Illustrated lesson that helps students determine suitable careers.

1. Choosing a Satisfying
Career
Common Core College and Career
Readiness
By
Dean Berry Ed. D.
www.commoncorecurriculum.info

2. People choose careers for
different reasons.

3. How will you find that career
that satisfies your needs?

4. Pair Share
Turn to your neighbor and discuss the
following issues.
First, you need to examine what is most important
about a satisfying career.
1. Would you prefer to work indoors or outdoors?
2. Do you like working closely with others or by
yourself?
3. Do you prefer using your mental skills or
physical skills in job?

5. Discuss
How important is salary in
selecting a career?

6. Some people choose a
career that pays a lot.

7. While salary may be important, appraising
your own interests and skills will be a key
first step in choosing a career path.

8. Think About These Issues

9. Pair Share
Turn to a neighbor and share
some of the things you enjoy
doing that might affect the
kind of career you would like.

10. Selecting a career requires serious study.

11. Choosing A Fulfilling Career Path
One of the most important
decisions we make in life is the
career we choose to follow.
Sometimes our career is the result
of us following the path of least
resistance. Sometimes it’s the
result of doing what our parents
want us to do. And sometimes we
luck out and somehow end up with
a satisfying career.

12. With so many careers available to
us, you’d think it’d be easy to end
up with one that’s just perfect; but
reality hardly ever turns out that
way.

13. You probably already know someone
who doesn’t like their job. In fact, you
probably know several people who are
like this. It’s more common than it
should be, which is unfortunate.
Question is – will you be one of
those people?

14. Plan for your future and avoid a lifetime
of boredom and disappointment..

15. Raise Your Hand if…
You know someone who
dislikes their job and
wishes they could pursue
a different career.

16. Envision the life that you
would like to have.

17. Some people wish they had taken a
different path years ago? They wish
they had taken a risk and accepted
that job in another state or country.

18. They wished they had opened up
that cookie joint they wanted all of
their life? Or is it more simple, and
they just wished they weren’t so
low on the corporate ladder?

19. Well it’s not too late. There’s
still time for you figure out what
career you want from life so
you can finally start feeling
confident about your future.
How so? By finding a fulfilling
career path.

20. Before choosing a career,
define your version of
happiness.

21. Increase your chances of happiness
by selecting a suitable career.

22. Some people aspire to work
from their own space.

23. Some people choose a
career that poses serious
risks and challenges.

24. Other folks prefer to dive the depths of
the ocean for their financial survival.

25. Others gain the skills that
enable them to become
successful business owners.

26. Let’s Brainstorm
• Let’s see if we can create a list of
twenty small business ideas that
could be used for someone who
wants to run their own business.
Assume that start up money is
already provided by a small
government grant.
• Raise your hand and offer your
idea.

27. Discuss
Which one of these values is the most
important for you as you choose a
career path?

28. Quick Write
Discuss the importance of these
issues for you.

29. Find The Overlap Between
Your Skills And Interests

30. Do your interests and skills coincide?
Do you have any interests that you’re actually good at. If
you have the skill AND the desire, you’re in a much better
position to turn it into a fulfilling career by following your
passion.

31. • For instance, you might enjoy playing guitar,
but are you any good at it? Would people be
willing to pay you money to hear you play?
If the answer is no, then that is a bad path
to follow. Let’s flip the idea now; what if
you’re incredible at the violin because your
parents forced you to learn it when you
were growing up, but you have no passion
to play it – is that a good path to
follow? Once again, the answer is no. Skill
is not enough to bring fulfillment to your
life. You need interest as well.

32. A good combination would be being a good
writer while ALSO loving to write. Or being
a computer expert, while ALSO loving to
work on computers. The question is, where
is the overlap between your skills and what
you love to do?

33. Know Your Talents
Do you have a hobby or a talent that
you love and are good at? Think of ways
to transform activities that come naturally to
you into a career. Working with wood, playing an
instrument or trying different hair styles can
lead to careers as a custom furniture maker, a
musician or a hair stylist. Doing what you love
can lead to a rewarding career.

