reparation . H '- ; KM -• '• '

• V . - - . IP i

Chapter 1 • Preparing Your Path for SuccessChapter 2 • Discovering Career Choice Influences

Chapter 3 • Understanding YourselfChapter 4 • Looking into the Future

ing Your Path for Success

Lesson 1.1

Lesson 1.2

Lesson 1.3

Career Expectations

Your PM*T*H to Success

Planning for Career Success

What DoYou Know1. What might happen

if you do not plan foryour career until highschool graduation?

2. In your opinion, whatare the positives andnegatives of startingyour career planningnow?

Sid loved to work with food. As a little boy, he helped his grandmotherill the kitchen to learn her secrets for baking delicious pies. Growing up,Sid hoped to have a career that included creating menus and trying newdishes for beautiful dinner tables.

Some people tried to convince Sid that working in the food industrywould not earn a good income unless he was a celebrity chef. However,when he investigated several culinary arts careers, Sid found that somecareers did not always involve cooking. One was restaurant management.

Working with his teachers, counselor, and family, Sid set goals for hisfuture and developed an education plan. He chose to attend a career andtechnical center for his last two years of high school. During those years,he also had jobs bussing tables and serving customers. His educationand work experience gave him a jumpstart on the courses he took at theCulinary Institute.

Today Sid's education and skills support his passion. His love of food andhis management skills were the reasons that a local firm hired him to helpmem start a new restaurant near downtown. After it opens, Sid will be work-ing in the front of the house managing the wait staff, bussers, and runners.That position can lead to future responsibilities in marketing and manage-ment. By developing a career plan and making adjustments as he progressed,Sid achieved his dream of earning his living in the food industry.

Part 1 • P r e p a r a t i o n

Planning a Career in ..Culinary ArtsTake your passion for cooking and build itinto a profession, and you have the recipe fora career in Culinary Arts, one of Hospitalityand Tourism's pathways.

Chefs perform many tasks—from usingdifferent knife skills to cooking with varioustechniques. They prepare plates withconsistency and within time limits. Butchefs do more than just cook. They mustalso clean, plan menus, order supplies, andsupervise kitchen staff. The rigorous pace ofthis career requires much stamina.

Employment Outlook

Strong demand and some growth. Largenumber of employees. Higher turnoverrate for entry-level positions.

Good advancement for culinary andhospitality graduates.

Career Possibilities

Chef

• Caterer

^ Dietician

• Food/Beverage Distributor

Restaurant Owner

Needed Skills

• Excellent communication skills.

• Work with all types of people.

Problem solving.

Career and technical education and/oron-the-job training is a must.

What's It Like to Work in ...Culinary Arts?No matter where you work, being a chef isimportant work. If you love to cook, you willnot want to do anything else.

You will never be bored. Trying newspice combinations, new recipes, and newtechniques will stretch your creativity. If youhave any time between orders, you will beprepping for later dishes and cleaning upafter the previous dish.

Long hours await you, but the rewards areworth it. Every day is different. The varietyof your food is challenging and creative.Customers beam, though they may be fussy.On the other hand, shifts either begin earlymorning or end late at night. Of course, youwill be working weekends and holidays.

The work is physically demanding. You willstand long hours. Often you will lift heavy bagsand pots. Mixing large containers and rollingout pounds of dough requires fitness. And yes,you are likely to be burned and cut by knivesand other kitchen tools.

However, the satisfaction you realize duringyour hours at work and at the endof every day makes Culinary Arts agreat career choice.

What about You?Do you like variety in the workplace?Can you solve problems and workwith all types of people? Do you havestamina? Culinary Arts has manychoices, all ending with thecustomer's needs in mind.

"5> *s£ *',

LESSON

ExpectationsGoals

Recognize personal career expectations.

Describe U.S. teens' career expectations.

Identify career expectations: choices vs. reality.

