Blend Images Getting Readyahscareerpreparedness.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/2/4/11243042/chap… · technology. Your Peers’ Expectations A San Diego study discovered that teenagers have

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Part Part Part Part

Getting ReadyChapter 1 � Preparing Your Path to Success

Your choice of career will affect everything about your adult life—where you live, what your lifestyle is like, and how satisfied you arewith your life. By beginning your planning now, you will have a betterchance for future success and happiness. Career success startswith your P*A*T*H to Success—your passions, attitude, talents,and heart.

Chapter 2 � Influences on Career ChoicesEverything and everyone around you can influence your choice ofcareer. The people you know—your family, teachers, friends, andothers—often have the greatest effect on your career decisions. Byunderstanding how the many influences affect you, you will be ableto make the choices that lead to career success.

Chapter 3 � Understanding YourselfYou are a unique combination of passions, talents, personality, andvalues. Career assessments can help you discover how yourP*A*T*H to Success leads to a career plan. Career assessmentsmay involve answers to questions or informal activities. Allassessments help you learn about yourself and provide ways tocreate your career path.

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Preparing Your Path to Success1

• Discuss realistic careerexpectations.

• Compare the differencesbetween job, occupation,and career.

• Describe the steps inthe P*A*T*H toSuccess.

• Explain why careerplanning should beginnow.

• Describe how careerplanning supportscareer success.

job

occupation

career

career cluster

passion

attitude

talents

heart

transferable skills

specialized skills

W hen Adam was in school, hedreamed of earning a living

as an artist. Adam realized thatsculpture was his passion. Heliked working with natural mate-rials such as glass, wood, andmetal. Some people tried to con-vince Adam that art was just ahobby. However, he investigatedseveral careers, including variousfirms that used artwork for dif-ferent types of commercialprojects. Commercial contractsrequire that artists work closelywith clients and meet deadlines.Through his research, Adamfound that artists could make aliving with their art.

Working with his art teachers,counselor, and family, Adam setgoals for his future and devel-oped an education plan. Hechose classes that would meetthe entrance requirements of anart college. One of the classeswas welding, another way ofsculpting.

TodayAdam’s edu-cation and

skills support his passion. Hiscreative designs and sculptureswere the reasons that a landscapedesign firm hired him. At thefirm, a customer meets withAdam and a designer to create alandscape plan. His ironwork isoften used as part of a fence or asa trellis. His blown glass objectshang in the sunlight. By devel-oping a career plan and makingadjustments as he progressed,Adam achieved his dream ofearning his living as an artist.

What do you know?

1. What might happen if you do notplan for your career?

2. In your opinion, what are the prosand cons of waiting until you areready—maybe until after college—before planning your career?

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Career Expectations‘‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’’How many times have you been asked thatquestion? Your answer probably referred tosome type of paid or volunteer work becausemost adults work for a large portion of theirlives. Everyone has an idea of what work isand of what having a career means.

During her school years, Lucy enjoyedcreating meals for her friends. She wasalways in demand to prepare a meal.Six months ago Lucy was excited to get ajob as an assistant chef at a restaurant.Lucy thought she would be doing workshe enjoyed. She did not realize shewould be using prepackaged sauces andspecific recipes to prepare the dishes.The job was not what Lucy imaginedwhen she said she wanted to cookcreatively. Now she is very unhappy.However, she keeps working because shemust earn a living.

While attending high school, Pasangwas part of the team that wrote andedited the school magazine. He enjoyedresearching and organizing information.He looked for a job where he could usethe skills he learned from the magazine.Now he is a paralegal in the stateprosecutor’s office. Pasang cannot waitto get to work each day. He looks for-ward to investigating the laws and judicialdecisions relevant to his cases to assistthe attorneys during trials. In Pasang’sopinion, the days end too quickly.

Your ExpectationsEven if you do not know what you want fora career, you probably have some ideasabout what you expect to do. For example,you may assume that you will make a lot ofmoney or travel the world. You also mayhave general expectations about the type ofwork you will be doing. Perhaps you thinkabout working in the medical or legalprofession. Perhaps you see yourself usingtechnology.

