and whether the advice fits with the current psychological findings that I teach my students.
Before we explore the answers that ChatGPT gave, there is a warning when logging into the app/website: “While we have safeguards, ChatGPT may give you inaccurate information. It’s not intended to give advice.” This article is purely for the purpose of seeing what answers AI provides for the questions linked to career choice, and whether it is similar to current psychological and career coaching recommendations.
Me: “Can AI help me to choose a career?”
ChatGPT app: “Certainly! I can provide information on various careers, required skills, and industry trends. However, the ultimate decision depends on your interests, skills and goals. Can you share more about your preferences or ask specific questions to guide the career exploration process?”
What I love about this first response is that it places the emphasis of career exploration on you and your preferences. Preferences are an important starting point in the career decision-making process, according to psychologists Gati and Asher (2001). I encourage my students and anyone seeking career guidance or coaching to set their priorities and preferences before starting to narrow down their career choices. Self-awareness of your interests, skills and goals is helpful in setting these preferences. I would like to see more emphasis on setting your priorities in this answer, but for an initial response, it fits well with the psychological process.
On the website, a longer initial response was provided:
Me: “Can AI help me to choose a new career?”
ChatGPT website: “Yes, AI can be a valuable tool to help you explore and choose a career. There are various ways AI can assist you in this process:
- Career Assessment Tools: AI-powered career assessment tools analyze your skills, interests, personality traits, and values to provide personalized career recommendations. These tools use algorithms to match your profile with potential career paths that align with your strengths and preferences.
- Job Market Analysis: AI can analyze current job market trends, including demand for specific skills, salary information, and industry growth. This information can help you make informed decisions about which careers are likely to offer better prospects in the future.
- Resume Optimization: AI tools can assist in optimizing your resume for specific job applications. They can analyze job descriptions and suggest improvements to make your resume more appealing to employers, increasing your chances of getting noticed.
- Online Learning Platforms: AI-driven platforms for online learning can recommend courses based on your career goals and areas where you need to develop skills. This can help you acquire the necessary qualifications for your chosen career path.
- Chatbots and Virtual Career Advisors: AI-powered chatbots can simulate conversations with career advisors, providing information about various career options, educational requirements, and steps to pursue a particular profession. They can offer guidance and answer specific questions you may have.
- Networking and Job Matching Platforms: AI-driven platforms can match your profile with potential employers or mentors based on your skills and career goals. These platforms use algorithms to connect individuals with relevant opportunities in their desired fields.
Keep in mind that while AI can be a helpful tool, it’s essential to combine this information with self-reflection, personal exploration, and advice from human mentors or career counselors. AI tools are most effective when used as part of a comprehensive approach to career exploration and decision-making.”
I found this response very informative, as it shows the extent of different areas of the career choice and application process that AI can provide tools. I find it interesting that it does not mention tools that are relevant to the entrepreneurial route, instead of just applying for a job with an employer.
Next I asked ChatGPT if AI can give me a process for choosing a new career? Here is the process provided:
Me: Can AI give me a process for choosing a new career?
ChatGPT: “Certainly! Here’s a step-by-step process, incorporating AI tools where relevant, to help you choose a new career:
1. Self-Assessment:
– Use AI-powered career assessment tools to analyze your skills, interests, personality traits, and values.
– Reflect on your passions, hobbies, and the activities that bring you satisfaction.
2. Research Potential Careers:
– Explore AI-driven job market analysis tools to identify industries with growing demand and promising future prospects.
– Use online platforms to read about various careers, job descriptions, and required qualifications.
3. Evaluate Skills and Qualifications:
– Assess your current skills and qualifications.
– Utilize AI tools to identify any gaps and recommend relevant online courses or training programs to enhance your skill set.
4. Consider Lifestyle and Values:
– Reflect on your preferred work environment, desired work-life balance, and personal values.
– AI chatbots or virtual advisors can simulate conversations to help you clarify your priorities.
5. Networking and Informational Interviews:
– Connect with professionals in the industries you’re interested in through AI-driven networking platforms.
