When we think of careers, several things immediately come to mind – job description, training and education required, career outlook, and salary – but there are a number of other factors that may influence your decision. Let's explore some of these factors as addressed by multiple career development theories. Theories can help us frame why and how things happen. In this case, career development theories help us explain why and how we choose to pursue specific career fields. There are a lot of factors to consider in the relatively new field of career development. As you read through the factors below, you'll see that many of the related theories address some of the same issues. No one theory explains everything, so it's good to consider these factors from multiple perspectives. Considering your skills and abilities and how they may fit a particular occupation comes out of one of the earliest career development fields, Trait-Factor theories, and is still used today. These theories recommend creating occupational profiles for specific jobs as well as identifying individual differences, and matching individuals to occupations based on these differences. You can identify activities you enjoy and those in which you have a level of competency through a formal assessment. There are many available online, including the Skills Provider at CareerOneStop. Holland's Career Typology is a widely used to connect personality types and career fields. This theory establishes a classification system that matches personality characteristics and personal preferences to job characteristics. The Holland Codes are six personality/career types that help describe a wide range of occupations. You can find out your Holland Codes, and receive a list of related occupations, by completing a questionnaire such as the one provided by the U.S. Department of Labor's O*Net Interest Profiler.   Being a worker is just one of your life roles, in addition to other