Your Peers’ ExpectationsA San Diego study discovered that teenagershave the following expectations about theirfutures:

• Nearly one in three intends to have aprofessional career.

• One in twenty college students expects tobecome an actor, an artist, or a musician.

• Few dream about a blue-collar careerunless it is one in the military.

• Almost all expect to have a high-statusjob with high pay.

• Eighty percent expect to graduate with abachelor’s degree (four or more years ofcollege).

• Many believe that a bachelor’s degree isa vital tool for success.

• Seventy percent expect to earn anadvanced degree, such as a master’s, aPhD, or an MD.

Do you think the expectations expressed inthose statistics are realistic? Explain youranswer.

According to the study, your peers realizethat work is important for the future, butthey do not necessarily expect to enjoy their

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Think of what you love to do now—that could become yourcareer.

Chapter 1 Preparing Your Path to Success 3


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work. Many of them have not yet discov-ered that the secret to enjoying work is tochoose work that uses their strengths.When students know their strengths andlearn about career possibilities, they sethigher career goals and better understandhow to choose a fulfilling career.

For most students, their parents andfamily members, teachers, and friends—inthat order—have the greatest influence ontheir career decisions. When family mem-bers or other adults understand and com-municate the rewards of well-chosen work,students have a clearer understanding ofhow to choose satisfying careers.

The influence of friends also is impor-tant to students when they choose andprepare for their careers. Students are morelikely to be involved in school activitieswhen their friends are involved in schoolactivities. Also, students tend to be moreinterested in careers when their friends areinterested in career decisions.

Advice from various sources may behelpful, but building a successful career willdepend on how you use your strengths.Finding out about your strengths is some-thing you must learn to do for yourself.

The RealityAccording to the Gallup Youth Survey,students aged 13 through 17 are most likelyto select the following careers as their topchoices:

1. Teacher (top female choice)

2. Doctor

3. Lawyer

4. Sports field (top male choice)

5. Science/biology

In contrast, the Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) predicts the following top ten fastest-growing occupations between 2004 and 2014.According to the BLS, these ten occupationswill account for nearly 20 percent of theemployment growth in that span of years:

1. Home health aide

2. Network systems/data communicationsanalyst

3. Medical assistant

4. Physician’s assistant

5. Computer software applicationsengineer

6. Physical therapy assistant

7. Dental hygienist

8. Computer software systemsengineer

9. Dental assistant

10. Personal care aide

Career FactAre you training to play a professional

sport? Do you know that only 5.6 percent

of seniors who played high school base-

ball played college baseball? Less than

1 percent of those players signed pro con-

tracts. Put your education and training

first.

—Dr. Timothy Kremchek, NCAA sports

medicine, Cincinnati Enquirer article7

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When you are choosing a career, youneed to realize that the career demands often years ago are not the same as the careerdemands of today. Also, today’s careerdemands will not be the same as futurecareer demands. Battelle Institute predictsthat of the top ten careers for 2014, nonecurrently exists. The BLS states that whentoday’s kindergarten students reach the jobmarket, nearly 100 percent of their careerswill have different skills than the samecareers that exist today. Those labor trendsare important for you to understand as youplan your career. You want to make sureyou prepare for a career that will be avail-able when you finish your education or skilltraining. Chapter 4 provides more insightinto choosing a career that has positivelong-term prospects.

Do you have realistic career expec-

tations? Activity 1-1, ‘‘Career Planning

Quiz,’’ helps check your knowledge about

planning for a career.

4 Part 1 Getting Ready


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Job—Occupation—CareerJob, occupation, career—those terms areused constantly. Do they all have the samebasic meaning? Let’s consider thedifferences.

JobYou may have had at least one job, or youmay have one soon. Your job may bebabysitting, delivering newspapers, doingyard work, or assisting in an office. A job isa paid position involving a specific placeand time and specific tasks set by anemployer. A job allows you to save forsomething, to pay bills, or to put money inyour bank account. You choose a job notonly because you like what you are doing,but also because you immediately earnmoney to meet your needs. So you maychoose a job simply because of the benefityou will receive from the money you earn.You also may choose a job because youwant to get some experience in a field youare considering for long-term employment.

A job is often temporary. In fact, afterthe age of 25, a person changes jobs anaverage of 10 to 15 times throughout his orher lifetime.

