development

OVER FIFTY YEARS OF IDENTIFYING CAREER COMPATIBILITY

WOWI Direct is the direct to consumer version of the World of Work Inventory (WOWI). The creation of the WOWI began in 1959 when Dr. Ripley revolutionized the field of career assessment by developing the first inventory to use a fully integrated, multidimensional format.

Dr. Robert E. Ripley taught graduate courses in Occupational and Educational Information and Psychological Testing. The tests and inventories at that time were frequently not relevant to the actual jobs at which most people would be working. In addition, they seemed to be used by most individuals to tell them what to do rather than to provide a means for the process of further self-exploration. More emphasis was given to the psychometric measurement factors than the job relevancy of the instruments.

During these years Dr. Ripley made many attempts to analyze the frustrations of the test takers and tests users. There was irritation due to timing a test where speed was not a major component of the job. There was little self-involvement in the tests results by the test taker as there were few systematic methods to move the person to the next step in occupational exploration.

Although occupational exploration materials had been readily available from the United States Department of Labor for over 30 years, few people have used these materials because the tests did not coordinate with the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Also, most tests primarily emphasized the professional occupations with little attempt to expose the individual to the broader fields of employment.

While working as a consultant to the United States Department of Labor, Dr. Ripley traveled throughout the United States surveying the similarities and differences in the world of work. Based on his observations, he concluded that there was a need to develop an instrument which would integrate the existing materials with recent insights into the areas of occupations and careers.

The WOWI is the result of 12 years of researching, observing, teaching and consulting in the areas of psychological testing and occupational exploration. It is an attempt at resolving these previous problem areas through the use of a comprehensive instrument which takes a holistic approach to the individual and their vocational environment.

In 2003, WOWI Direct was designed for high school and college students as well as individuals in career transitions. WOWI Direct is modified from the original version in that some of the industrial scales have been omitted. WOWI Direct is focused on individuals with the desire to continue their education and learn which occupations most suit their individual interests, work styles and skills.