Elizabeth Michie

Reality Check
Through Utahfutures, Reality Check, I was able to determine my future living needs and costs for those
needs. In total it is estimated that I will need to earn $32,828 annually to fulfill the costs of my lifestyle. The
majority of that money will go into paying for school, a house, heating and electricity, and a car. Some of it
will go into my personal desires such as clothes, grooming and haircuts, vacations, and entertainment.
Utathfutures also selected some careers that would be good for my interests and that would cover the
$32,828. The first career is a Biomedical Engineer. They make around $87,250 dollars per year.
Biomedical engineers design and build medical equipment and things like artificial organs. Most Biomedical
have a Bachelors degree and have to attend 4 or more years of college. They are also required to have an
engineering license. I think this would be a good career path for me because of my interest in biology and
anatomy and my skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
The second career is a Graphic Designer. This career interests me because of my passion for the arts. It
sounds like its a lot of fun. Graphic design does pay significantly less than a Biomedical Engineer with an
annual salary of $40,670. This does still cover the cost of my needs for living, but if I ever wanted to expand
and get a bigger house, go out more, go on more vacations, or have a family this career would not cover
the cost of living anymore.
Reality Check is a good and efficient way to open a persons eyes for life after college. It gets you in the
mind set of having to think for yourself and start preparing for your future now. I know now that I must
receive good grades through high school and take classes that will prepare me for college so that I can
acquire a good and stable career after college.

Elizabeth Michie

Interest Profiler
Taking the interest profiler on Utahfutures.org separated my interests into 6 categories, investigative, artist,
social, enterprising, realistic, and conventional. My top four being investigative, artistic, social, and
enterprising.
My highest scored category was investigative. Utah futures says, 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. I think this describes me
pretty well. I enjoy thinking and working through problems. Three careers that interest me in this category
are a biomedical engineer, a forensic science technician, and a sociologist. A biomedical engineer makes
about $84,000 per year and requires 4 years of college. A forensic scientist works on crime scenes and
uses natural science to solve crimes. They make about $43,600 per year and require for years of college. A
sociologist studies human behavior and the actions of groups of people. They make more than $60,000 per
year and require 5 or more years of college.
My second highest scoring category was artistic. Utah futures says, People with artistic interests like work
activities that deal with the artistic side of things, such as forms, designs, and patterns. They like selfexpression in their work. They prefer settings where work can be done without following a clear set of
rules. A career in this category would interest me because of these things. I do enjoy working creatively
with few rules. Three careers in this category that I might enjoy are graphic design, a sketch artist, and a
professional makeup artist. A graphic designer deigns logos and ads for companies. They make about
$40,000 per year and require 4 years of college. A sketch artist draws sketches based on witnesses
descriptions of criminals and they work on crime scenes. They require 3 years of college. A professional
makeup artist prepares actors for movies of onstage performances. They make about $60,000 per year and
require 3 years of college.
My third category was social. Utah futures says, 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. I think I simply just enjoy helping people and caring for them. Im not sure if I would be good in a
career in this area though. Three careers with a social aspect are an elementary school teacher, a nurse,
and a preschool or kindergarten teacher. An elementary school teacher makes about $47,000 per year and
requires 4 years of college. A nurse makes about $60,000 a year and requires 3 years of college. A
preschool or kindergarten teacher makes at most $36,000 a year and requires 3 years of college.
My fourth category was enterprising. This was the lowest ranked with only a score of two. Utah futures
says, 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. Three careers in this
category are lawyers, detectives and investigators, and hairstylist and cosmetologist. A lawyer makes about
$100,000 annually and requires 5 or more years of college. Detectives and investigators make $60,000

Elizabeth Michie

annually and require for years of college. Hairstylists and cosmetologists make about $25,000 annually and
require 4 months to a year of schooling. I cant really see myself becoming any of these. But I suppose you
never know..

Elizabeth Michie

Career Cluster Inventory

After taking the career cluster inventory, based on my interests, my highest scored category was education
and training. This category is based around helping and teacher others and being very involved in the
learning experience. Three careers in this category are elementary school teachers, preschool or
kindergarten teachers, and high school teachers. All of these require 3-4 years of college and range from
making about $30,000 to $50,000 per year.
My second highest scored category is human services. Human services are also based around helping and
caring for people. Three careers in this field are a psychologist, a professional makeup artist, and a school
counselor. A psychologist counsels people on emotional or stressful problems in their life. They make
about $55,000 annually and require a masters degree and a license. A professional makeup artists does
hair and makeup for actors that will perform in a movie or play. They make about $60,000 per year and
require 3 years of college. A school counselor talks to kids about their problems and helps them with things
in school and planning their future. They make about $46,000 annually and require a masters degree and
must be certified.
My third highest scored category was Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. I do really
enjoy learning about science and engineering and I am seriously considering becoming an engineer of
some kind. I dont know exactly how this ended up being my third option. Three careers in the science and
technology field are a sociologist, a biomedical engineer, and a marine biologist. A sociologist studies
people and their interactions and culture within different societies. They make about $60,000 per year and
require a masters degree. A biomedical engineer designs and builds medical equipment like tools and
artificial organs. They make about $84,000 per year and require a bachelors degree and an engineering
license. A marine biologists study plants and animals in the ocean. They make about $45,000 annually and
require a masters degree.