OccupationAn occupation is a specific set of skills thatrequires special training, education, orexperience. A person with those skills ispart of that occupation—whether or not theperson is currently working in a paid job.For example, a person trained as an engi-neer is an engineer even when he or she isnot working in a job in that field. People inan occupation may consider their occupa-tion as a job or as a career.

CareerWhen asked what the difference is betweena job and a career, people often say that acareer is something for life and a jobsatisfies a short-term need. A careerdescribes a lifetime work history or long-term participation in a particular field.

When choosing a career, many people basetheir choice on what they like doing andwhat they want to do the rest of their lives.Instead of considering a career as just a wayto earn a living, they see a career as animportant, positive part of their lives.

All possible careers in a subject area aregrouped in a career cluster . For example,dental assistants, registered nurses, radiol-ogy technicians, personal trainers, anddoctors all have careers in the health clus-ter. No matter what the career cluster is,most people begin in an entry-level job.Then they improve their skills and progressto more complex careers. While people dochange careers, they do not switch asoften as they change jobs. The averageadult changes careers between five andeight times from age 25 until the end ofworking.

‘‘‘‘Choose a job you love, and you will

never work a day in your life.’’

—Confucius, Chinese philosopher,,A Career or a Job?Many times a person chooses a job basedon its location and pay. The person maythink, ‘‘The job fills the needs I have rightnow. I don’t know whether I’ll like the job,but that’s not important in the long run.’’

However, liking a career is very impor-tant. The career path you choose will affectall aspects of your life—your life outsideyour work as well as the work that you do.Research shows that people who enjoy theircareers are more satisfied with their lives.They see a career as an important, positivepart of their lives. The closer your career isto your talents and passions, the moresatisfied you will be with it.

Marcus worked after school in his UncleJamal’s dry cleaning business. Heenjoyed talking to his uncle about thebusiness. He sorted dirty clothes, workedin the heat of the pressing machines, andwatched his uncle put in long days.



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Marcus could not understand why hisuncle chose to own several dry cleaningstores. After all, his uncle had a collegedegree in chemistry.

When Marcus asked his uncle toexplain, Jamal said that he had workedfor a dry cleaner during his high schoolyears. He was fascinated with the chem-istry of making clothes clean. He learnedthe scientific formulas for getting rid ofthe many kinds of stains and the chal-lenge of cleaning various fabrics. To findout more about chemical reactions,Jamal studied chemistry in high schooland college. Since then, he developed hisown cleaning formulas.

Jamal saw his employer expand tothree stores. Jamal enjoyed figuring outwhat he would do if he were the owner ofthe business. He wanted the challenges

of making his own decisions and beinginvolved in all aspects of his business. Tohelp realize his dream, Jamal took manybusiness courses as well as classes inchemistry. Now, his career includes bothof his passions—science and business.

When his uncle Jamal retired, Marcusnot only took over his uncle’s three stores,but also expanded with nine more storesin neighboring towns. In addition, Jamalcreated unique cleaning solutions for re-moving hard-to-clean stains. He patentedthe chemical formulas for the solutions.Now he sells them to a dry cleaning supplyhouse for nationwide distribution.

In Activity 1-2, ‘‘Learning from Others,’’

you discover how successful people

have chosen and planned their careers.

Certified Personal Trainer

Louie Brockhoeft’s love of sports startedin elementary school. He played football,basketball, and baseball in high schooland college. After college graduation,Louie worked in nonsports careers butwas a coach and a referee in his sparetime. Then he decided to become involvedin health and fitness full-time. Becoming apersonal trainer was a natural fit. Louiewas passionate about fitness. He con-stantly researched the human body’sreaction to training. He studied nutritionbooks and web sites. With his majors inpsychology and marketing, Louie had theeducation to support his work and real-world experiences.

Through the National Academy of SportsMedicine, Louie became a Certified Per-

sonal Trainer. Hisemployer, MercyHeal thPlex, ahealth and well-

ness center, requires that license for itspersonal trainers. Since he beganworking for Mercy, Louie has cho-sen to increase his expertise bypassingother certifications. Thosecertifications allow him to workon people who are havingspecial problems, such aswith their back and knees.What is Louie’s next step?He is writing abusiness plan toexplore startinghis own trainingbusiness.

