Uncovering hidden talents

14/05/12

I don't know about you, but I am addicted to Channel 4's new programme, Hidden Talent. The series helps people to unlock their previously hidden talents and skills, by exploring how far natural talent can really go and if it has the potential to change your life. Participants were randomly selected and put through a series of tests to identify those with hidden abilities, and nine will now discover if they can go from being a total novice to a top-class performer in record time. Gripping stuff!

The Channel 4 website allows viewers to take an online test to see if they are harbouring some secret, amazing talent. The tests determine hidden talents in Lie Detection, Art Appreciation, Languages, Opera Singer and Free Diving, to name a few. I quickly found out that I would not be hired by a fine art gallery or MI5 any time soon!

Those that have really stood out so far are burly builder Richard, who showed an exceptional talent for spotting brilliant but fake art pieces amongst true masterpieces, and school drop-out, James, who learned fluent Arabic in just nine weeks. The programme shines a light on the role career guidance and aptitude tests can play in shaping a young person's life choices, whilst raising the question of how adequately these aids are used in school's today?

When I recall the aptitude tests my career guidance teacher, Rod Stewart (or so we called her because..she looked a little like the singer) gave us, it is hard not to feel a little cheated. The tests didn't test aptitude; they didn't test anything! If you decided that you might like to work in the medical field, it was clear at a quick glance through the form that to obtain the desired outcome you needed to pick, for example, mostly c and d answers. As far as guidance went, she told me I should think about becoming a home economics teacher despite having never studied the subject, nor expressing any desire to teach!

Career guidance and aptitude tests are hugely important for teenagers, particularly for those who have no idea what they want to do when they leave school. The big, bad world is a scary place and it's even scarier when you find yourself sitting in a university classroom, studying something you have no interest in or no connection to. Therefore, I think a ‘Hidden Talents' type test should be compulsory for all A level students - but what do you think?