34. Discuss
Can you name a hobby that
some people turn into a career
to help support themselves?

35. What do others say about your
skills?
What you should look for are the
patterns of comments. What do people
in general say to you? Do you mediate
arguments well? Do people love how
well you plan the financial aspects
of trips? Think about it, and then
consider if you’d like doing it for a living.
The following frames will help you
discover careers that match your
personality.

36. How do you know which careers will
work best for your interests and
personality?
Has anybody ever said “I love how sociable
you are,” or perhaps something like “you’re
so smart when it comes technology”?
These are clues, and they can help you
determine what career would fit your
personality best.

37. Determine your social needs.
You'll spend one-third of your life with the people
you work with, so choose a career that's a
good social fit. If you're a loner who doesn't enjoy
social interaction, you may be well-suited to a career where
you work independently or work from home. If you love to
meet new people, you may find a career in sales fulfilling,
where you work with the public.

38. Discuss
• Would you prefer to work most of
the time by yourself or with a
group?
• Based on that criteria, which kind
of career might work best for
you?

39. The right career for you will be suited to your work
style. Are you a self-starter who
accomplishes goals on your own, or
do you need the discipline of a
structured work environment to do
your best? An honest evaluation of your work
style will help you decide whether a career where
you work independently is right for you. If you're
naturally a daydreamer or a
procrastinator, you may do well in a
career where a supervisor helps you
stay on task.

40. What are your financial goals?
One of your goals should be to choose a career where
you can earn enough money to meet your financial
goals. If you want to own a vacation home on
every continent and fly to these homes on
your private jet, a career as a retail clerk
will probably not help you achieve your goals. You
may have to make some compromises along the way, but
generally speaking, the career you choose should allow
you to meet your financial goals.

41. Discuss
• What kind of life style do you need
to have in order to be happy?
• What if your career choice will not
support that type of life style?

42. Take your career for a test drive!
• The best way to learn about career options is trying to experience
them the best that you can. Are you interested in a position that
involves a lot of socializing? Volunteer somewhere
and see how much you love socializing. Do you want to shoot for a
job that requires climbing up the corporate ladder? See if you can
do some job-shadowing for a few days.
• What else can you do? Take a class that a career
requires. For instance, if you’re interested in counseling or
therapy, take a psych class at your local community college. There
are many approaches to take here, all you’ve got to do is find
out how you can best experience potential
careers, and then do it. You can start with an interest inventory.

43. Take a Career Inventory that
can help you match your
abilities with a suitable
career(15 minutes).
• http://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-
career-test
• After completing the survey, be
sure to select the next
section(search for careers) which
identifies the best careers for you
based on your survey results.

44. Iseek Cluster Survey
.org
• http://www.iseek.org/careers/clusterSurvey

45. Career Websites
• https://www.cacareerzone.org/

46. Job Quiz Aptitude Test
• www.yourfreecareertest.com

47. Think about your career
possibilities.

48. What are some great careers?

49. Will any of these careers
work for you?

50. Find adventure through your
career choice.

51. It takes hard work to turn
your dreams into cash.

52. What kind of career
preparation is best for you?
If you just can’t see how taking a
gym class or spending your time
learning to paint is relevant to your
future career, you may be happiest
attending a technical school or
college. They are career-focused,
which means that every course you
take is associated with the career
that you want to train for.

53. Discuss
Can you name some vocational
careers?
What kind of training do you think
most vocational careers require?

54. Vocational training programs can launch
your career in one or two years with a
certification program.

55. Vocational training programs are offered by
community colleges and private colleges.

56. Discuss
• What is the difference between a
community college vocational
program and a private college
vocational program?
• Why might a student choose one
over the other?

57. With programs that are generally
shorter and more flexible than four-
year degrees, technical schools are
usually geared toward trades like
welding, culinary arts, plumbing,
veterinary technician, cosmetology,
medical assistants and technicians,
and computer technicians.

58. Are there advantages to a
vocational training program?
As compared to typical bachelor degrees,
a certificate or diploma from a technical
college can be earned in far less time.
Typically, technical college programs are
nine months to two years in length

59. Since you only take courses that are
relevant to your chosen career, the
cost of your education can sometimes
be less than it would be attending a
four-year liberal arts college.

60. The career training that you receive
in a technical college tends to be
very hands-on, often taking place in
a setting very similar to what you
would see in the workplace.

