pattern recognition --- human character

I am a radiologist . Thinking back on the 10 years + in radiology i feel the most important skillset for a good radiologist is pattern recognition ability especially visual pattern recognition ability . Now if you think i am going to tell you about radiology as a career choice i promise i will be back  . For now  its about human character .

Recently i was reading through a series of  professional resumes and recommendations  in a professional internet forum .  It was curious when i found that for one person instead of the usual "professional " terminologies i found all the recommendations  for that person was stressing that the candidate was " a very kind person "  .  I was wondering initially how that trait will help in a job dealing with repairing machines . But  then thinking further about other careers like caring for the sick or even teaching pre-school kids  and i think all of you will agree that  this character i.e. very kind is a very desirable trait  .

So the point is the very trait which is a handicap in some fields like aggressive sales can be godsend in some fields like caring for the sick .

Recently i was in a chat conversation with a friend of mine in another part of the globe . I had met that person as a kid many years ago and now after so many years we had 3 chat conversations . Like an astrologer(do i look like one :)  )    i predicted that that person will travel places and be successful .  Since i am not an astrologer and being in radiology i had to back up my prediction with that persons personality traits  .  And both of us were happy that my assessment of personality traits was almost on the dot  .

Be it career choice, choosing close friends , even choosing spouse we all consciously or unconsciously look for key traits which are important to us . Like the "very kind person " example since careers as well as people are so different  we should all look into ourselves and try to identify what traits are most important to us and what all traits we have and others have  .  I am yet to see a " very kind ,very honest ,very understanding,very affectionate , very aggressive , very punctual "  person bundled into one and probably never will . But its very important you identify the traits you value relatively more and use that guideline in choosing everything be it career , be it a friend and even ones spouse .

This choice is important even while choosing inanimate objects like a laptop . I had 3 laptops in my last 10 years and the one i liked best was an IBM thinkpad .  I never got a compliment for that one but the key trait i chose it was for "toughness "  and i was happy with it throughout . It even lasted two falls from heights of 3 feet . I often think back if i had chosen the cutie "sony viao " which is great for many people but not for me . But does it mean everyone should buy a thinkpad ?  No way . The point is identify what you want and go for it  .

All people are not cut out for radiology . Similarly all careers dont need very kind persons .  The key is finding the best fit  . And lastly though you need visual pattern recognition ability to be a radiologist some "honest "observation within yourself as well as outside will make you an expert in human character . Dont agree or disagree ---comment please