Answer These Questions and We'll Match You to the STEM Job That Fits Your Personality

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Answer These Questions and We'll Match You to the STEM Job That Fits Your Personality
Image: Geralt/Pixabay

About This Quiz

STEM jobs are the future, or at least that is what we are constantly told. This might not be true, but would you want to risk a career in easy to automate factory work when you could pursue a career in tech that will mean you ride the wave of future jobs? Certainly, some jobs, like data scientists, will be endangered by the automation revolution. You do not want that for yourself. You want a job that will stand the test of time.

STEM stands for "science, technology, engineering, and math," not to be confused with METS which stands for "bad at baseball." STEM fields include areas as diverse and flexible as programming or genetic research, and areas as rigid as a chemist, economist, and electronic engineer. These jobs will be relied on more and more as we enter the new paradigm where most commerce at least involves if not is driven by technology. Bakers didn't use to need social media people and web designers, but in this day and age, they do if they want to stay ahead of the bakers down the street.

All STEM jobs require a lot of work and discipline, so you should want to pick the right one. But which one is right for your personality? To find out, take this quiz. We will set you on the right path.

Would you consider a factory job?
No, those jobs are disappearing.
Only if it's in a supervisory role
Only if it's in a skunkworks
Only if it's in something really cutting edge
Do you like to travel as a part of work?
Not particularly, but I'll do it if I have to.
Sure, that'd be fun.
Not often
Not at all!
How important is it that your job is "cool"?
Not at all
A tiny bit
A lot
I only care if nerds think I'm cool.

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Is it okay if you don't get the glory for your work?
No. I need the glory for professional purposes.
I don't need any glory.
I'm all about bragging.
No, not really
How did you behave on the playground when you were a child?
I would watch the other kids on the jungle gym before I got on it.
I would sit on the sidelines, chatting with friends.
I would see how high I could go on the swings.
I would peel up the rubber on the ground, in order to see what was under it.
When your family gets into an argument, what do you do?
I try to reason with everyone.
I try to make sure people aren't talking past each other.
I get away as fast as possible.
I try to find a way to nullify the argument by introducing a new element.

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What kind of museum would you go to in Washington, D.C.?
I'd visit the Mint.
I'd visit the Holocaust Museum.
I'd go to The National Air and Space Museum.
The National Gallery of Art
What hobby did you have growing up?
Mock investing
Hacking
Models
Carpentry
Which kind of evening entertainment appeals to you the most?
Musicals
Straight plays
The circus
A magic show

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How's your sense of humor?
Not good at all
Pretty good
I like to think I'm a laugh riot. I don't know if others agree.
I have one, but I'm no joker.
Are you okay with being a tiny cog in a big machine?
No. I want to be the big cog in the small machine.
Yeah, that suits me.
No, I want to be one of the more important cogs, or a whole gearbox.
I'd rather make the cog.
How do you feel about the issue of net neutrality?
I'm a fan, but I don't really understand it all.
I'm against it.
I'm for it. It's important.
I don't know enough to talk about it.

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How important is the issue of climate change?
It's the biggest variable to consider today.
I don't know if I believe it is a real thing.
It's a pretty big deal we need to build and adjust for.
It's a big deal we need to change our habits to address.
How much do you trust companies like Facebook and Google?
Not as far as I can throw them.
Not at all!
I trust them a little.
I trust them a lot!
Would you be willing to work for a company like GE?
No. They're dying.
Only once they solve their debt problem.
Once their core businesses are in the black, sure.
Sure. I think they have a future.

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How would you feel about working for an "energy" company like Exxon or Shell?
That's right up my alley.
No, I would feel uneasy about working for an oil company.
Not unless they have their eye on the energy sources of the future.
Only if they're investing in pure science.
Do you feel strongly about the disparity of wealth between the wealthiest and poorest people in the world?
No. I don't care about that at all.
It bothers me, but I'm not going to a protest.
It bothers me a lot, but not enough to make public statements about it.
It bothers me so much, I'll go to local protests.
What challenge to personal success is the biggest one in the USA?
Lack of financial literacy
The digital divide
Lack of cheap travel
The cost of energy

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What single endeavor gave the most to mankind?
The development of the field of economics
The invention of radio
Discovering Bernoulli's principle
Ships going from being made of wood to being made of metal
What technology requires the most advancement for humanity to succeed?
Insurance
Telecom
Shipping and travel
Chemistry
What interesting skill has most of humanity abandoned to the experts?
Risk assessment
Troubleshooting
Knowing how anything works
Tinkering

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Which of these questions is the most important?
Why?
When?
How?
What?
What physical thing is most important to you?
Money
Personal tech
My passport
My pocketknife
What did you admire most about your parents?
Their financial discipline
They always wrote letters to friends all over the world.
They were worldly and well read.
They knew little hidden facts about everyday stuff.

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Who is your role model?
George Soros
Steve Jobs
Howard Hughes
Sir Isaac Newton
Where would you like to live?
A major city like New York
A major city like Atlanta
Anywhere. Washington State, or the southwest deserts. Either is fine.
A university town, like Boston
Do you mind if no one understands your job?
I think that's the whole basis for what I would like to do.
I don't mind.
I hope people think they don't, but really do.
Yes, I want people to understand.

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How clear-eyed are you about your own shortcomings?
I'm honest with myself about that.
I think I know my limits.
I don't believe in believing in limits.
That's why we have teams!
When you look at a painting, what do you notice first?
I assess the value.
I think about what it "says."
I try to figure out how the paint was applied to create the illusion.
I try to figure out what the pigments are.
Do you mind if your boss makes much, much more money than you?
I don't mind at all.
I mind a lot.
I don't mind too much.
I'd rather we all get paid the same.

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