Termsprofessional career, p. 5

blue-collar career, p. 6

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), p. 7

LifeHow many careers are there? Think about it. Think of something youuse often, like your MP3 player. For every product, people:

created the idea.

discovered how to make the product,

anticipated and solved problems,

produced it.

marketed it."-- sold it.

delivered it.

concluded the business by collecting payment and customerfeedback.

repaired it.

Every step of product development, from beginning to end, requires oneor more careers to make that product an effective reality. When you say,"I want to work with web sites," do you mean you will design it, do thetechnology, create the artwork, take the photographs, or compose themusic? In other words, you have many choices ahead of you.

Your Personal Career ExpectationsEven if you do not know what you want as your career, you probably havethought about it often. Everyone has ideas of what work is and what a ca-reer means. You watch and listen to your relatives and family friends talkabout their careers. You also observe people working— from your teacherin the classroom to your doctor to the clerk in the convenience store.

Pasang loved to write. He was part of the team that wrote and edited theschool e-zine. Researching and organizing the information was somethinghe enjoyed. At home, Pasang wrote an entry at least once a week onthe blog he created about teenagers in Minneapolis. The blog waspopular; the increasing readership drew many comments. Six monthsago, a digital company contacted Pasang and offered to host his blog.

Part 1 - P r e p a r a t i o n

After his parents and his school advisor investigated the company,Pasang got his parents' permission to be part of the national digitalhosting company. His b/og readership grew tremendously withthe national coverage. As a result, several journalism schools havecontacted him about attending their school, with the real possibilityof financial aid. Pasang's passion is not just a hobby. That hobby ledhim to a career.

Your interests and skills should greatly influence your career decisions.Even if you do not know what you want for a career, you probably havesome ideas about what you expect to do. For example, you may assumethat you will make a lot of money or travel the world. You may also havegeneral expectations about the type of work you will be doing. Perhapsyou think about working outdoors or in a laboratory. Perhaps yousee yourself using technology. Should you work alone or with people?These factors—and more—make up the many pieces you will considerin making a career decision.

U.S. Teens' ExpectationsWhat do teens think about the future? Whatdo they anticipate for the future?

An Arizona State University study dis-covered that teenagers have the followingexpectations about their futures:

• The majority said "doing work thatyou enjoy" and "having a happyfamily" were necessary for a good life.

Nearly 90 percent said that having acollege degree is essential for a goodfuture.

• The majority said they would graduatefrom college.

Over half intend to have aprofessional career. A professionalcareer is usually classified as work thatrequires a college degree and specialtraining.

• Nearly 70 percent of teens said theydo volunteer work, though more do itas a school requirement than as careerexploration.

Nearly 80 percent of teens say theylook forward to the future.

• Only one-fourth of teens agreed that"adults will leave the world in goodshape for people my age."

Why do many teens do volunteer work?

CareerFACT

You might be surprised tolearn which careers makepeople the happiestAccording to a recent

survey, these are the"happiest careers" in the U.S.

• Biotechnology • Administrative-Clerical

• Customer Service • Purchasing

• Education

Does money buy happiness? No. What makespeople happiest in a career is their relationshipswith co-workers and personal control.

—CareerBliss.com

According to the study, teens realize that work isimportant for the future, but they do not necessarilyexpect to enjoy their future. Many of them have notyet discovered that the secret to enjoying work is tochoose work that uses their strengths. When teensknow their strengths and learn about career possibili-ties, they set higher career goals and better understandhow to choose a fulfilling career.

For most students, their parents and family mem-bers, teachers, and friends-—in that order—have thegreatest influence on their career decisions. Whenfamily members and other adults understand andexplain the rewards of choosing a career that fits eachindividual, teens will have a clearer understanding ofhow to choose a career path that will be satisfying inthe future.

The influence of friends also is important to stu-dents when they choose and prepare for their careers. Students are morelikely to be involved in school activities when their friends are involved inschool activities. Also, students tend to be more interested in careers "whentheir friends are interested in career decisions.

