What Your Primary Interest Area Means
You can think of occupational interests as your liking or preference for certain work activities. The the Occupational Interest Profiler measures interests in each of these six Interest Areas:
First, take the Occupational Interest Profiler, and then read over the definitions of your Primary and Secondary Interest Areas to get a better understanding of your occupational interests. Once you have an understanding of your occupational interests, explore the occupations in your areas of interest.
Realistic
People with Realistic interests like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They enjoy dealing with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. They enjoy outside work. Often people with Realistic interests do not like occupations that mainly involve doing paperwork or working closely with others.
Explore the Occupations that fall in the Realistic Interest AreaInvestigative
People with Investigative interests like work activities that have to do with ideas and thinking more than with physical activity. They like to search for facts and figure out problems mentally rather than to persuade or lead people.
Explore the Occupations that fall in the Investigative Interest AreaArtistic
People with Artistic interests like work activities that deal with the artistic side of things, such as forms, designs, and patterns. They like self-expression in their work. They prefer settings where work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Explore the Occupations that fall in the Artistic Interest AreaSocial
People with Social interests like work activities that assist others and promote learning and personal development. They prefer to communicate more than to work with objects, machines, or data. They like to teach, to give advice, to help, or otherwise be of service to people.
Explore the Occupations that fall in the Social Interest AreaEnterprising
People with Enterprising interests like work activities that have to do with starting up and carrying out projects, especially business ventures. They like persuading and leading people and making decisions. They like taking risks for profit. These people prefer action rather than thought.
Explore the Occupations that fall in the Enterprising Interest AreaConventional
People with Conventional interests like work activities that follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and detail more than with ideas. They prefer work in which there are precise standards rather than work in which you have to judge things by yourself. These people like working where the lines of authority are clear.
Explore the Occupations that fall in the Conventional Interest Area
New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions