Chapter 20: Career Planning

Section 20.1 Preparing for a Career

Making Decisions About Work The decision you make regarding a career will affect the rest of your life including the amount of money you will earn and the satisfaction you will get from your work and your life.

A full-time job requires at least 40 hours of work every week, which adds up to about 2000 hours each year.

Jobs and Careers A job or occupation is the work people engage in to earn pay A career is a work history of one or more jobs in the same or related fields of interest. Pursuing a career requires planning, which consists of assessing your potential, analyzing your options, and preparing for the future. This preparation could include education or training as well as developing specialized skills or abilities.

Self-Awareness Knowing yourself is a key part of your journey into the working world (i.e. the Birkman Quiz)

Your Interests Are you more people oriented or more tasks oriented?

Your Values What is important to you? Money? Fame? Helping others?

Your Skills, Abilities, Aptitudes, and Personality A skill is something you have learned to do well through training and experience. Ability is a natural or acquired skill or talent. An aptitude is your potential for learning a skill, something you were born to do. A personality is the set of characteristics that make someone special. It is the sum total of your feelings, actions, habits, and thoughts.

How Work is Changing Because of technology the way work is done is constantly changing. Business is being conducted on a more worldwide basis then it ever has. The Internet has made doing business across large distances much easier.

Adapting to Change Knowing how to learn is key to being successful in the world of work. Every day you should work to develop thinking skills, and build personal skills to help you change with the world of work and give you a competitive edge. Section 20.2 Developing a Career Plan

Finding Information on Careers (Figure 20.1, p. 356)

Written Sources The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) describes hundreds of jobs and lists the fastest growing fields and provides addresses on how to find out more detailed information.

Career Counselors Someone who is trained to provide information and guidance on choosing a career (i.e. your guidance counselor)

Networks The practice of building informal relationships with people whose friendship could bring advantages such as job or business opportunities.

Work The best way to learn a career is to work. Job shadowing allows you to follow workers around for a few days to see what they actually do. An internship is a temporary paid or unpaid position that involves direct work experience in a career field. Volunteerism is another way to gain work experience.

Understanding the World of Work

The Career Ladder: a series of different jobs within a career usually starting at the entry-level. Continually improving your skills will help you climb the ladder.

Outsourcing: work is now being sent outside of the country to take advantage of lower labor costs overseas.

The Role of Supply and Demand Not only affects the prices of goods and services but also affects the availability of jobs. If there are more qualified people than there are openings it will be difficult to get a position. The more special skills you have the more you will be sought after by businesses making it easier for you to get a job.

Setting Goals Short-term goal can be achieved rather quickly Medium-term goal is usually more challenging and takes longer to achieve Long-term goal may take years to reach When you set goals make them as specific as you can.

Making a Career Plan – Plot Your Course Write your ultimate goal and then use the library, Internet, teachers, school counselors, and family to create three lists:

Graduation Plan: lists current courses, activities, and experience that are related to your career goal.

Educational and Training Plan: specifically detail the education or training you will need after high school.

Experience Plan: what experiences will lead to your specific career choice, including internships, volunteering, part-time and temporary jobs.

Set Your Goals: chart your goals based on short-term, medium-term and long-term. You should have a good idea of the time frame to complete each one. (i.e. four years of college to obtain a degree in the field)

Achieving Your Goals The more specific and realistic your goals are, the more likely you are to achieve them. However, your goals and the time it takes to achieve them can change over time. If you are not achieving your goals try to find out why you are stuck and revise your goals accordingly. The worst thing you can do is give up.