Create a New Character, Create Your New Career
Shutterstock by Tithi Luadthong
New character creation always starts with some mystery. What will this fresh creation be like? What will their personality be, what are their skills, and how will they adventure in the larger world? Whether it be a fast character build that ends up becoming a favorite, played for multiple campaigns, or a painstakingly created one that finds a quick end in a TPK at level one, these characters become extensions of ourselves that live and die by the dice and our choices.
Could we use this same character development concept for creating new adventures for ourselves in real life? Utilizing the same concepts and familiar ideas, could we use a character sheet to develop ourselves to make a better life or find the right career?
“ Half of all American workers are currently reevaluating their career”
Recent research has found that half of all American employees are reevaluating their current positions, and 53% would change fields or industries if they were able. That’s a lot of us looking to make significant changes. Maybe you already have an idea of what type of career you would like to go into, or if you are like many others, you’re not sure but only know that you want to find a better-fitting career.
But career planning is difficult and tedious. So to make it a little familiar and hopefully slightly more entertaining, I developed a TTRPG character sheet to help with this process. (Read more on TTRPGS and Personal Development)
Working Alignment
Deciding on one’s sense of morality is way beyond career choice. Some people have personal ethics that cause them to exclude certain employers from consideration. But for generalized career choices, it’s easier to discuss the other part of the alignment: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. In terms of an ideal, lawful is related to rules and structure. An example of a lawful alignment would be an accountant whose work is guided by the tax code and accounting regulations. Someone with a more chaotic work alignment likes to make their own rules and doesn’t thrive in a heavily regulated environment. They might be better suited to a more entrepreneurial role.
Class / Level
What is your current job position and industry? What level: front line, middle management, etc.
“Unlike the game, our dice have already been rolled when it comes it our attribute scores.”
Attributes
One of the most significant differences in creating a fictional character versus self-evaluation is that all of the dice rolls have already been completed. We developed many of our attributes earlier in life, and our scores are now already set. Some can certainly be adjusted, such as going to the gym to build strength or taking a public speaking class to improve charisma, but overall, our scores may not change much.
In the TTRPG world, attributes vary by game, from the simple physical, mental and social to the six found in both Dungeons and Dungeons and Pathfinder games. However, most of these genres are very physically based. Modern careers are often more mental-based, with fewer positions relying on physical strength over cognitive abilities. To give a more realistic view, I have added a mental component to the usual physical attributes of strength, dexterity, and constitution.
Strength
Strength typically represents physical power and carrying capacity. It is the ability to withstand or exert great force and high pressure. The mental side of strength would be similar to this ability but to mentally withstand high-pressure or very stressful environments.
Dexterity
Dexterity usually represents being agile, having good reflexes, and strong hand-eye coordination. This attribute could be seen in a craftsman, a model hobbyist, or musician. Mental dexterity would be someone that is a quick thinker, creative, sharp mind, and easily able to express themselves such as an artist, creator, or writer.
Constitution
Constitution is stamina and endurance. It includes toughness, resistance to disease, and overall good health. A strong mental constitution would include perseverance and being able to handle long-term stress with ease. When compared to high mental strength, it is about the duration of the stressful situation. For example, a volunteer firefighter may have periods of very high stress while rescuing people and putting out building fires but then has a slower lull period between calls. In contrast, a firefighter battling forest fires may be on the front line for days or weeks at a time. Both deal with very high-stress situations and need to be strong both physically and mentally, but their ability to deal with long terms stress could vary between individuals.
“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within.
It is there all the time.”
- Anna Freud
Intelligence
Intelligence includes knowledge, memory, logic, rationality, and the ability to learn new things. An example would be an engineer or mathematician. As a younger person, they may have had an advantage by being able to easily absorb school lessons quickly and memorizing information needed to get good grades.
Wisdom
Wisdom is about common sense, insight, perception, and intuition. An example, two medical professionals may both have high intelligence scores. However, the general practitioner who sees patients for everything from the common cold to cancer may be utilizing a different level of perception and insight versus the specialist who sees the same type of cases daily.
Willpower is also based on wisdom. An entrepreneur may have a high wisdom score to be able to make their business dreams a reality. Reversely, someone with high intelligence but low wisdom scores may be very book smart but impulsive or overly naïve.
Charisma
Charisma is about the force of personality. It includes being persuasive, intimidating, leadership, and being strong in diplomacy. A lot of politicians and CEOs have high charisma scores.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
— Steve Jobs
Skills
Like many TTRPGs character sheets, attributes can help determine our skills. Someone can have a low attribute score and still be proficient in a particular skill. But having a natural affinity towards it means that it may come easier and with less effort. I have included some of the more applicable skills from TTRPGs as well as some of the most requested skills by employers.
Features and Traits
What makes you unique? Are there any personality or ability traits that would make you stand out?
“Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for it.”
— Katharine Whitehorn
Personality traits
What is your ideal working environment? Do you like to work with others or by yourself? Do you like to work on-site or prefer remote? Describe what would be the absolute dream scenario?
What motivates you and drives you to succeed? Is it having a big salary, becoming well-known, being an expert in the field? What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning and go to work?
What personal flaws could be preventing you from succeeding or doing your best? Do you self-sabotage yourself? Do you have a hard time taking criticism? Like it or not, we all have flaws, and admitting to them can help us steer clear of situations where they could do us the most harm.
Proficiencies and Skills
This would include work history, certifications, special skills, and anything and everything that you enjoy and are skilled at.
“The best revenge is massive success.”
- Frank Sinatra
Allies and Organizations
It’s hard to make changes by ourselves and having help from friends, mentors, or colleagues can make a big difference. Do you belong to any interest groups, know of anyone already in the field that you may want to go into? What additional networking opportunities could help you with a career transition?
What Next?
Now you have this new character created, you can compare what you want to different careers and fields. There are lots of resources online. Here are some great resources from the US Department of Labor:
Information on job outlook, education and training requirements, advancement opportunities, and salaries for a large variety of occupations
Regionally specific job information and salaries
Career clusters, profiles, and information on 900 occupations. Also has skill assessments and resources for training.
Just like a TTRPG, the completed character sheet is only the beginning of the adventure. But self-discovery is the first step to starting a good one.
Author:
Laurie Trueblood is a writer and life coach that enjoys fantasy, science, psychology, and everything nerdy. As the founder of Adventures to Authenticity, her mission is to help others level up and become the best versions of themselves.
Interested in reading more on RPGs and personal development: Is Life an RPG? Why We Should Treat Life Like a Roleplaying Game and Real-Life RPG – 25 Real Life Quests for Nerds, Geeks, Gamers, and Would-Be Adventurers
