Builders are one of six career types in the system developed by psychologist Dr. John Holland. Holland's theory of occupational choice uses your interests to classify you as one of six types. Each type has their own values, motivations, and preferred career fields.
A person is classified as a Builder when he or she is mostly interested in jobs that require use of tools, machines, or physical skills (what Holland called the Realistic interest). Builders are typically practical, action-oriented people who like to see a tangible result for their efforts on the job.
Builders often choose careers in mechanics, construction, manufacturing, law enforcement, the military, and athletics.
Top Job Tasks
- Building
- Repairing
- Taking Action
- Using Machines
- Using Tools
Core Values
- Practicality
- Productivity
- Structure
- Independence
- Physical Skill
Personality Traits
- Realistic
- Sensible
- Mechanical
- Traditional
- Down-to-earth
How Do I Know if I'm a Builder?
If you are a Builder, you will probably like being outdoors, playing sports, and working with plants or animals. You probably enjoy building and crafting things and working with tools.
Most Builders do not enjoy working with people as much as they like working with things. They are practical and no-nonsense and like to get the job done with a minimum of fuss.
If you are not sure if you are a Builder, you can take a career test to measure your interests. The Career Personality Profiler will test your interest level in all six of the Holland Code career areas and match you with appropriate careers for your personality profile.
Sample Careers for Builders
- Line Installer or Repairer
- Cartographer or Photogrammetrist
- Electrical or Electronic Engineering Technician
- Police Officer or Detective
- Boilermaker
- Aircraft or Avionics Equipment Mechanic or Technician
- Surveyor
- Conservation Scientist or Forester
How Do I Find the Right Realistic Career?
The most popular careers have been classified according to their interest area, so once you know you're a Builder, you can match yourself with Building careers.
If you take a good quality career interests inventory , then careers will be suggested to you based on your personal interest profile. Or, you can do a search for careers that match the Building interest area.
Remember that not all Building careers will be right for you. Most careers combine one, two, or even three interest areas, so it is important that your interests match all aspects of a job. You will need to have an idea of your interest level in all 6 interest areas to make the best choice.
More Interest Areas to Explore
There are 6 total interest areas, some of which will appeal to you, and some of which will not. If you haven't yet read about the other five interest areas, you'll want to do so now to get a complete picture of your interest profile. Or, you can take the Career Personality Profiler test to measure your interests in all 6 areas.