Career Preparation ->
|
 Teacher Page
|
It's not too early to start thinking about your future and investigating career options!
Picking a career is a life-long process that involves discovering your interests, skills, talents and values, planning, and making good choices.
This “Thing” is about you! You will learn about a five-step process that can help you find occupations that you might like and that might be right for you. You will identify your interests, explore careers suitable for you, and develop an action plan.
You will want to revisit and revise your initial choices as your interests change and your skills and abilities grow.
NOTE: Keep a journal or log to record your findings and reflections as you move through this "Thing".
Career Development - A Planning Process
People tend to be more successful and happy when the occupation they choose matches their interests, talents, abilities, values, capabilities, and work personality types. The following five-step process can
help you find occupations that you might like and that might be right for you.
Step 1: Develop an understanding of who you are.
Know yourself. There are many self-assessment tools you can use to identify your interests, abilities, skills, talents, and the level of education that you hope to complete. Think about the hobbies you have and what you like to do in your free time. What do people say you are good at doing? What subjects at school do you like?
Once you know who you are, you can identify and explore careers that fit you best.
help you find occupations that you might like and that might be right for you.
Step 1: Develop an understanding of who you are.
Know yourself. There are many self-assessment tools you can use to identify your interests, abilities, skills, talents, and the level of education that you hope to complete. Think about the hobbies you have and what you like to do in your free time. What do people say you are good at doing? What subjects at school do you like?
Once you know who you are, you can identify and explore careers that fit you best.
|
Who Am I? Activity
Use this assessment activity to help you think about your interests and consider your skills. Then, brainstorm and complete the Who Am I? graphic organizer or create your own mind map using a program like Bubbl.us (http://bubbl.us). Click the button on the right to download the "who am I.doc" file. |
 |
|
What Work Personality Types Are You?
Psychologist John Holland has identified a theory of six work personality types, each of which is a combination of interests and preferences, values, and abilities. Each personality type has a corresponding work environment type. People who work in an environment related to their personality type tend to be more happy and successful. Check out the characteristics of the six personality types. Which type are you most like? |
 The Holland Hexagon
|
|
Personality Plus Activity
Complete the activity to (1) better determine which of the six personality types best describe you and which type you are most like - your primary personality type, (2) complete a Holland Code survey (paper version or online version) to determine your personality types and identify your two-letter or three-letter Holland Code - an occupational interest code which is a combination of two or three of the personality types, (3) get a list of occupations that correspond to your Holland Code of personality/work environment types, and (4) select careers that are of interest to you. You can refer to the following information:
View a more complete list of related careers that match your resulting interest code in the Interests category of the O*NET database. Select the Job Zone that indicates your expected level of education, training, and experience (5 being highest educational level) to show only the occupations that match that level of education. |
Activity Click the Personality Plus button
to open the activity.
|
Step 2: Explore career options suitable for you.
Careers having similar characteristics and requiring similar skills can be grouped together. There are 16 national Career Clusters and 6 Michigan Career Pathways.
Once you know your interests, you can determine which of the national career clusters or Michigan career pathways fit you. You can also identify which careers interest you from the list of careers that match your survey/quiz results. You can then choose what you would like to explore.
Careers having similar characteristics and requiring similar skills can be grouped together. There are 16 national Career Clusters and 6 Michigan Career Pathways.
Once you know your interests, you can determine which of the national career clusters or Michigan career pathways fit you. You can also identify which careers interest you from the list of careers that match your survey/quiz results. You can then choose what you would like to explore.
The Federal Career Clusters
 The 16 Federal Career Clusters
Each cluster of the 16 national Career Clusters is a collection of occupations in the same field of work with similar skills and characteristics. Each cluster is divided into several sub-sections (Pathways) that are part of that group. You can use the pathway sub-sections to explore the knowledge, skills, and training required for occupations in each pathway sub-section.
Explore the national Career Cluster(s) and related Pathways that fit you. Click on the name of the Career Cluster to learn more about it, view its pathways, and see a listing of occupations in each pathway. Write a reflection on your log in which you explain which national Career Clusters and related Pathways fit you. You can also browse by Career Cluster (O*NET OnLine) to find careers. Choose the name of the Career Cluster and click GO. Click on the career to view information about it. 
The Career Clusters icons are being used with permission of the: States’ Career Clusters Initiative, 2010, www.careerclusters.org |
Michigan's Career Pathways
Michigan's 6 Career Pathways
Michigan’s six Career Pathways are broad groupings of careers that share similar characteristics and employment requirements. Workers within a career pathway often share many common interests and competencies.
Review the Michigan Career Pathways poster to learn about the six career pathways. Write a reflection on your log in which you explain which Michigan Career Pathways fit you.
Review the Michigan Career Pathways poster to learn about the six career pathways. Write a reflection on your log in which you explain which Michigan Career Pathways fit you.
|
Explore Suitable Careers Activity
Which careers interest you from the list of careers that match your survey/quiz results? What would you like to explore? 1. Download the "explore_two_careers.doc" file on the right and review the Explore Careers Chart. It lists what information you will be looking for as you explore your careers. |
 Click this button to download
the Explore 2 Careers .doc file.
|
2. Search and Record your findings on the Chart.
There are many resources that you can use to explore occupations that match your interests.
There are many resources that you can use to explore occupations that match your interests.
- Consider your options and choose one or two careers that interest you.
- Search and Record your information on the Chart.
Start exploring the career(s) using the O*NET Database and the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) to answer the questions on the Explore Careers Chart. You have already found related careers that match your Holland Interest Code through the O*NET Interest areas. Record your information on the Chart.