C<? insiderAre the teenagers' expectations realistic? Why or why not?

Choices versus RealityAn annual Gallup Poll Youth Survey asked teens ages 13 to 17 their topcareer choices. The results were:

1. Teacher (top female choice)2. Doctor3. Lawyer4. Sports field (top male choice)5. Science/biology

All of these choices are professional careers. Not one blue-collarcareer—whose workers typically perform manual labor and earnan hourly wage—made the top choices for either males or females.

Why do Health Science careers dominate the list of fastest-growing careers forthe future?

The reality, however, is a contrast. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),a research agency of the U.S. Department of Labor that compiles statistics oncareer information, has predicted the careers that are the fastest-growing for thenext ten years. Of the top 30:

• 25 are Health-related (Previously, computers/information technology[IT] and health split the list.)

• 2 are IT careers (networking; apps & software specialist or engineer)

1—Financial Management

• 1—Compliance Officer (Ensures that an organization followsregulations.)

1—Adult Education Instructor

Eight of the careers are blue-collar occupations and require careerand technical training and/or on-the-job training. Twelve need associatedegrees or higher. Only ten "would be defined as professional careers.

When you are exploring careers, be aware that the career demands ofthe future are not the same as career demands of today. Battellc Institutepredicts that of the top ten careers for 2018, none currently exists in thesame form today. The BLS states that when today's kindergarten studentsreach the job market, nearly 100 percent of their careers will either be infields that do not exist today or will require skills different from those usedin the same careers today.

Labor market trends are important for you to understand as you planyour career. What if you prepared for a career in the DVD industry, only tofind out that downloading and more advanced forms of technology weremaking DVDs obsolete? You want to make sure you prepare for a careerthat will be available when you finish your education or skill training.Chapter 4 will give you more help in choosing a career that has long-termprospects.

Chapter 1 • P r e p a r i n g Your Path for S u c c e s s

ACTIVITY

Career-Planning QuizDo you have realistic career expectations? How muchdo you know about planning a career? Some of theanswers may surprise you.

Decide whether the following statements are true orfalse. After you answer the questions, your teacher willdistribute the answers to you,

1. For the average adult in the United States, workactivities take more time than any other type ofactivity.

2. Without actually working in a career, you cannottell if the career is the one for you.

3. Anyone can do any job as long as he or shedecides to do it.

4. Most careers in the future will require more than ahigh school education.

5. If you just wait, the right job opportunity will comeyour way.

6. The majority of people spend their adult livesin the same career.

7. Anyone who plans to work right out of highschool needs the same basic academic skillsas someone who plans to go to college.

8. Choose math, science, and technologyelectives to fill in your schedule. They willprovide the most skills for careers of thefuture.

9. The top ten fastest-growing careers have notchanged in over twenty years.

10. Most career fields that use technology, such asweb design, require a bachelor's degree.

11. The No. 1 reason people are fired from jobs isthat they are lazy.

LESSON

GoalsExplain the difference between a joband a career.

Describe the steps in the P*A*T*H to Success.

Termsjob, p. 9

career, p. 10

occupation, p. 10

career cluster, p. 10

passion, p. 12

• attitude, p. 12

talents, p. 12

heart, p. 13

Ke&i LifeBefore they were famous, many celebrities had jobs that were not atall glamorous.

Queen Latifah worked at Burger King.

Jennifer Aniston waited tables.

Sean "Diddy" Combs delivered newspapers.

Gwen Stefani scrubbed floors at Dairy Queen.

Michael Dell of Dell Computers washed dishes.

Maybe not all your jobs will be exciting, but that work experiencecan help you decide what career you do not want to choose.

Job versus CareerJob and career—people use these terms often. Do they have the same mean-ing, or are they different?

JobBy now, you may already have had a job. If not, you will certainlyhave one soon. Your job may be assisting in an office, cleaning house,babysitting, or doing yard work. A job is a paid position involvinga specific place, time, and tasks set by an employer. A job allows youto save for something, to pay bills, or to put money in your bankaccount.

