If you are going through a divorce, there are different reasons why your spouse may ask for a vocational evaluation. For example, they may want to convince the court that you don't deserve a certain amount of alimony, you can afford to pay a specific alimony amount, or you can afford a certain amount of child support. Here are some of the factors considered during a vocational evaluation:

Your Education

Formal education is one of the leading factors that determines how much a person can earn. That is why the vocational evaluator will ask for your educational papers, such as degrees and certificates. The evaluator will consider both the level and type of education.  For example, the average income of those who did not graduate from high school is around $25,636 while the average income of those with a bachelor's degree is $59,124.

Your Job Experience

Both salary and the chance of landing a good job increase with the length of job experience. Even if two people have the same level of education, the more experienced one is more likely to find a job and command a higher salary than the less-experienced one. For example, if you are a computer technician with seven years experience, it would be more difficult for you to convince the evaluator that you can't land a job than it would be for a recent computer technician graduate.

Your Technical Abilities and Skill

The modern workplace is not just about formal education. Technical abilities and skills also play a big role. In fact, there are even people with in-demand technical skills that they did not develop via formal education. For example, there are thousands of people who have taught themselves how to code and are busy earning money by freelancing. Therefore, even if you don't have formal education and experience, the evaluator can still use your skills and technical abilities to estimate how much you can or should be earning.

Your Interests

Lastly, it's is also clear that personal interests also play a role in earning ability. Maybe you can paint, you are good in woodwork, or you are good with words. There are different ways in which you can harness these interests to earn some money. Therefore, if the evaluator discovers that you have interests that can earn you money, but you are not using them, the evaluator is likely to find that your income is lower than what it should be.

A family lawyer may help you ensure that your vocational evaluation goes right and your financial situation isn't assessed unnecessarily high. For more information, contact a lawyer like those at Law Office of Greg Quimby, P.C. today.

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