From O*NET you can also Search titles with the Occupational Outlook Handbook crosswalk or you can directly use the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Career-related videos
- You can also watch career-related videos:
Watch career videos - Select the cluster title to view a list of career videos in that cluster. Click on View opposite the title of a career to watch the video.
View skills and ability videos about what skills people use in certain types of work.
3. Want more information on a specific occupation? You can search the Web using:
- a search engine such as Google
- a job-related search tool such as Indeed–One Search, Monster Jobs, or MonsterTrak
- search in one of the MeL databases such as SIRS Discoverer and/or LearningExpress (from your school networked computer or login from home using a Michigan State ID)
Which Career? Activity
Click on the button to open the "Which Career?" activity. Construct a spreadsheet to compare four salaries. Analyze the results and create a Decision Making Table.
Which career has the best salary?
Steps 3 and 4: Make informed decisions. Create goals and action plans.
You have lots of career choices that match your interests and personality types.
Activities:
Step 5: Document your work.
As you grow older and develop new interests, careers that are suited for you may change. By documenting your career choices, long-term and short-term goals, and action plans in an Educational Development Plan, you will be able to review and modify your decisions and plans.
Final Activity:
Add a page to your portfolio, blog, Weebly, or webpage that demonstrates your knowledge about "Career Prep ". Make it creative and unique. Remember to include:
You have lots of career choices that match your interests and personality types.
- Evaluate your options, choose careers to research further, and identify the career pathways that match who you are.
- Read about developing a career plan and review a sample plan. What are your goals?
Activities:
- Develop long-term and short-term goals and an Action Plan of how you will reach them. What educational courses might be appropriate for you to take in high school and what training or education might you need after high school? You can find information on finding post-high school training or education at Find Schools and at Select a School.
- Check out how you can better prepare yourself for your career interests. Create a Career Planning Timeline using an interactive online tool from Xpeditions.
Brainstorm and create a timeline of jobs, volunteer activities, trips, and other experiences related to your career interests. Then, include the items in your Career Plan.
Step 5: Document your work.
As you grow older and develop new interests, careers that are suited for you may change. By documenting your career choices, long-term and short-term goals, and action plans in an Educational Development Plan, you will be able to review and modify your decisions and plans.
Final Activity:
Add a page to your portfolio, blog, Weebly, or webpage that demonstrates your knowledge about "Career Prep ". Make it creative and unique. Remember to include:
- A self-reflection that corresponds with each step of the Career Planning and Development process:
Develop an understanding of Who You Are. So..., What do you know about who you are? What did you learn?
Explore career options suitable for you. What Career Clusters or Career Pathways provide direction for you? What are the careers that interest you? What type of education is needed for each one?
What are your goals for the future and how will you get there (action plan)? - A reflection responding to three questions:
Are you still interested in the career(s) you chose to explore?
Why or why not?
What else might you want to explore? - A section that includes:
The print screen of the Spreadsheet Graph Analysis
The print screen of your Decision Making Table
Your thoughts and reflections about the Spreadsheet Graph Analysis and your Decision Making Table
More Activities
Develop an understanding of who you are.
- You can learn more about the six Holland work personality types and the Holland Hexagon by watching this webcast (24:06 minutes).
Create a reflection log and respond to the following:
Which personality types do you think describe you? Which type are you most like?
Using the description for the personality type that you think best describes you, complete the graphic organizer on the worksheet or create your own mind map using a program like Bubbl.us (http://bubbl.us). Add more bubbles if you need them. - So, which careers match your Holland Interest Code? Record on your reflection log: 1) the 5 occupations you think are most suitable for you from the list and 2) which careers from the list are of most interest to you. Explain why you chose them.
Explore career options suitable for you.
- You can also research careers using the additional resources listed below.
What subjects do you like? (BLS Career Information to list careers in subject areas)
The Fun Works …for Careers You Never Knew Existed
Watch career videos - Select the cluster title to view a list of career videos in that cluster. Click on View opposite the title of a career to watch the video.
View skills and ability videos about what skills people use in certain types of work.
Search the Web using a search engine such as Google, a job-related search tool such as Indeed–One Search, Monster Jobs, or MonsterTrak, or one of the MeL databases such as SIRS Discoverer.
Career Cruising (fee-based) or myDreamExplorer -
Explore a Career WebQuest by Donna Horn.
- Are you still interested in the career(s) you chose to explore? Why or why not? What else might you want to explore? Write a reflection on your log responding to these three questions.
Career Prep Extension Activities Page 2
|
|
Download a poster to see what jobs require strong skills in each subject area.
|
|
||||||||||||
Student Feedback Survey
If you are completing this Digital Images 'thing' please feel free to
provide some feedback to us to help improve it. We revise and edit during
the summer. This survey will ask for your teacher's name. Thank you for your input.
Student Survey Link
provide some feedback to us to help improve it. We revise and edit during
the summer. This survey will ask for your teacher's name. Thank you for your input.
Student Survey Link
Connections
NETS-S: 3.b, 3.c, 4.c, 5.c
METS:
Basic (6-8): 6-8.CI.3, 6-8.CT.3, 6-8.TC.7, 6-8.TC.8
Advanced (9-12): 9-12.CT.1, 9-12.CT.2, 9-12.TC.3
METS:
Basic (6-8): 6-8.CI.3, 6-8.CT.3, 6-8.TC.7, 6-8.TC.8
Advanced (9-12): 9-12.CT.1, 9-12.CT.2, 9-12.TC.3
Lynn Lieberman, Oakland Schools
Laura Cummings, Oakland Schools
Laura Cummings, Oakland Schools
21things4students by REMC-RITS is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at 21things4teachers.net.
