Sources used in this document:

One State-sponsored tool for career assessment can be found online at Maryland's CareerNet website, which is maintained by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR). This site utilizes their own "GET Process," which is a watered down version of the Career Development Model that was produced by the Maryland State Department of Education. The three steps of this process are Gathering Information, Exploring Careers, and Take Action. The career assessment would take place during the first and second steps, leading to the action that would be taken in the third. This site is, unfortunately, very poorly designed, with broken links, garishly amateur graphics, difficult navigation, and little to no actual content. The "assistance" given by this site is actually a set of links to websites that have been minimally (if at all) reviewed by the DLLR for useful content.

The first CareerNet link I followed was to the "My Future" website (http://www.myfuture.com).The first note about this site is that it is extremely pro-military, while trying to hide behind the facade of a non-biased website, and this not-very-subtle propaganda is undeniably in poor taste. The Career Toolbox section of this site includes assistance with resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, more military propaganda, and quizzes. The Work Interest Quiz is the main career assessment activity. These 60 statements each have a check box next to them, and if any of these activities line up with the interests of the quiz-taker, they are to be marked. "Just check the box next to any of the activities that you like to do. When you are finished, press 'Done' and you'll be given the two out of six work types that will most likely fit with the kind of person you are. Then go ahead and click on them to discover typical occupations (also military counterparts) represented in that work type." (My Future) The disclaimer says that this is a sample version of the ASVAB test that is available in many high schools. The questions are not well thought out, and not actually very helpful. Many of them are so generalized that they could not possibly offer any guidance as to what career path one should take, such as the "Help your business grow" question. Regardless of what kind of job one gets, one generally wants it to be a successful one with the potential to earn more money. Alternately, questions are so specific that there is no point in taking the quiz if one knows the answer. "Take a course in car engine repair." Obviously, if you want to take a course in car engine repair, then maybe you'd like to be a mechanic. "Be a file clerk." I think that if you check the box that states that you would like to be a file clerk, then you can stop taking the test right then and there and go get a job as a file clerk. After checking all appropriate boxes, the program is supposed to provide you with the two most relevant work styles for your interests; ironically, it simply returned the full list of all six options, making the time spent answering the 60 questions a complete waste of time. The options are Realistic, Social, Investigative, Conventional, Enterprising, and Artistic. Of course, a full list of the military careers relevant to each style is provided. (Every art student dreams of being a food service specialist in the military, I'm sure.)

The second link followed from the DLLR website