1. Name_______________________________________ Date___________________
Writing for College Ms. Johnson
THE CAREER INVESTIGATION RESEARCH PAPER: Scheduling Your Project
* Your 4-6 paged Career Investigation Research Paper is due in about six weeks. Since
managing your time is the biggest challenge in completing a successful research paper, I have
broken the assignment into smaller, more manageable tasks. Take the time now to examine the
due dates of these tasks and to compare them to other obligations on your schedule (especially
Christmas vacation). Use the chart below to plan accordingly (plan ahead) and to decide when to
wrap up one step and move on to the next.
* Some of your class time will be spent working independently on your tasks, as well as
conferencing with both your peers and your teacher. Other days will be spent on formal lessons
to help you with the research process.
* In addition to class time, you will need to spend time working at home. Plan on budgeting a
half hour to an hour each night to work on your Research Paper, and adjusting that time
accordingly to ensure that you are up to date on your assignments. Be aware of the fact that you
will not be able to complete your assignments using only class time and that many class periods
will be used for formal lessons!
POINT STEP-BY-STEP Approx. # of
DUE DATES OF TASKS
WORTH RESEARCH and WRITING DAYS SPENT
STEP 1 - Get Started
Preliminary Research
HW check *Do Preliminary Research to 1 day
Weds. 12/7
choose your topic
3 days for tentative
STEP 2 - Form a Focus
Thesis,
*Do formal research to construct Note tentative Thesis Statement
5 points but Thesis
Cards and tentative Works Cited Fri. 12/10
evolution is
*Write a tentative Thesis Statement
ongoing
STEP 3 - Gather Information Note Cards and tentative
20 pts. *Do formal research to construct Note 13 days total Works Cited
Cards and tentative Works Cited Mon. 12/23
STEP 4 – Prepare to Write
*Organize your note cards by TAGS 11 days Outline
(topic sentences) and sub-TAGS (including Mon. 1/3
15 pts.
*Write an Outline. vacation) (The DAY back from
*Continue formal research to add or vacation)
delete sources as needed.
STEP 5 - Write First Draft and final
7 days
10 pts. * Create final Works Cited Works Cited Mon.1/10
* Write First Draft
STEP 6 - Revise and Edit Final Paper
50 pts.
* Write Final Paper 4 days Fri. 1/14
Research Paper Topic – CAREER INVESTIGATION

2. Now that you are heading for college, choosing a career is right around the
corner. To make the best use of your undergraduate education, it is beneficial to
have an idea of the type of work you might be interested in. This research
paper, a study of one specific career, can help you. Your Career Investigation
Research Paper should include the following information:
 Information about a specific career in which you are interested. You
should include information such as:
o the nature of the work
o the environment
o the education
o skills, training and personality traits required to be successful
o average salaries
o the labor market outlook
o related positions
o typical employers
o level of competition for positions
o travel requirements, etc.
(Note: this information will need to come from a credible source. You
may have found some information in your preliminary search, but you
now need to switch it out for more reliable details.)
 A description of the typical career path one follows as he/she advances in
this career.
o What is an entry-level position?
o Is there more than one path one could take?
o What are the middle to upper level positions?
o How quickly can one rise to the top?
 An incorporated reaction to the above sections. Use tone (but not 1st or 2nd
person point of view) to express your opinion about working in the career
field you’ve investigated.
o Are there misconceptions about the field?
o Which aspects of the career are favorable/unfavorable and why?
o Throughout your paper, use a thorough and thoughtful analysis of
the research to express your judgment about the information you’ve
uncovered.
My final career selection is: _________________________________________