Career planning overview

Career PlanningCourse Overview

Designed & Conducted by Professor Gian Fiero

About Professor Gian Fiero

I'm a growth expert and seasoned educator involved in higher learning as a postsecondary vocational education instructor (a.k.a. adjunct professor).

Career Planning is an empirically based course which draws heavily upon my experience working in corporate America for over 40 companies in multiple industries, as well as a menagerie of developmental, social, organizational, and motivational psychologies, in addition to neuroscience and marketing.

History & Overview

I originally designed my Career Planning class in 2005 for San Francisco State University’s College Of Extended Learning which prepares students for career advancement, career change, and personal growth.

Today the class caters to a diverse student body and workplace professionals who are striving to plan, prepare, and position themselves for a successful career in any industry.

Through a series of intensive self-discovery exercises which require the construction and use of career building diagrams, students learn how to accurately identify their values and strengths, as well as how to best utilize their talents and skills; which are key factors in career and life fulfillment.

Course Objective:To develop critical thinking skills as they relate to career and life fulfillment

Accomplished through a successful intelligence based curriculum.

Successful Intelligence, a triarchic theory of intelligence created by intelligence psychologist Robert J. Sternberg, is the ability to achieve success in life; i.e., the “real world.” It revolves around the integrated use of 3 intelligences:

Analytical intelligence - being analytically intelligent is having the ability to solve problems effectively.

Creative intelligence - is the ability to come up with new ideas, and generate innovative solutions.

Practical intelligence - is common sense and deals mostly with social situations; i.e., “street smarts.”

Grading & Essays

Essays are a crucial part of this course. They are used as a barometer to measure and evaluate student comprehension of the reading assignments and discussions.

Letter grades are given on essays. The key to receiving an “A” on essays in this class is demonstrating comprehension of the subject matter, and illustrating a strong grasp of the 3 components of successful intelligence on assignments.

Tests

Because tests, generally speaking, only test one’s ability to succeed in taking tests, they are not given in this class. Students who take this course acquire the skills and knowledge to pass the real tests that they will inevitably encounter in the real world.

Joint Venture Project

Students, like professionals, must learn to work together in order to reach goals and achieve results.

The joint venture project in Career

Planning is a collaboration with other students specifically designed to cultivate research, communication, and presentation skills, while stimulating entrepreneurial thinking.

7 Minute Thesis Presentations

The final exam is a thesis essay on what students learned in the class, and how that knowledge will be applied to their individual career endeavors once the class ends.

In addition, a 7 minute thesis presentation is required in which students verbalize their qualifications and value as they would for employers and business allies for evaluation. They are then sent into the real world with greater direction, self-knowledge, self-confidence, and clarity about their personal definitions of success.

3 Phases Of Life

The following were identified as human preoccupations by author John C. Maxwell:

Survival = Planning...is critical to this process. Success = Preparation…enables you to reach

goals. Significance = Positioning…how you are viewed by

others correlates to your value and impacts your worth.

At the completion of the Career Planning Course, students will be able to plan successful career strategies, prepare for challenges, and strategically position themselves in any field – regardless of what phase of life they are in.

Human Needs & Aspirations

Autonomy Competency Relatedness

By helping students become aware of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that underlie (and sometimes undermine) behavior and choices, students are taught to align their behavior, activities, and supporters with their true aspirations in an effort to have rewarding careers, and lead authentic lives.

Student Testimonials


“This is one of the best courses I have ever taken because it allowed me to learn about myself, think about ideal careers, and strive towards what I am passionate about. Professor Fiero's emphasis on application versus memorization allows me to walk away with more knowledge than I would have from a practical business course.”

~Ranna Rahmatian


“This class has been unlike any other college course I've taken. It might be because it forced me to get engaged...I'm finally ready to take what I've learned here and apply it to something greater than previously imagined.”

~Natalie Wilson


“Most pedagogy has been structured where students receive information with little direction as to how to apply what is learned, leaving students unable to bridge the gap and harness the power that is knowledge. The Career Planning class succeeds where others fail.”

~Nailah Young


“This class has been one of the most engaging and applicable courses I have taken in my college career. I have really appreciated the candor with which all of the lectures and discussions have been conducted, and it has been a serious challenge to examine myself so thoroughly.”

~ Jacob Winik

“This course has helped me without a doubt to convey my skills, abilities, and talents clearly. It has been the best 600 bucks I have spent in a very, very long time and I believe that it is a terrific investment in my future. ”

~Erica Stichbury


“You are an excellent professor that actually knows how to teach and involve your students. Your title as a "Growth Expert" fits you well as you have...not only...helped increase my industry IQ, but you have helped me grow as an individual, and for that...I thank you.

~Anthony Mays


“Each respective (career building) diagram taught me how to visually assess my strengths, threats, and several other factors that will impact my career choices.”

~Prenitss Andrews


“A good grade is just a letter; an epiphany is what I truly got from taking this class.”

~Tim Johnson

“One of the most empowering aspects of the class was not only learning about the different paths out there to take, but that with the right planning and attitude, you can create a vocation for yourself.”

~Nicole Gillihan


“I have learned quite a bit about myself through introspective as well as retrospective analysis, allowing me to make a more accurate and realistic judgment of where I want to be, how to get there, as well as providing an answer to my question of why my previous efforts have not been successful.”

~Andrew Marsters


“This class opened my senses to the daily details that make individuals successful - no matter what field they work in. The sayings, the steps, and strategies we went over will stick with me for the rest of my business life.”

~Fabian Washington


“Many thank yous for teaching an awesome class! I learned so much and left with not just knowledge, but insight into my motivations and strengths, and even more importantly, a direction…your spirit is fantastic and infectious.”

~ Katherine Heinz


“My experience is that the Career Planning class has helped me plan, prepare, and position myself for a successful life…it has prepared me for the real world.”

~ Hisham Dahud

The End

Contact Info

Professor: Gian Fiero Course Title: Career Planning

Website: www.professorfiero.blogspot.com

Email: [email protected]

Course offered through:

mailto:[email protected]

“Helping Minds and Individuals Grow for over 20 years.”