You probably can easily define a job. Many students get a job to earnmoney to meet their needs. Sometimes you may like what you are doing,but you may choose a job simply because of the benefits you will receivefrom the money you earn. Another reason you may take a job is to gainexperience in a career field you are considering.

A job is often temporary. In fact, between the ages of 18 and 42, a personchanges jobs an average of nearly 11 times. A job may become a way oftrying out different career fields.

Chapter 1 • P r e p a r i n g Your Path for S u c c e s s

'eb CcfrvfiettjertsWeb sites offer information to create your careerpath. You can explore career stories, information andstatistics, and planning information.

Access the Web Connection link for Chapter 1. Searchat least two areas in one of the sites listed. As you areinvestigating the site, write down ideas that may helpyou learn more about yourself and your career plan.You can also use the Job Search feature in CareerTransitions. Share your ideas with the class.

www.cengage.com/school/iyc

CareerWhen asked to explain the difference between a job and a career, peopleoften say that a career is something for life and a job is temporary. A jobsatisfies a short-term need. But a career is much more than that. In fact,many students say that a career is for a lifetime.

A career describes employment in a particular field for the long-term,maybe even for a lifetime. When choosing a career, many people base theirchoice on what they are interested in doing. What makes you happy is of-

ten a great choice for what you choose foryour working life. Instead of picking a ca-reer as just a means of earning a living, youwill have a career as an important, positivepart of your life.

You may see the term occupation used inplace of the words, job and career. Anoccupation is a type of work that has aspecific set of skills. Those skills mayrequire special training, education, orexperience. That type of work may be partof a number of different work settings.Occupations allow a person to move fromone industry to another as needed.

Sales is an example of an occupation thateasily fits into different industries. Effectivesalespeople possess strong communicationskills and have extensive knowledge ofthe product or service they sell. Whetherselling shoes at a local store or supporting

the use of government policies, a skilled salesperson is a necessity in anycareer field.

A career cluster is all the possible careers grouped in an entire subjectarea. For example, dental assistants, registered nurses, radiology techni-cians, personal trainers, and doctors all have careers in the Health Sciencecluster. Most people begin their career in an entry-level position, no mat-ter the career cluster. Then they improve their skills and progress to morecomplex careers. While people do change careers, they do not switch asoften as they change jobs. The average person changes careers eight timesbetween ages 18 and 42.

A Career or a Job?Many times, you will choose a job because of its pay or its location. Youmay think, "I know why I need the job. It does not matter if I like the jobbecause it meets rny needs I have right now."

When you choose a career, however, it is important that you like yourchoice. The career path you choose will affect every part of your life—yourframe of mind, your life outside your work, and even the work itself.Research shows that people who enjoy their careers are more satisfiedwith their lives. They see a career as an important, positive part of theirlives. The closer your career matches your talents and passions, themore satisfied you will be.

10 Part 1 - Preparation

How w;7/ t/ie courses you take /n school today relate to your future career?

Chad worked after school in the garden center owned by his neighbor,Sara. He hauled plants into place, put them in customers' cars, andcleaned the floors. Though he enjoyed talking to Sara about the plants,he also wondered why she worked such long days.

Sara explained that she began work in a similar business when shewas in school. Her love of plants led her to take more biology classesin high school and college. Sara experimented with scientific formulasfor increasing plant growth organically. She practiced on plants in whateventually became her own garden center. As a result, customers boughtboth her plants and her fertilizers-

While he was working, Chad observed the business procedures. Heenjoyed thinking of changes he would make as an owner. Talking oversome of those ideas with Sara, Chad decided to take business courses, aswell as those in agriculture, his future career.

Now Sara's business partner, Chad has two careers: a soil and waterspecialist and a greenhouse manager. His working life also includes theoccupation of retail agriculture sales. Chad's career includes both of hispassions—plants and business.