For more informationabout:

• personal trainers and similar careers

• personal training certification

access www.thomsonedu.com/school/iycand click the appropriate links.

Source: Personal interview, May 2006

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Many web sites provide information aboutcreating a career path. These sites includestories, career information, and life-planninginformation. Some sites include assessmentsto help you explore your talents, passions,and personality.

Access www.thomsonedu.com/school/

iyc and click the link for Chapter 1. Investigateat least two areas in one of the sites. Writedown ideas that might be helpful in learningabout yourself and in developing a careerplan. If you see any unfamiliar terms, writethem down and find their definitions.

Your P*A*T*H to SuccessFinding your path to a satisfying careerrequires careful planning and thoughtfuldecisions. It is not an easy task, but it ischallenging and exciting. You may notrealize when you look at career areas thatyou hold the key to discovering your career.That key is knowing yourself. Discoveringyour career path begins with you. Youshould base your career choice on yourpassions and your talents.

Your journey to a successful careerbegins with setting goals. Although yourgoals may change over time, the things thatyou enjoy doing and the talents that youhave do not change. Your career choicedepends on you. The journey to your careerwill be rewarding, and you will achievecareer satisfaction. However, before youcan follow your passions and talents to acareer, you must investigate your interests,your values, and your skills. You need toevaluate who you are so you can find outwho you can be.

This book offers you ways to find thepath that will lead to a satisfying career, onethat fits your passions and talents. TheP*A*T*H to Success is one tool. It will helpyou begin your self-discovery process.

PassionUncovering your passions is the first step onyour P*A*T*H to Success. Passion refers tothe strong, positive feelings you experiencewhile enjoying something. Being good atsomething does not always mean you enjoydoing it. Begin to identify your career-related passions by thinking about whatmakes you happy. What were your favoriteplay activities as a child? What do youchoose to do in your spare time?

AttitudeAttitude refers to the way you feel aboutsomething. Think about an activity youselected as one of your passions. Are youexcited about doing that activity? Do you doit well? Enthusiasm and the belief that youcan excel make up a positive attitude. Apositive attitude helps you believe that youcan achieve anything. Choosing a positiveattitude is the second step on your P*A*T*Hto Success.

TalentsTalents are natural strengths and abilities.Everyone has them. The third step of theP*A*T*H to Success is to determine anddevelop your talents. Consider them whenlooking at career clusters. By choosing acareer that matches your talents, you canexpand your strengths to create yourcareer path.

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Your childhood passions may become the start of your career.



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HeartHeart refers to what you believe is impor-tant to your life choices. The fourth step onyour P*A*T*H to Success is finding yourheart. You must answer these questions:‘‘What are my values? Who and what arethe important influences in my life?’’ Youranswers will help you believe in yourself,choose a lifestyle and a career that youenjoy, and develop the flexibility anddetermination you need to reach yourgoals.

How much do you know about your

talents and passions? Activity 1-3, ‘‘Sur-

vey Your Strengths,’’ helps you with the first

step to self-discovery.

Why Plan Now?In the past, career planning was often putoff until students graduated from highschool. At that point, students eitheraccepted the best job they could find—whether or not it was the best job forthem—or started college, hoping to finda career while taking classes.

In college, career planning was usuallyas uncommon as it was in high school. Theemphasis was often on how students couldprepare for available jobs in the labormarket. Some students may have obtaineda degree first and then started thinkingabout job possibilities. Career research andassessments were simply tools that studentssometimes used to fit themselves intocareers with high growth potential.

Until the mid 1980s, people often stayedin one career all of their working lives.Employers usually initiated career changesthrough transfers, promotions, or termina-tions of employees. On average, adultschanged careers only three times in alifetime. Today the average is eight toten times.

Advances in technology and globalcompetition have caused many changes inthe workplace. In today’s labor market,

people need to be independent. Mostemployers expect employees to plan anddirect their own career development. To besuccessful in today’s competitive job mar-ket, people need to develop two types ofskills:

1. Transferable skills are work tasksthat are used in various types ofcareers. For example, transferableskills include the ability to communi-cate well with others, to identify andsolve problems, to set and evaluategoals, to use a computer, to workeffectively in a team, and to lead others.

