If you’re just beginning your career search, or thinking about changing careers, a midsized growth company may be the best place to start. There is very little downside and lot of upside.

Unlike small companies which tend to stay small and large companies or government organizations that find it impossible to grow quickly, midsized companies tend to be more dedicated to growth than anywhere else. This means more job openings to choose from and more important, opportunities for promotion that don’t involve climbing all over your coworkers to get ahead.

Midsized companies have many of the advantages of a small company in that people know who you are and what you do and you’ll still find yourself rubbing elbows with future stars. Of course the stars that come out of midsized growth companies tend to go on to bigger and better things, so if you’re connected, so will you.

Your personal life tends to be more respected; less late nights, weekends and company outings.

In my final segment on choosing careers, I want to focus on the vital role of college internships. I can talk for hours about the various characteristics of different companies and you can study their web sites until you’re blue in the face, but nothing compares to actually walking through the door and experiencing alternative career choices firsthand. The best way to do this is through a college internship.

Not only do college internships help you experience the culture inside alternative companies, it’s the best way to line up the job offer you want after graduation. Even if you don’t end up working for a company you’ve interned with, you’ll find a lot more job openings if you have legitimate company names on your resume, letters of reference, and samples of real work you’ve accomplished.

Before moving on from my series entitled “I need help deciding what career to choose,” I thought I’d summarize by consolidating my advice for struggling career builders into the form of a free career test.

This is a good, simple tool for helping you with your career search.

Here goes:

1. True or False – I find comfort and security when I’m surrounded by people who have similar interests and opinions to my own. Whenever I am singled out I get nervous and anxious to fade back into the crowd.

2. What’s the most important reason for working:

a. Make lots of money to buy stuff

b. Provide food and shelter for my family

c. Doing something interesting that you truly love

d. The comradery of being on a great team with a common goal

3. True or False – Work is a necessary evil

4. What makes you the proudest:

In my last post, I published a free career test to help struggling career builders with their career search. Today we’ll tell you what you answers mean and what to do about it.

First let’s score your answers:

Q1: True = 0, False = 3

Q2: a. = 2, b = 0, c = 3, d = 1

Q3: True = 0, False = 3

Q4: a = 2, b = 1, c = 3, d = 0

Q5: a = 1, b = 3, c = 0, d = 3

Analysis and Recommendation

From 0 to 3 Points – Seek employment in the Public Sector

In my last series – “I need help deciding what career to choose,” I offered my thoughts on the