Why would people change jobs more than careers during their workinglives? Why change careers at all?

C h a p t e r 1 • P repar ing Your Path for S u c c e s s 11

The P*A*T*H to SuccessFinding your path to a satisfying career requires careful planning. Youwill need to make thoughtful decisions. It is not easy, but challenging andexciting. When you explore careers, do you realize that you are makingdecisions that will help you discover your career? The key to success isknowing yourself. Deciding your career path begins with you.

Your journey to a successful career starts with your setting goals. Al-though your goals may change over time, what you enjoy doing and thetalents that you have will grow, but not change.

Your career choice depends on you. The journey to your career will berewarding, and you will achieve career satisfaction. However, before youcan follow your passions and talents to a career, you must investigate yourinterests, your values, and your skills. You need to realize who you are be-fore you can discover what career path you will take.

Investigating your Career offers you ways to find the path that will leadto a satisfying career, one that fits your passions and talents. The P*A*T*Hto Success is one tool. It will help you begin your self-discovery process.

What did you enjoy playing with as a child?Would that be a possibility for your career?

PassionUncovering your passions is the first step on your P*A*T*Hto Success. Passion is the strong, positive feeling you ex-perience while enjoying something. Begin to identify yourcareer-related passions by thinking about what makes youhappy. What were your favorite play activities as a child?What do you choose to do in your spare time when you arenot in school? Remember, though, that doing something verywell does not always mean you enjoy doing it.

AttitudeAttitude involves your feelings. Think about one of the ac-tivities that you chose as a passion of yours. Does doing thatactivity excite you? Do you excel at it? Your enthusiasm andyour belief that you will do the activity well give you a posi-tive attitude. A positive attitude will help you believe thatyou can achieve anything you want to do. Deciding to havea positive attitude is the second step on your P*A*T*H toSuccess.

TalentsTalents are your natural abilities and strengths. Everyonehas talents. The third step of the P*A*T*H to Success is torealize and develop your talents. By choosing a career thatmatches your talents, you can expand them through yourcareer path. Consider your talents when looking at careerclusters.

12 Part 1 • P r e p a r a t i o n

HeartHeart refers to what you believe is important to your choices in life. Thefourth step on your P*A*T*H to Success is finding your heart. Answer thesequestions: "What are my values? Who and what are the important influ-ences in my life?" Your answers to these and other questions will help youbelieve in yourself, choose a lifestyle and career you enjoy, and developthe determination and flexibility you need, to reach your career goals.

Learning from OthersIn this activity, you will discover how successful peopleplanned and chose their careers.

1. Interview at least one adult in a career area thatinterests you. Ask the person questions to learnabout his or her career. Some questions you mayask are:

How did you choose your career?

Did you start with a career plan? If so, how didyou create your plan? If not why not?

What was your education/training path?

* Were there events in the region or the worldthat helped your career decision? How?

• What are some of the best experiences youhave had in your career? Why?

What were some difficulties youencountered? How did you overcomethem?

3.

What were you doing at my age to prepareyou for your career?

What could you have done differentlybefore high school graduation to help youprepare for your career?

What advice would you give to someonebeginning a career similar to yours?

Summarize your findings for a class discussionor written report. Explain what you learnedfrom the person you interviewed that will helpyou plan your career.

Prepare a timeline to show the career path ofJhe person you interviewed.

4. Write a thank-you note to theperson you interviewed withinthree days of the interview.

LESSON

ming for Career Success*^Goals

Explain why your career planning shouldbegin now.

; Discuss how career planning supports careersuccess.

Termstransferable skills, p. 15

skill sets, p. 15

career plan, p. 16

Career Portfolio, p. 17

Life FetusHow many times have you been asked, "What are you going to dowhen you grow up?" "What are you going to do after high school?""Are you going to college? Where?"