2. Specialized skills are the uniqueknowledge and abilities needed forspecific occupations. For example, theability to write programming code andthe ability to operate a specific machineare specialized skills.

Having a broad skill base gives people morecareer choices and more flexibility in theirworking lives. That flexibility then helpspeople adapt to the changing labor market.

The hot fields in the labor market con-tinue to change rapidly. New technologies,expanding trade, and global economiccompetition mean greater opportunitiesand challenges. You can succeed by takingresponsibility for your own career plan-ning. In addition, you must commit tolifelong learning.

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School activities may impact your career decisions.



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What do you think might happen if you delayplanning for your career until you graduatefrom high school?

What is the importance of transferable

skills? Use Activity 1-4, ‘‘Transferable

Skills’’ to understand the value of those skills

in your career planning.

Planning for Career SuccessDream! With a positive attitude that usesyour passions, your talents, and your heart,you can use this book to plan for a career.Life is 10 percent what happens to you and90 percent how you react to it.

As a big sister, Kathleen liked to playwith her younger brothers and sister.She created a family library, plannedsummer activities, wrote plays, andperformed shows to entertain her sib-lings. In school, Kathleen either acted inor worked backstage for every play. Shealso took part in speech competitions.Her part-time job was working in thelocal library.

When Kathleen began planning hercareer, she thought about severalchoices. She listened to the career ideasof her family, teachers, and friends. Thenshe thought, Why would I want to dosomething that other people think Ishould do? Why not do what I enjoydoing? So Kathleen planned a career asa drama, speech, and English teacher.Her early teaching skills and talent fororganizing became her working life.What she liked to do—and did well—became her career choice.

Career Success TipBeing high-tech is often a huge part of

your life.Useyourexistingtechnologyskills

as transferable skills for your future.7

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What Is a Career Plan?Your career will be a lifelong journey ofself-discovery and accomplishment. Acareer plan is similar to a proposed sched-ule for a journey. To build your career plan,you will:

• Travel the P*A*T*H to Success.

• Research career clusters to find careerfields that complement your passions,spark your positive attitude, allow you toexercise your talents, and match yourheart.

• Identify skill requirements in your cho-sen career clusters.

• Set goals for education, training, andexperience.

Finally, you will design your career plan bylisting the steps you need to take to reachyour goals. As you begin to carry out yourcareer plan, you will find that you need tobe flexible. Life does not always go accord-ing to plan. However, if you start planningnow, you can use your career plan to helpyou make decisions that will lead towardthe goals you set.

A career plan allows you to be in charge.Rather than going through life waiting for abig break—the million-dollar jackpot or thegenie in the bottle—you can make your ownluck. Why not go through life doing some-thing that gives you satisfaction? Findsomething based on your goals, your tal-ents, and your passions. Find somethingthat helps you be happy and productive.Now is the time to design a winning gameplan for achieving your dream career.

Throughout this book, you will seethis portfolio icon, which identifiesspecific documents as ones you

may want to put into your Career PortfolioBuilder. Your Career Portfolio Builder is aplace to collect records of experiences thathelp you make career decisions, such assamples that illustrate your passions andtalents, assessments, and much more. Youmay keep items on your computer, yourdesk, or both. You also may add itemssuch as personal notes about your career



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journey. When you look through the folder,you can review the results of your careerplanning efforts. Summaries of your per-sonal P*A*T*H to Success, results of yourcareer research, and samples of yourimagination will help you in the processof discovering your career.

If you lived in California and you wanted todrive to New York to visit friends, what couldhappen if you left without luggage or a map?

Succeed through Career PlanningBoth the planning process and your careerplan will give you a head start towardcareer success. By knowing yourself—yourpassions, attitude, talents, and heart—youwill be able to choose a career that fits you.

Finding your career focus helps youconcentrate on your education. Settinggoals provides a motivation for finishinghigh school and directs your future educa-tion and training. Some students and someparents think that career planning shouldbe postponed until after high school orshould take place during college. College isnot a career plan. The costs of going tocollege make it an expensive way to exper-iment with career choices.

