Out of the options given, I chose to do the Big Five personality test through a different website to the one that was linked. The test consisted of 120 questions, which I understand is shorter than the original, and it uses the same categories and definitions of each personality trait. The test results do reflect certain aspects of my personality accurately, such as high sensitivity to both positive and negative emotions, openness to art and creativity, and low conscientousness. I will discuss each category in turn and analyse how they apply to my future field of work, goldsmithing. 

First, I will discuss conscientousness, for which I received a low score. The score is relatively accurate to my personality as I tend to be disorganised, have poor time management, and lack ambition and consistency. I am not particularly persistent either. However, I am cautious by nature and tend towards perfectionism. In the goldsmithing field, perfectionism is not a bad thing, since the work we do is small in scale and needs to be precise. If I work in someone else’s shop or studio, a lack of ambition is not a harmful trait, but the lack of consistency is. Consistency and persistence are virtues I have strived towards especially during my studies. 

The second trait is agreeableness, for which I also got an only somewhat accurate higher-than-average score. I am not naturally inclined to hide my opinions or thoughts, nor do I tend to avoid disagreeing with a person solely for the sake of peace. This can be seen as aggressive or unforgiving by some people, which is feedback that I have heard on occasion. My comments are rarely intended to be harsh, but I find it difficult to remember to include positive comments alongside critique, since the positives aspects tend to feel self-evident to me and therefore pointless to discuss. I also do not always sacrifice my own comfort to cater to others, so I would not characterise myself as particularly altruistic. I think these traits make me somewat unsuitable to be a boss or a manager, since a focus on negative comments can take its toll on people who I may have authority over. Luckily, I have no desire to work as anyone’s employer or manager, and entrepreneurship is the most likely work scenario in my field of work. 

The third trait is openness to experience. This trait reflects sensitivity to art and creativity, as well as an interest in expanding one’s knowledge and understanding. I scored moderately high in this trait, which I believe is because I have an interest in art and a tendency to look for easier solutions to a problem. I also tend to question decisions and beliefs, whether they be mine or others’. This trait makes it difficult for me to abide by arbitrary rules but I can streamline processes and projects if I am allowed that freedom. By pondering over reasons for a particular method, I can grasp concepts and skills quicker than some of my contemporaries. To be a quick learner is helpful in any field, particularly one like goldsmithing, because of the huge variety of techniques to learn and adapt to any given project. An eye for the aethetic is also a huge help in the field, particularly at the sketch and design stage. My love for sketching has already come in handy at school, since I always have a plethora of designs to start off with and easily adapt to the technique we are learning at any given time. In the future too, I will be able to come up with designs or motifs in my own work as long as I regularly have a few minutes to sketch.

The fourth trait, which I received a middling score for, is extraversion. It refers to sensitivity to positive emotions, excitability, and interest in sociability. While I am very easy to excite and like to bask in positive emotions, social contact tires me. In the goldsmithing field contact with customers and other businessowners is required, but to varying degrees. It is more necessary for an entrepreneur who does not work with other jewellery stores to receive work than it is for someone who primarily works alongside other businesses or for others. Since my goal, at least at the start of my career, is to work for others, upholding niceties and frequent social contact with customers may not be a crucial part of my job. Customer service is manageable as long as it is not the bulk of what I do. 

The last trait of the five is neuroticism. My points for neuroticism were exceptionally high, which comes as no surprise to me. I tend to be very sensitive to negative emotions and fixate on mistakes or things I need to improve. At the workplace this can cause me a lot of stress, particularly if I have no competent outside source to get feedback from and keep me grounded. Excessive rumination can lead to burnout, so it is crucial for me to have some support from others in my field. Luckily, that tends to happen naturally while working alongside others at a studio.