These questions are hard to answer right now. After all, don't youhave to decide on your career first? But then you may have heard:

Choosing a career is simple

And that is one of the biggest myths of career planning. This isyour life. Spending time exploring careers is the starting point to agreat career. J

Why Have a Career Plan?Imagine that you live in Washington, DC. You want to drive from DCacross the United States to Portland, Oregon, after graduation. Would youleave without a map? Or luggage? Of course not. You would plan for asuccessful trip.

Career planning is very similar, except that the results affect your entirelife, not just a few weeks of it. When your grandparents and probably yourparents were teenagers, schools did not help students plan their careerpath much before high school graduation. At that point, students oftenaccepted either the best job they could find—which was maybe not a jobsuited for them—or they started college, hoping to find a career while tak-ing classes. Career research and assessments were simply tools that stu-dents sometimes used to fit themselves into careers.

In. college, career planning was usually as uncommon as it was as inhigh school. The emphasis was on completing a degree instead of prepar-ing students for available jobs in the labor market. Some students earned adegree first and then started thinking about job possibilities. However, go-ing to college is not a career plan; it is part of the career plan.

Until the mid-1980s, people often stayed in one career all of their work-ing lives. Employers usually began an employee's career change throughtransfers, promotions, or even terminations. In 1980, adults changedcareers only an average of three times in their lifetime. Today the averageis seven times between the ages of 18 to 42.

14 Part 1 • P r e p a r a t i o n

Advances in global competition and technology are responsible formany changes in the workplace. In today's labor market, people need tobe independent. Often employers expect employees to be in charge of theirown career path.

To be successful in today's competitive job market, people need to beaware of two types of skills:

1. Transferable skills are work tasks used in various types of careers.According to Quintcareers.com, there are five basic transferable skills:* Communication—Expressing, reporting, and interpreting

Research and Planning—Current and future planning• Human Relations—Interpersonal skills, including resolving conflict

Organization, Management, and Leadership—Being part of a teamand coaching the teamWork Survival—Creating day-to-day skills for a productive andsatisfying workplace

2. Skill sets are the unique knowledge and abilities needed for specificoccupations. For example, the ability to install intranet data systemsand the ability to operate a backhoe are skill sets.

Skill sets follow occupations and cross into various career clusters. Hav-ing a broad skill base gives people more career choices and more flexibilityin their working lives. That flexibility will help people adapt to the chang-ing labor market.

The fastest-growing career fields in the labor market continue to changerapidly. New technologies and global economic competition mean greateropportunities and challenges. You can succeed by taking responsibility foryour own career planning, including a commitment to lifelong learning.

Planning for Career SuccessUsing the P*A*T*H to Success, your passions, your attitude, your talents,and your heart will be the guide for using this book to plan for your career.

How do your interests relate to your future career?

15

"Life is 10 percent what happens to you—and 90 percent how you respondto it," said Lou Holtz, the famous football coach. His words are very true.

Kathleen loved to organize her younger brothers and sisters' activities athome. She created a family library, planned summer events, wrote plays,and created shows to entertain her siblings. In school, Kathleen eitheracted or worked backstage in every play. She also took part in speechcompetitions. Her part-time job was working in the local library.

When Kathleen began planning her career, she had so many choices.She listened to the ideas of her family, teachers, and friends. Then shethought, "Why would I want to do something that other people thinkI should do? Why not do what I enjoy doing?" So Kathleen planned acareer as a drama, speech, and English teacher. Her early teaching skillsand talent for organizing became her working life. What she liked todo—and did well—became her career choice.

What Is a Career Plan?Throughout your life, you will constantly discover more about yourselfthrough your activities and accomplishments. Your career will be part ofthat lifelong journey. A career plan is the schedule for your career jour-ney, similar to a proposed plan for traveling.

Peeple / C a e e r sAdam Jordan I Chef

At a young age, Adam Jordan learned tocook—more for self-defense His mother did

not like cooking; in fact, she was better atburning. But his father grilled well. Also,his grandmother cooked delicious, well-balanced meals and baked excellent pies.