Not having a career plan is a directcause of many students’ problems, accord-ing to Jean Twenge of San Diego StateUniversity:

• One of five teenagers does not completehigh school. That means that after 10 to12 years of school, they will have troublegetting even entry-level work.

• Three out of ten high school graduatesfinish high school with no plans forfurther education and training. In real-ity, they have only begun to develop theskills employers seek and will have adifficult time building a satisfyingcareer.

• One-third of students who start collegedo not finish it. Starting with a career

plan could have given them motivationfor graduating.

• Without a career plan, college graduatesoften take positions that are unrelated totheir majors, giving up some of theadvantages their degrees could haveprovided in their careers.

The process of developing a career plan willhelp you organize your thoughts towardyour future in a satisfying career. You willbe able to set and achieve goals that allowyou to build career success through workyou have chosen to do.

Benefits of Having a Career PlanAt the end of this course, you will be able topicture your future because you startedplanning now. You will have a good idea ofwhere you are going. You also will have agreat design of how to get there. You will besaying yes to the following statements:

4 School is the place to start the rest of mylife. I will take advantage of what myschool offers.

4 Many factors influence my career choice,including my family, my teachers, mycounselor, and my friends. I have paidattention to those influences in decidingmy career area.

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High school graduation should not be the end of youreducation.



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4 I have taken career assessments thathelped me identify my passions andtalents and career cluster possibilities.

4 I have researched career areas that usemy talents and passions.

4 I have investigated the trends for mycareer in the future. I want to train for acareer that will be needed in the future.

4 I have talked with others in my careerarea and listened to their advice.

4 I have investigated the education andskill training needed after high school formy career area.

4 I am aware of the cost of the educationand training for my career area. I knowhow to look for financial aid opportuni-ties to lessen a financial burden.

4 I have written down my career plan,including the courses I need now andlater in my education. My plan fits mycareer interests.

4 Whenever possible, I will work part-timein my career area to gain experience thatcan help me make my career decision.

4 I know where to search for jobs and howto go through the job search process.

4 I have started my Career PortfolioBuilder. The folder includes my careerassessment results; my resume; the hon-ors I have received; letters from employ-ers and teachers; samples of my bestwork; and other items that describe mypassions, attitude, talents, and heart. Iwill update the contents of my CareerPortfolio Builder regularly and continueto use it as a guide in making my careerdecisions.

Career Success TipYour talents may qualify you for several

very different types of careers. Ask yourself

if what you are doing today will become a

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This checklist may seem long to you.However, the more you prepare, the moreyou research, the more you plan—all ofthose will help you have a successful future.Whatever advice you hear saying you canbe anything you want to be is untrue. Noone is talented at everything.

Planning is realistic. Knowing the realityof your situation helps you reach your goalsmore clearly. Teens surveyed by San DiegoState University predicted that at the ageof 30 they would be earning $75,000. Thereality is that the average income of a30-year-old is $27,000. Learning the truthmakes you better prepared to reach yourhopes and dreams.

The Case Challenges give you the oppor-

tunity to help Sabrina and Julio take

charge of their career planning problems.

Planning for Next Year

41. Choose class schedule.

42. Check out new clubs. Maybe sports?

43. Work with Student Council to startplastic bottle recycling.

44. Take career assessments.

45. Make appointment with counselor totalk about future career choices,education, etc.

Writing down steps for career planning is important.



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Chapter 1 Assessment

* Summary• I can identify realistic career

expectations.How well I learn to understand myself,the advice and experience of others, myeducation and skills training, and labormarket trends all influence my careerchoice.

• I know the differences between themeanings of the terms job, occupa-tion, and career.Job refers to a paid position involvinga specific place and time and certaintasks set by an employer. Occupationdescribes a group of related skillsthat require special training. Careerdescribes a long-term work historyin a specific field of expertise.

• I can describe the steps of theP*A*T*H to Success.My P*A*T*H to Success has four steps:uncovering my career-related passions,choosing a positive attitude, identifyingmy talents, and finding out what is

important to my heart. Following myP*A*T*H to Success allows me tochoose career clusters that are com-patible with my talents and passions.