– Conduct informational interviews to gain insights into specific careers and industries.
6. Resume Optimization:
– Use AI tools to optimize your resume for specific job applications.
– Tailor your resume based on the keywords and requirements of the roles you’re interested in.
7. Explore Educational Opportunities:
– AI-driven platforms can recommend relevant courses and certifications to help you gain the necessary qualifications for your chosen career.
8. Set Realistic Goals:
– Develop short-term and long-term career goals based on your research and assessments.
– AI tools can assist in setting realistic goals aligned with industry trends and your current skill level.
9. Seek Mentorship:
– Connect with mentors in your desired field using AI-driven mentorship platforms.
– Learn from their experiences and seek guidance on navigating your chosen career path.
10. Decision Making:
– Use a combination of AI insights and your personal reflections to make an informed decision.
– Consider factors such as job satisfaction, growth potential, and alignment with your long-term goals.
Remember, this process is iterative, and it’s okay to revisit and adjust your plan as needed. AI tools can provide valuable data and recommendations, but your own self-awareness and engagement in the process are crucial for a successful career transition.”
This response had most of the right parts of the career decision-making process, as recommended by psychologists, and even includes working on your resume as part of the process. However, from the research, I would recommend a different order of actions here, to save time, energy and unnecessary research.
Step 4, to consider lifestyle and values, is as important as the other self-assessment areas in step 1. Values are even mentioned in step 1, but I recommend considering lifestyle and values together earlier in the process so that you can set your priorities for what you are looking for in your next career. Especially consider your responsibilities and constraints, such as location or physical disabilities, which need to be used early on in the process to avoid wasting time researching careers that do not fit with your current situation.
Step 2, to research potential careers, gives a very general approach to research, with no suggestion of narrowing choices down or applying those self-assessments as reflected upon in step 1. This stage could be very labour intensive if there is no process of reducing the list of potential careers to a manageable number (psychologists recommend no more than 7 careers to research in detail).
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I like the fact that networking, educational opportunities and mentorship are included in this process. However, one vital area of research before making a decision is not included: experience. There is mention of learning from the experience of mentors, but one of the best things you can do for your own research, improving your connections and your chances of obtaining a career is to get your own experience. The reality of a role can be very different from the research found online or talking to others. Your own unique experience combined with your preferences and previous learning, help you to feel whether a certain role will provide career satisfaction in the long run. Work experience and shadowing is not just for students. Ask people in the relevant industries if there are any opportunities for you to get some hands-on experience, or set up your own work placement for a few days or weeks.
A final missing part of this process is the combination of logic and emotional response. There have been many criticisms of AI as lacking emotional response, and in this systematic process we as humans can use our emotions as well as the logical research to make our decisions. Emotions are a powerful indicator of your brain’s combined perception of how you will respond to a position based on all of your previous experience, learning, preferences etc. While you are gathering information, you may find yourself leaning more towards one particular career or role. This is known as confirmation bias, and in this process it is a positive emotion you can use to aid your decision. For more on using your emotional response in the decision-making process see this article: 10 Awesome Steps to Discover Your Ideal Career.
Conclusion
AI can provide some very useful tools to aid your career choice process. It can support your self-awareness through Career Assessment Tools and Chatbots. It can even spot where you can improve your skills, education and resume to fill in any gaps and tell you where to find that information. AI can also help you with the external research of careers, industries, demands and trends, and support your networking and connections with real-life mentors. As AI warns, choosing a new career is ultimately down to your own self-reflection and the routes you wish to consider. No other person or technology can tell you which career to choose. The support is there to help you to make that decision for yourself.
’11 AI Recommended Tools for Career Exploration.’ Download the full list – click on the link below:
https://careercognition.ck.page/ai-listReference:
Gati, I., & Asher, I. (2001). The PIC model for career decision making: Prescreening, in-depth exploration, and choice. In F. T. L. Leong & A. Barak (Eds.), Contemporary models in vocational psychology: A Vol. in honor of Samuel H. Osipow (pp. 7–54). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