When Adam was 15, he got a part-timejob working as a cook in an upscalehamburger franchise. He soon learned

that he had a higher payingjob than his friends—and he

liked the work too! Duringcollege Adam was achef at a gourmet pizza

restaurant, where theowner allowed him touse his imaginationto create exotic pizzacombinations.

Adam loves cooking because it allows him tobe creative, to be a food artist. His art collegeeducation has helped him in his career. His culinaryeducation has been mostly on-the-job training.

Currently, Adam is a saute chef in an elite countryclub. The variety of his day is tremendous. Hesautes primarily, but also preps, plates, and fillsin when needed at parties. Adam remarked,"I'm glad the opportunities to cook presentedthemselves. I really enjoy what I do—and so domy customers."

For more information about:

* culinary careers

* culinary schools and credentialing

Accesswww.cengaqe.com/school/iyc and clickon the appropriate links in Chapter 1.

Source: Personal Interview, April 2011

16 Part 1 • P r e p a r a t i o n

To develop your career plan, you will:

• Travel the P*A*T*H to Success.

• Research career clusters to find career fields that work with yourpassions, inspire a positive attitude, allow you to use your talents, andfill your heart.

• Identify the skills needed for your career choices.

• Set goals for your education, training, and experience.

Finally, you will design your career plan by listing the steps you need totake to reach your goals.

As you begin the steps on your career path, you will find that you needto be flexible. Life does not always go according to plan. However, if youstart planning now, you can use your career plan to help you make deci-sions that will lead toward the goals you set.

Some people say, "I'll do this when I win the lottery." Or, "If I could runthe company, I would...." Those statements show that those people are notin control—of their own lives! A career plan allows you to be in charge.Rather than going through life waiting for a big break, you can make yourown luck. Now is the time to design a winning game plan for achievingyour dream career.

Throughout this book, you will see the portfolio icon. This icon suggeststhat you put a specific document into your Career Portfolio. Your CareerPortfolio is a collection place for activities that help you make career deci-sions. Some documents may be samples that illustrate your passions andtalents, assessment results, career interviews, personal notes, and muchmore. You may keep items on your computer, online, or in a folder. Whenyou look through the folder, you can review the results of your careerplanning efforts. Summaries of your personal P*A*T*H to Success, resultsof your career research, and samples of your imagination will help you inthe process of discovering your career.

Planning for Career SuccessCreating your career plan is a process. That process will change over time.You may have starts and stops, but the process of developing your careerplan -will help you organize your thoughts toward your future in a careerthat will satisfy you. You will be able to set and accomplish goals that helpyou build career success.

What Happens Withouta Career Plan?Not having a career plan is a direct cause for many students' problems,according to the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. The reality:

!̂ One out of four teens does not graduate from high school. Thesestudents attended school for 10 to 12 years. Now, because of droppingout, they will have trouble being hired as an entry-level employee.

Chapter 1 • P r e p a r i n g Your Path for S u c c e s s 17

•I Three out of 10 high school graduates finish high school with no plansfor further education and training. The majority of those students haveno specialized skills. In reality, until they develop a career plan, theywill have a difficult time building a satisfying career.

• One out of four students who start college will not graduate. A careerplan would give these students an advantage.

• Approximately half of all college graduates will take a position that isnot in their major. Developing a career plan and setting goals wouldhelp those students.

Some students and some families believe that they should postpone ca-reer planning until after high school. Others believe that career planningshould happen during college. However, college is not a career plan. Thecosts of going to college make it an expensive way to experiment with ca-reer choices.

What might happen if you decided not to plan for your career beforehigh school graduation? Why not wait until college to plan your career?

What are some of theactivities outside schoolthat will help you explorecareers?