• I understand why career planningshould begin now.Developing a career plan now allowsme to focus my education and skilltraining in the direction of careerclusters that suit me. I can chooseactivities and classes that help meprepare for my future career success.

• I can describe how career planningsupports career success.The career planning process and thecareer plan I design will give me a headstart toward career success. By know-ing myself and selecting career clustersthat require my talents and that reflectmy passions, I can set goals that willhelp me finish my education andachieve career success.



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* Vocabulary BuilderChoose the term that best fits thedefinition.

a. attitude

b. career

c. career cluster

d. heart

e. job

f. occupation

g. passion

h. specialized skills

i. talents

j. transferable skills

1. A long-term work history in a particu-lar field

2. Strong, positive feelings you experiencewhile enjoying something

3. Unique knowledge for specificoccupations

4. Natural strengths and abilities

5. A group of all of the possible careers inan entire subject area

6. A specific set of skills that requiresspecial training, education, orexperience

7. Refers to what you believe is importantto your life choices

8. Work tasks that are used in varioustypes of careers

9. Refers to the way you feel aboutsomething

10. A paid position involving a specificplace and time and specific tasks setby an employer

* Review What You Have Learned1. What do you expect from your future

careers?

2. What people influence most students’career decisions?

3. What do students chose as their top tencareer fields?

4. What do the top ten careers of thefuture have in common?

5. How can a career cluster have bothentry-level and complex careers?

6. What is the difference between a joband a career?

7. The P*A*T*H to Success is made up ofwhat four components?

8. Why should you develop a career planbefore you graduate from high school?

9. What is the difference between trans-ferable skills and specialized skills?

10. What are some of the specific steps increating a career plan?

11. What are some of the specific benefitsof creating a career plan?



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* ActivitiesActivity 1-1 Career Planning Quiz

How much do you know about planningfor a career? Decide whether each of thefollowing statements is true or false.

1. If you do not actually work in a career,you cannot tell whether it is the one foryou.

2. Anyone can do any job as long as he orshe decides to do it.

3. The average person in the United Statesspends more time doing work activitiesthan any other type of activity.

4. Most careers in the future will requiremore than a high school education.

5. Just wait—the right job opportunitywill come your way.

6. The majority of people spend theiradult lives in the same career.

7. Anyone who plans to work right out ofhigh school needs the same basic aca-demic skills as someone who plans togo to college.

8. The top ten fastest-growing careershave not changed in more than20 years.

9. If you get an associate degree, youmust later get a bachelor’s degree.

10. Most high-tech fields, such as elec-tronic design, require a bachelor’sdegree.

11. The number one reason people arefired from jobs is that they are lazy.

12. Choose math, science, and technologyelectives to fill in your schedule. Theywill provide the most skills for careersof the future.

13. Rapidly changing technology and con-tinual advances in technology are themain reasons for the creation of newcareers and the changing of currentcareers’ skills.

Activity 1-2 Learning from OthersInterview one or two people who aresuccessfully employed in a career clusterthat interests you.

1. Following is a list of some areas todiscuss:• How did you make your career

choice?

• Did you have a career plan? If so,how did you arrive at your plan? Ifnot, why not?

• How did your values and beliefsinfluence your career path?

• What person(s) made an influenceon your career decision? How didthe person(s) affect your choice?

• What was your education/trainingpath?

• What are some of the best experi-ences you have had in your career?Why did you choose them?

• What were some difficulties youencountered, and how did you over-come them?

• What was going on in your regionand the world while you were mak-ing your career choices? Did theevents affect your career plan? Whyor why not?

• Based on your experience, would youdo anything differently when plan-ning your career? If so, what?

• What advice would you give tosomeone beginning a career similarto yours?

2. Summarize your findings for a classdiscussion or a written report. Tellwhat you learned from the person orpeople you interviewed that will helpyou in planning your career.

3. Prepare a time line to show the careerdecisions of one of the people youinterviewed.



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Activity 1-3 Survey Your StrengthsLearning about yourself is one ofthe first steps in discovering yourcareer. The discovery process

helps you identify your talents andpassions.

1. Complete the following statements.• As a child, I liked . . .

• Today I like . . .

• My strengths are . . .

• Others describe me as . . .

