Career Investigation — Task 2

Mark Hamre                                                              Mark Wanous

Professional School Counselor                                     MSUM Intern 1998-99

Eastview High School                                                   Eastview High School

Apple Valley, Minnesota                                               Apple Valley, Minnesota

Specific Statements from the Standard

A student shall demonstrate understanding of a variety of career clusters, attributes and aptitudes needed in particular types of occupations and careers, how attitudes affect the climate of a workplace, how systems within a workplace affect or interact with systems in the community and how systems affect an individual worker by:

C. Investigating a career through research, internship, mentorship or community service placement.

D. Evaluating career choices in relationship to life goals and personal attributes.

Task Description

Overview:

In this task, you will explore career clusters. You will compare this career information with your personal attributes and goals to make a decision about career choices.

Steps:

1. Explore at least three career clusters

Begin exploring careers within career clusters (pathways) that seem to correspond to your interests, aptitudes and abilities. Look for common characteristics in careers that align with the personal attributes you determined in Task 1. Begin your exploration by participating in classroom activities on career clusters so that you understand how careers within a cluster are related.

Explore at least three different careers in at least two different career clusters by gathering information on the careers. Document at least five different resources for each career and collect a minimum of five pieces of information about each career you explore. Write the characteristics of each of the five careers or jobs, such as duties, working conditions and workplace climate, attributes and aptitudes needed, training required and salary range. Take notes to document your sources (such as book title, title of presentation, name of business) and your processes (such as interview, guest speaker, reading, work site visit).

Use resources provided by or suggested by your teacher as well as the publication, Minnesota Careers (published by the Minnesota Department of Economic Security). The Minnesota Career Information System or DISCOVER (Career and Educational Planning System), are easy-to-use computerized systems which are also available for free at any of the state’s technical colleges and many high schools. You can also obtain information through the Internet, field trips, career fairs, and guest speakers. Take advantage of resources that are available in the community.

2. Compare your personal qualities with job specifications in two career clusters to help you make a decision about a career choice.

Write a one to two page report on each of the three career choices. Look for patterns

in career pathways that correspond to your interests, abilities, values and goals. Use

a highlighter pen to mark attributes that correspond with your attributes.

Special Notes to the Teacher

The teacher’s responsibilities for this task include:

1. Provide students with information on career clusters. Use the district’s model and curriculum for career study as a resource for students. Other resources available within the school district and community can provide students with much of the information they will need.
2. Introduce students to John Holland’s World of Work Map, available from the American College Testing Program. Help students become familiar with Holland’s concept that career pathways or "job families" are clustered together based on their primary work tasks; working with people, ideas, things and data, and are categorized into six general areas:

• Arts
• Science
• Technical
• Business operations
• Business contact
• Social Service

1. Provide students with a variety of models for making decisions and for justifying the decisions. Students will compare their personal attributes with the characteristics they have discovered in career clusters in order to select a career for in-depth research.

Connections to Related Standards, Competencies, and Domains

Career Investigation — task 2 directly relates to Minnesota Graduation Standard — Learning Area number eight: Decision-Making. Task 2 (lesson 2) addresses the following content standards: 1) Investigating a career through research, internship, mentorship or community service placement. 2) Evaluate career choices in relationship to life goals and personal attributes.

 This lesson on career investigation is reflective of the educational and career developmental domains of the Minnesota School Counselors’ Model of Developmental Guidance and Counseling. The career investigation task directly relates to the following Career Developmental Competencies for the high school student from the National Career Development Guideline Handbook:

• Understanding the influence of a positive self-concept
• Skills to interact positively with others
• Understanding the impact of growth and development
• Understanding the relationship between education achievement and career planning
• Understanding the need for positive attitudes toward work and learning
• Skills to locate, evaluate and interpret career information
• Understanding how societal needs and functions influence the nature and structure of work
• Skills to make decisions

References and Resources

Decision Making/High School/9-14-98 ISD 196 — Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, MN

DISCOVER

Minnesota Careers Information System (MCIS)