Long-time educator Anthony Gregoric developed a set of categories to describe the way students perceive and react to the world to understand their learning styles and determine how best to teach them. Concrete sequential students focus on what they perceive with their five senses; on the “here and now,” as opposed to the abstract. They also organize information in a “linear, step-by-step manner,” Cortland University professor Margaret Anderson explains.

Math Skills

Jobs that require strong math skills would appeal to many concrete sequential learners, including statistical analysis, accounting, banking, financial writer, business analyst and insurance claims adjuster. These are suitable jobs for concrete sequential learners who tend to be highly logical and like to complete tasks that are governed by clear-cut rules and principles. They’re good at following directions, Anderson writes. She adds that concrete sequential learners think logically and crave order, a steady routine and predictability. They tend to work better alone than in groups and are uncomfortable dealing with abstract thoughts or concepts.

Project Management

Other suitable jobs for concrete sequential learners include contract/project oversight/management in the construction, engineering and computer fields. This group tends to make good “practical managers,” based on their “gift for organizing people and things.” They perform well in jobs that require a high degree of organization.

But, as Susan Baum and other teachers at Bridges Academy in Connecticut point out, because they “like to manage others according to how to they perceive things should be done, their lack of social skills can get in the way.” As a result, they may be more successful in management that requires monitoring of successful task completion through reports and other indirectly produced updates, rather by than through direct reporting from (or supervision of) employees. For this reason, concrete sequential learners tend to perform well in self-managed jobs such as aviation (pilot or air traffic control), computer programming, medical research and textbook or technical writing.

Structured Environment

Because concrete sequential learners tend to be attentive to detail and crave routine, predictability and step-by-step tasking, they would also function well in jobs such as factory (assembly line) production, quality control inspector, engineering, architecture, intelligence data analysis and audio/video technician.

These types of jobs are suitable for this group, which tends to develop firm habits, are punctual and tend to be perfectionists, Eric Ely, Superintendent of Schenectady Public Schools explains.