Compass

in The Ink Well2 years ago (edited)

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He had already carried out hundreds of IQ tests on students at Hulu University, but that day he was going to meet someone truly exceptional in a way he hadn't seen before...

"Hi, I'm Lora, nice to meet you," said the young woman who was hoping to get some good advice for a career at Hulu.

"Hi, I'm Paul. Paul Gaultier."

"I know your name. You're quite famous," replied Lora.

"Well, I'm not that Gaultier."

"I mean, your tests are famous. You've helped a lot of young people find their careers, what suited them best. That's why I'm here."

"I try to do my best. Please, sit down."

Paul Gaultier was a renowned professor who had been an outstanding student of psychology. He tested with traditional IQ tests, and developed his own methods, which attracted the attention of the Hulu authorities.

One of the highlights of his work was on vocational counseling, which he went on to conduct informally with many college classmates and friends. The orientation and strengths projection proved to be accurate in a remarkable number of cases. The university offered him a formal job as a vocational counselor. He was assigned to an office he occupied since his student days. Every applicant to study at Hulu was required to receive counseling from his office as an entrance requirement.

"What career do you want to study? What do you like?," asked Paul.

"Computer science! I like the screens, the keyboards, the office environment..."

"What comes to your mind when I say 'byte'?"

"A dog!"

"Interesting... I think I have the right test for you."

He opened a drawer and pulled out a form for the applicant to fill out. Most of the questions were multiple choice, but at the end there were seven questions where the applicant had to work out an answer.

He handed it to the girl, saw the time and said: go ahead! The girl began the task, reading each question aloud. Paul carefully watched her gestures and reactions to the questions. She filled out the entire form and returned it to the professor.

"Uhmm... Just what I thought," said Paul after ten minutes of going over the answers.

The man got up and added:

"Let's do one more test: you are going to play, here on my computer, a simple and well-known game, I want to see how you do."

The girl sat down in front of the computer, while the professor, next to her, opened the Windows Minesweepers game. From the time she took understanding the game and how to win, he expected to complete a diagnosis.

After forty minutes, she did not seem to understand anything. The bombs were exploding in her face and she couldn't see them even in the clearest scenarios. Paul even made hints to her about how to think, but still she didn't get anything.

Paul said:

"I think I saw enough. I have already a final diagnosis."

"Wait, please. I just need a little more time."

He turned off the screen and said:
"I'm afraid computer science is not for you. I think your strengths point to a very different direction. I think you might want to seriously consider a career in nursing.

"What?!! I don't want to be a nurse. You don't even give me hope of being a doctor?"

"It's always up to you to study what you like. I'm just a counselor."

That was the end of the evaluation. Time later he realized she was at an advanced level in computer science at Hulu. One day he saw her on the university campus. He asked her how her career was going. Lora replied:

"Good! Excellent..."

He stared at her. She looked back at him and, with tears in her eyes, said:

"I should have listened to you. This is not for me. I don't like it."

"But you've already gone too far. Finish that career and then study another one you like. Now I can think of a career that should fit you like a glove, the best choice."

"Which one?" she asked.

"Nursing."

She looked at him... He smiled, and they both laughed...



Text credits: Amaponian Visitor (@amaponian)


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This professor is an interesting character, in a certain enigmatic sense. Psychological tests can give the illusion that the person administering them is a detective. It is clear to us readers that the applicant was not suited for computer science, but we have no basis to agree with the conclusion that she had an aptitude for nursing.
Thanks for writing this fun story for The ink Well, @amaponian. We'll be glad to find your interactions with the other writers.

but we have no basis to agree with the conclusion that she had an aptitude for nursing.

He was an authority on deciphering that code, the test he used tells him everything he needs (or almost everything). But this is just fiction, you know...

Thanks for your comment and your support.

Those who have taught in and out of a classroom could say Paul Gaultier's job is one of hardest in life. You basically held someone else's future in your hands.

I think you did great telling us about him and his passion. By the way, I laughed at this:

"What comes to your mind when I say 'byte'?"

"A dog!"

lol. Saludos.

Thanks for passing by. Thanks for your comment.