2. Imagine you find an intriguing bottleon the side of the road. You pick up the

bottle and start cleaning off the dirt.Out pops a genie! You know the restof the story—the genie must grantyou three wishes. Of course, the catchis that this genie is limited to grantingonly career-related wishes. Considerwhat would be important to you foryour future career. Do you have theskills and abilities for that career?What training do you need? What typeof lifestyle is best for you? Write thethree wishes you would ask the genieto grant.

Activity 1-4 Transferable SkillsHaving a number of transferable skillsincreases the number and variety ofcareer opportunities available to you.

1. List at least three of your activities.

2. Decide what transferable skills you aredeveloping through these activities.

3. Identify some careers that use thoseskills.

Activity Transferable Skills Career Areas

Examples: playing computergames

using a computerproblem solving

business ownertechnology career

planning a party organizing, designing,problem solving

cateringinterior design

* Case Challenges

After reading both casestudies, analyze each careerplanning situation. Have

Sabrina and Julio successfully preparedfor the future? If not, suggest activitiesthey can do to make clearer careerdecisions.

1. School does not really interest Sabrina,and her grades are not terrific. Sheplans to take only the classes she needsfor graduation and to fill the rest of herschedule with ‘‘fun’’ classes. She justwants to enjoy time with her friendsand pass her classes. Sabrina wonderswhat school has to do with the realworld anyway. She works at a fast-foodrestaurant, and she believes she can

cover her expenses on her own. If sheneeds more money, Sabrina figures shecan use a credit card and share anapartment with Susie and Petra.

2. After high school graduation, Julioplans on going to college for hisbachelor’s degree. He does not knowwhat courses he will take in college.Instead, he figures he has at least fouryears to decide. Julio has his collegefund, and he knows his grades are goodenough for a scholarship the first year.His parents want him to go to college,so he knows they will pay his expenses.He is sure college advisers tell studentswhat to do, so why does he need todecide about a college major now?



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* Answers to Activity 1-1You will find more information in thesuggested chapters mentioned below.

1. False. Observing people working incareers or interviewing them are twoways to help you decide your career.Chapters 2, 3, and 8 offer more ideas.

2. False. Of course not. How could youpossibly have all of the specific skillsneeded for every career? Chapter 3helps you investigate your talents andpassions to aid you in creating yourcareer path.

3. True. A career will take up more timein your adult life than your time offexcluding sleep. That is why it is soimportant to plan well for your career.

4. True. The Department of Labor proj-ects that 85 percent of the careers ofthe future will require training beyondhigh school. However, only 15 percentof those careers will require a bach-elor’s degree. Chapter 4 gives morespecific information about this topic.

5. False. If you wait for a job, you maywait a long time. Great jobs often comefrom part-time jobs, referrals fromfamily or friends, and internships.Chapter 3 gives you ideas for informalcareer experiences. Chapter 13 helpsyou in your job search.

6. False. The number of times a personwill change careers keeps increasing, asmore careers require similar basicskills. Currently, a person changescareers an average of eight to ten timesafter age 25.

7. True. Reading, writing, computing,and listening are basic skills needed for

any career. Critical thinking and prob-lem solving are important also.

8. False. The Bureau of Labor Statisticsrevises its data every two years. The topten fastest-growing careers vary everytwo years. However, in the last six years,the majority of careers on that job listare health- and technology-related.

9. False. Many careers are available withan associate degree. Chapters 8 and 9assist you in deciding whether totransfer to earn a bachelor’s degreeor go to work. (Remember, manyemployers reimburse education costs.)

10. False. High-tech fields generallyrequire training beyond high schoolbut often do not require a bachelor’sdegree. Chapters 8 and 9 will give youmore information.

11. False. The number one reason peopleare fired from jobs is that they cannotget along with their coworkers. Thesecond reason is that they have anattendance problem—they frequentlymiss work or are late to work.

12. True. Look at the top ten fastest-growing careers on page 4. What theyall have in common is math, science,or technology. Even if you do not planto use those courses directly in yourcareer, you need the courses to work inthose industries.

13. False. Changes and advances in tech-nology are reasons for new careers andchanges in current careers. However,global competition and both transfer-able and specialized skills are alsoimportant reasons.



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