How can I use science to make my career decisions?

Perfect question. At Harvard, I inherited and developed a data-based self-assessment and career development system. The latest version is available (free) on my website: Personal Web - James G. Clawson near the bottom, the Career Option Workbook COW. The core idea is that success springs from goodness of fit between a person’s enduring (habitual) Life Themes and the demands of a job (or relationship). IF you have a strong, comprehensive, data-based Self Assessment you can use that SA to evaluate every option you face. The COW explains how. You can take a quick-and-dirty, moderate, or involved approach. Depends on your commitment to knowing who you are.

While people can adapt, they do better when they put themselves in jobs and relationships that hit their “sweet spot.” That is, where the goodness of person-job FIT is high. BUT if you don’t know yourself beyond momentary reflection, you are likely to make big and costly mistakes.

So, first, use data from multiple sources, inductive logic, and rigorous analysis to create a solid Self-Assessment, then USE that SA to assess the goodness of fit with jobs, careers, schools, and potential partners.

That said, as my dad used to tell me, “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.” I know people who ignored their SA and took the highest paying jobs—and tended to call me later and bemoan their decisions. And I’ve had lots of former students keep their SA’s and decades later report they were still 99% accurate.

Good luck. You’ve got the link and the rationale. From here, it’s up to you. I’ll respond to emails. My life’s purpose has been “to help people find themselves.” I had three last names, so that all began with me. Best wishes.