61. That means that if you are training
to be an auto mechanic, you can
get under the hood of a real car to
see what makes its engine run.

62. The class sizes of technical schools
tend to be smaller than typical
liberal arts colleges, meaning the
instructor has greater availability if
you need personalized attention.

63. The days and times that technical
colleges offer courses tends to be
more flexible than a traditional
college, mainly because more non-
traditional students attend trade
schools.

64. Disadvantages of a Technical
School Education
If you graduate and find there isn’t a
lot of demand in your chosen field,
you don’t have as many other skills to
fall back on as you would with a
broader education.

65. Another possible drawback is
that you may not be able to
receive as large of a financial aid
package as traditional college
students.

66. Career Research is Vital
You need to research your chosen field to find out the
minimum level of education required as well as the
type and duration of education preferred by a majority
of employers. You should also look at a long-range
job forecasts before committing to a
specific field.

67. If your career choice requires a four year or more
college program, there may be additional
obstacles that need to be considered.

68. In general, it is safe to assume that
careers that require more years of
preparation will pay more. Why do you
think this is true?

69. Reality Check
While college is highly recommended, it is
important to know that about 50% of students
who start college programs are unable to
complete a four year degree and receive the
full benefits of a college education.

70. Discuss
Why do you think so many students
are unable to successfully
complete a four year degree?
What do you think are the biggest
obstacles students may face in
college?

71. Discuss
• What is the difference between a
community college and a four year
college?
• What is the difference between a
public university and a private
university?

72. College Required
Many careers require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Community College is a great way to complete the
first two years of general education.
• Very inexpensive or free with qualifying grants
• All students are eligible to attend

73. During your first two years of college you
will choose an area of emphasis. After
completing two years of college, you will
need to select a major.

74. Whether you choose a vocational
certification program or a longer
college degree program you will need to
identify potential obstacles and develop
a realistic plan for success.

75. Don’t let obstacles get in your way.

76. The two biggest obstacles to
completing college may be a lack
of money and poor academic skills.

77. Paying for college
The cost of college can be very challenging for most
students. However, lower income families may
qualify for government grants and low interest
loans. All students need to complete a FASFA
application to determine if they qualify for grants or
loans. For in-depth information about colleges and
training, consult the video on our website titled
“Selecting a Good Post Secondary
Career Development Program or
College”. This video can be located in our video
library on this website.

78. The FASFA application is completed
online and must be submitted by
required deadlines.

79. How will you pay for
advanced schooling?
• Before you pay -- or, worse, borrow money -- for college or
graduate school, make sure the career you
choose is worth the expense. According to the
National Center for Education Statistics, the cost of an
undergraduate college education rose 25 to 37 percent
between 2000 and 2010. If you need to go back to school
to qualify for your dream job, look into programs
that repay your student loans if you work in
a public service position for a few years after
graduation.

80. Most graduates find jobs and are able to
pay back their college loans. However,
some graduates do not find employment
in their field of preparation.

81. Deciding to pay for vocational training or college
is a major decision that requires a total
commitment to working hard every day in order
to be successful. Fifty percent of students who
begin programs drop out and owe money even
though they have no certificate or degree.

82. Are all private colleges the same?
What is the difference between
a nonprofit private college and
a for profit private college?

83. Beware
Not all private colleges are
created equally!
Nonprofit colleges exist only to serve
the needs of the students.
For profit colleges exist to make a profit
for their stockholders or investors. Serving
students is a profitable
business activity.

84. Beware of For-Profit
Colleges with Poor Track
Records

85. Discuss
• Do you think that the quality of
teachers at a for profit college
would probably be the same as
the quality of teachers at a
nonprofit college? Why?
• In what ways might the staff at a
for profit college be similar to
the staff at an automobile
dealership?

86. The following for profit colleges
are in business primarily to
make as much profit as possible
for their investors.

87. Unfortunately, many students
underestimate the large debt that
they will need to pay back over a
period of ten years or more.

88. According to this graph, what are the
important differences between a for
profit and nonprofit college?

89. What does default mean? Which type of
school has the most defaults? Which has
the least defaults?

90. Why does this university spend over a
billion dollars to advertise? Are most
students successful at this university?

91. What does our government
say about for-profit
colleges?

92. Pursuing a career program requires
perseverance.