SELF-DIRECTED CAREER EXPLORATION
Before High School students can effectively decide upon a Post-Secondary educational program, they need to ask themselves this question: “What occupation is for me?” The Good News is: There is a WebQuest which will take you on a journey to help you answer this question. The Bad News is: The answer you come up with will not be (in the words of Regis) “the final answer”. A career is a journey. In your career, you may have many occupations and many more jobs. At various stages of your life you will question whether the job you are in is the right one for you. You may even question whether the occupation you are in (or striving to be in) is right for you. As you evolve, your career evolves. The model below is the one we will be using to help you answer “the occupation question”. This model can be used anytime you have a decision related to education and career choice. Of course, the decision we are focusing on is choosing a Post-Secondary educational program that is right for you.
The Career Planning Process Model
Let’s look at the four parts of the model:
Know Yourself: You need to know who you are, what you like and dislike, what your values are and what you are good at so that you can choose an occupation you will enjoy. Explore Your Choices: You need to explore a few of the 10,000 occupations that are out there. Find out all the information you can. What is a typical day like? What kind of education and training is required? What are the future prospects of this occupation? Make a Decision: Use what you have learned about yourself and what you have learned about some of the occupations you have explored, to make a decision about an occupation that might be right for you. Implement a Plan: Select the University or College programs that best suit your decision. Use the University or College Research Package to further explore your choices.
The Applewood Student Services Web Site is an excellent starting point in your journey: www.applewoodguidance.ca All of the Web Sites listed in this package have a link in the Applewood Student Services Web Site.
Follow the four steps on the next page.
PART 1: KNOW YOURSELF 1. Go to the iQuizzes web site: http://www.jobsetc.ca/toolbox/quizzes/quizzes_home.do?lang=e Take up to 4 surveys relating to your interests, abilities skills and values. Each quiz will provide you with a short list of occupations that might suit you or lead you to think about new possibilities. PART 2: EXPLORE YOUR CHOICES Use the Career Cruising website (http://www.careercruising.com), the Bridges website (http://cdn.cx.bridges.com/) or the StudentCounselor.com (www.studentcounsellor.com) websites. 1. Use the search function in the web sites to research any occupational choices. 2. Record the following information about your occupational choices: 1. job description 2. working conditions 3. earnings 4. education 5. career path 6. related jobs 7. type of post-secondary education required PART 3: MAKE A DECISION 1. Reflect on what you have learned from exploring your occupational choices, what further exploration you would like to do and any decisions you have made. 2. Compose a list of your top three to five occupational choices. 3. For each choice, state the post-secondary program that will best prepare you for the occupation (Note: At this point you still may not have decided on your top occupational choice. Don’t worry. You can still decide on post-secondary programs based a field of interest). PART 4: IMPLEMENT A PLAN Now that you have some Post-Secondary programs in mind, use the University or College Research Package to further explore your choices.
GOOD LUCK ON THE JOURNEY!
MY PERSONAL PROFILE My Interests My Values
My Skills
My Top Intelligences
My Personal Style
My Favourite Subjects
Occupations that interest me:
Educational Path to Chosen Occupation Occupation Educational Program
Best Choices?? Compare!! Alternative 1. Advantages Disadvantages Outcome
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