• 1998 - Simon & Schuster - Paperback

• Discover What You're Best At

• By Linda Gale

• National Bestseller

• Collectible

Take the test -- and find the right career for you.

Join the ranks of the more than half-million people who have discovered their true talents and made successful career choices with Discover What You're Best At. Now this bestselling career guide has been revised for the twenty-first century, including valuable new information on the skills in demand in electronic communications, medical technology, and other high-tech fields.

The book's unique National Career Aptitude System enables you to identify not only your interests but also your innate talents and potential skills, and then to match your career strengths to dozens of the more than 1,100 jobs described in detail.

Discover What You're Best At enables you to set realistic and rewarding career goals based on your abilities. It gives you the edge you need to take on the job market and succeed in your chosen career.

Discover What You're Best At will help you:

• SAVE MONEY -- possibly thousands of dollars -- by heading you in the proper career direction before you choose a school or a course of study
• SAVE TIME -- by allowing you to tailor your curriculum to your career objectives, without resorting to trial-and-error course samplings
• SET REALISTIC GOALS -- why be an office administrator when your interpersonal skills make you a natural for sales?
• LEARN ABOUT NEW AREAS -- with more than 1,100 career possibilities listed and described in detail, you could easily discover that you have an interest in and aptitude for an exciting position you never knew existed.

Discover What You're Best At could put you well on your way to success. It's the only career resource you'll ever need.

Many of my strenghts - in fact, my greatest ones - were not covered in any of the tests. And looking back, I wasn't sure what 'social' and 'business' were meant to assess. Sure, I know the alphabet and can file well, and I can apparently multiply and divide (even fractions), but that does not make me a good candidate for any form of science - I know that for certain. What didn't the tests measure? Writing skills, people skills, the ability to multi-task and work well under pressure, computer literacy, creativity, web site or brochure design, quick problem solving, event planning... even the few questions that addressed some these issues were not comprehensive enough to provide any real sense of a person's capabilities in these areas.

So why give it three stars? The idea is a good one, and the tests are interesting to take. It's also well written and clearly explains the process. It even goes so far to explain what the individual jobs it recommends are (and suggests that whatever your scores are, a career counselor might be a good idea) and what level of education is needed for them. And I'm encouraged by many of the reviews here, which seem to indicate that the book has been a tremendous help to some people. I think it's important, however, to note its shortcomings and the ways in which it might not be helpful. I suppose that I was a little too optimistic about finding a quick-fix to a long, complicated problem. But for those who approach this bok knowing it may not provide all the answers, I think that there are many solutions in it, or at the very least an indication of where to go next.

36 of 36 found the following review helpful:


This has potential.  Nov 24, 1997
Well, I'm in the midst of a career search, fresh out of college...so I decided to check out this book and what it could tell me.
I took all of the six tests (about 30 minutes each) which score your business, clerical, logic, mechanical, numbers, and social aptitude. You are required to stay within the time limit (if you want an accurate result). You are supposed to keep in mind your highest 2 or 3 scores and then look at the categories that they correspond with.

For example, I scored very superior in three areas: Clerical, Logic, and Numbers. I then looked at the CLN category to see what jobs I have the aptitude for. I was happy to see that some of the jobs they listed were ones that I was at least marginally interested in. I then looked at similar categories, like LN, CL, and CN...and some of those careers also looked appealing. My lowest score was also the category that was less appealing to me (although it was a category I'd have considered as a younger person.)

While this book does not profess to give definitive answers on what you should do, it would be a nice guide for someone who has NO idea what they'd be good at (note: this does not measure interest, just aptitude) or for someone like myself who'd like affirmation or redirection.

33 of 34 found the following review helpful:


Excellent resource for career direction  May 01, 1998
This book is excellent not only for those who are changing careers but also for those beginning college and unsure of what area to study. For example, I took these tests as a senior in high school. The results reaffirmed my choice of major and provided a wide range of choices for career paths that I would be good at. My lowest score occurred in an area I did not like and did not feel I was good at. At the back of the book an excellent career directory provides detailed descriptions of all the career choices. The directory is very comprehensive and informative. This book is an excellent resource for guidance and career counselors. The only areas it cannot test are special skill areas such as music and art, but for everything else it is great. An emphasis on skills, and not changing interests, provides the books main strength.

21 of 22 found the following review helpful:


THIS BOOK SET ME ON THE RIGHT CAREER PATH  Nov 10, 2003
When I graduated from college, I had dreams of working in a particular field. After a couple of years, I realized that I couldn't stand my job. One day while visiting a local book store, a friend familiar with my career disillusionment, pointed out Discover What You're Best At. I took the tests, and was surprised to find out that I had a strong aptitude for fields I had never considered before. I did some research on the careers suggested in the book at the local library, and spoke to people who worked in those fields. After some careful consideration, I decided to take a course at a local university, in one of the areas I though I would enjoy working in. Not only did I end up loving the subject matter, I ended up taking more courses. That was close to 20 years ago. My career has progressed very well, and it's a joy going in to work everyday. Barry and Linda Gale changed the course of my life with this book.

27 of 30 found the following review helpful:


Someday, if you're in a library with some time to kill...  Aug 07, 2000 By old_hyperbolic_squiggly
... this book contains a few interesting tests to take. What I am going to say, though, will most likely already be obvious. This book might help those who undoubtedly prefer using the left-side of their brains since creative abilities aren't measurable by testing of this nature (and the book even asserts this from the start - it obviously can't measure art ability, music, etc). Thus, as a whole and from the perspective of vocational guidance, it seems pretty lopsided and incomplete for the average person seeking more a complete source of assistance. If one is looking for a mundane job, who knows, maybe this book might help get a better picture of a few of one's skills. But, for overall career guidance, this book would actually get a zero. Atleast someone may get an idea of how mechanically-inclined/logical/numerical/clerical/etc... one might be in comparison to the average ... but that's about all the knowledge one might expect from this book.

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