How My Optimal Career Works
A clear, simple process designed to help you move from uncertainty to confident career decisions.
What is the Career Direction Assessment?
The My Optimal Career assessment is designed to help you better understand your personal strengths, preferences, work style, motivations, and possible career fit. It is powered by the Harrison Assessment platform and is suitable for students, graduates, adults, and anyone seeking more clarity about their future.
This is not about telling you what you should do. It is about helping you understand your strengths, interests, motivations and preferences so you can make more confident education and career decisions.
What Can It Help With?
Useful for a Wide Range of Decisions
The assessment can support decision-making around:
- GCSE subject choices
- A Level subject choices
- Leaving Cert subject choices
- UCAS applications
- CAO applications
- University and college course choices
- Apprenticeships and vocational options
- Graduate career planning
- Career change
- Returning to work
- Understanding suitable work environments
Students & Graduates
Make confident choices about your next step. Whether you are choosing subjects, applying through UCAS or CAO, exploring university courses, or planning life after graduation, My Optimal Career helps you understand your strengths and direction.
Career Changers
Ready for a new direction but unsure where to begin? Our assessment helps you identify your transferable strengths, motivations, and working style so you can explore career paths that feel better aligned with who you are.
Parents
Support your child with clearer, more informed conversations. My Optimal Career gives families useful insight into strengths, preferences, and possible pathways, helping reduce uncertainty around subject, course, and career decisions.
What You Will Need
Before You Begin
To complete the process, you will need:
- A valid email address
- Access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device
- A reliable internet connection
- A quiet space to complete the assessment
- Enough time to answer thoughtfully
- An open mind about your future options
Have Questions?
FAQ's
Some of the most common questions before taking the first step towards clearer, more confident career decisions.
Is this only for students?
No. While the assessment is very useful for students making education and career decisions, it can also support adults who are reassessing their career direction.
It may be helpful if you are changing career, returning to work, feeling unfulfilled in your current role, or wanting to understand what type of work may suit you better.
Is this the same as a free online career quiz?
No. My Optimal Career uses a structured assessment process powered by the Harrison Assessment platform. It is designed to provide deeper and more meaningful insight than a simple online quiz.
The aim is not to give you a quick label, but to help you better understand your strengths, preferences, motivations, and possible career fit.
How does the assessment process work?
The process is simple:
- Purchase the Career Direction Assessment online.
- Receive an automated welcome email explaining the next steps.
- The administrator manually adds your details to the Harrison Assessment portal.
- You receive instructions to complete the assessment online.
- Your results provide insight into your strengths, preferences, and potential career direction.
What happens after I purchase the assessment?
After checkout, you will receive a confirmation and welcome email. This email will explain what happens next and what information may be needed.
Your details will then be manually added to the Harrison Assessment portal by the administrator. Once this has been completed, you will receive the relevant access instructions.
How long does the assessment take?
The exact completion time may vary depending on the individual user. It is best to complete the assessment when you have enough time to focus and answer thoughtfully.
The assessment should not be rushed, as the quality of your answers can affect the usefulness of your results.
Will the assessment tell me exactly what career to choose?
No. The assessment is designed to guide and inform your decision-making, not make the decision for you.
It can help highlight suitable career themes, strengths, preferences, and working environments, but it should be used alongside course research, guidance advice, personal reflection, and practical considerations.
Can this help if a student feels overwhelmed by career choices?
Yes. Many students feel uncertain or overwhelmed when thinking about subjects, courses, CAO choices, and careers.
The assessment provides a structured way to explore strengths and preferences, helping students move from confusion towards clearer, more informed options.
Still Have Questions?
If you are unsure whether the Career Direction Assessment is right for you, or if you have a question before purchasing, please get in touch.
Contact My Optimal Career or Start Your Assessment Today.
Notes
Discover Careers That Suit You
The Career Direction Assessment helps you identify careers and courses that fit your interests, strengths, and personality.
Instead of relying on guesswork, you’ll receive personalised insights that can help you make more confident decisions about your future education and career path.
For CAO applicants, course requirements and points can change from year to year, so assessment results should be used alongside personal research, family discussion and school or college advice. (CAO)