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• Position: Your Life - Choosing the right job - Brief article

Just what does it take to convince people that they are qualified to achieve the career of their dreams? Researchers at Ohio State University, Columbus, found that it is not enough to tell them they have the skills or the grades to make their goal a reality. Instead, many individuals need a more vivid and detailed description of just how pursuing their dream career will help make them successful.

This especially is important for those who have the skills and potential to pursue a particular career, but lack the self-confidence, points out Patrick Carroll, assistant professor of psychology. "Students who have chronic self-doubt may need an extra boost to pursue the dreams they are certainly able to achieve. This study finds that what they really need is a vivid picture of what will happen if they succeed."

Carroll indicates that he sees the relevance of this research nearly every day, as students seek his...