How WOWI Began
The World of Work Inventory (WOWI) was developed in 1970 by Dr. Robert Ripley, a career research specialist working with the U.S. Department of Labor.
From 1958 to 1963, Dr. Ripley traveled throughout the United States studying occupations, workplace demands, and the skills required for success. During this time, he contributed to the development of the Third Edition of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) — a widely used occupational reference for many years.
Through this work, he identified a significant gap: professionals needed a comprehensive career assessment that could bring together multiple factors influencing career success.
That insight led to the creation of WOWI — one of the first fully integrated, multidimensional career assessments designed to support informed career decision-making.
*In 1998, O*Net replaced the DOT.
The WOWI is designed to provide an assessment of three major considerations in vocational counseling, planning, and career decision making:
Interests (Career Interest Areas)
Aptitudes-abilities
Temperaments (Job Satisfaction Indicators)
Combining these three types of information into one system is the greatest accomplishment of the system's developers.
—Karl Botterbusch, Professor, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, University of Wisconsin-Stout
Why a Multidimensional Approach to Career Assessment Matters
Watch this six-minute video to learn how career assessment research evolved and how WOWI became a trusted multidimensional tool for career guidance.
It provides essential background for understanding why a multidimensional approach to career assessment matters.