Career Planning ChecklistAt the end of Investigating Your Career, you will be able to picture your fu-ture. Why? Because you started planning now. You will have a good ideaof where your career path is going and a design of how to get there. Youwill be saying yes to the following statements:• School is the starting point for my career path. As I develop my career

plan, I will take advantage of what school has to offer.• My family, my teachers, my counselor, and my friends—as well as

other factors—may influence my career choices. I used the input todecide my career area.

• I took career assessments to help me identify my passions and talentsfor potential career cluster choices.

• I researched career clusters and career possibilities that use my talentsand passions.

• I want to train and educate myself for a career that will be in demandin the future. I will research to understand career trends and thedemands of a global economy.

• I discussed careers with people in career areas that interest me.1 listened to their advice.

• I investigated the education and training needed after high school forcareers in my career cluster.

• I am aware of the cost of education and training for my career area.I know how to create a financial plan and how to researchfinancial aid.

18 Part 1 • Prepara t ion

• I have my education plan in writing, including the courses I am takingnow and plan to take in the future. My courses match my P*A*T*H toSuccess.

• I will work part-time and participate in service learning wheneverpossible. These activities will help me gain experience for my careerdecision.

• I know the job search process.• I have a Career Portfolio. I will update it regularly and use it as a

guide to make my career decisions.This checklist may seem long. However, a successful future depends onpreparation, research, and planning—the more the better.

With planning brings reality. Reality will help you set and achieve yourgoals more clearly. According to a Charles Schwab survey, nearly 75 per-cent of teens believe they will be earning "plenty of money" when they areindependent. Over half of them believe that they will be better off finan-cially than their families. The truth is that -without a career plan, the pre-dictions are that today's teens will earn less money than their families.

What Is a Team?Understanding teams and teamwork is important tothe success of sports teams, classroom learning, andthe workplace. In this activity, you and your teammateswill discover what makes a successful team.

1. In small groups, discuss what is a team. As a group,pick three to five words that describe what a feamis to the group. One person will start the discussion;that person is the leader. One person will recordthe group's words; that person is the recorder. Oneperson will share the answers with the class; thatperson is the reporter. Groups will report to the class.

2. Your group will now define teamwork. You mayuse some of the words that you and the groups

used in Step 1. Each group's reporters willshare the group's results with the class.

Use the results from Steps 1 and 2 to createthree guidelines or rules to help a teamsucceed. Share the rules with the class.

Create a team pennant with your group. Usesome of the ideas from Steps 1 -3.

When all the groups are finished working,reporters will share their group's pennantswith the class. Explain some of the reasonsbehind your group's choices.

*•

1.1 Career Expectations• A person's personal interests influence his or her career choices. The

advice and experience of others and education and skills training willalso influence career choices.

• U.S. teens have high expectations for their career future. However,the influence of others—especially parents and other family members,teachers, and friends—will have the greatest influence on their careerdecisions.

• U.S. teens' career preferences often do not match the reality of thecareer demands of the future.

1-2 Your P*A*T*H to Success• The difference between a job and career is important. A yob is a

paid position that involves a specific place, time, and tasks set by anemployer. A career describes employment in a particular field for a longperiod.

• The P*A*T*H to Success has four steps: uncovering career-relatedpassions, choosing a positive attitude, identifying talents, anddiscovering what is important to your heart.

1.3 Planning for Career Success• Developing a career plan now allows a person to focus on education

and skill training in the direction of specific career clusters. Choosingclasses and activities that help in preparation for a future career willhelp in the decision-making process.

• A career plan is necessary to guide a person through a career journey.The many steps help with a thorough preparation for the future.

20 Par t 1 • Prepara t ion

apter Assessment

Vocabulary BuilderMatch each statement with the term that best defines it.

1. A long-term work history in a particular field

2. Strong, positive feelings you experience while enjoying something

3. A type of career that usually has manual labor and an hourly wage

4. Type of work with specific skills

5. Natural strengths and abilities

6. Collection place for activities that help with career decisions

7. A group of all of the possible careers in an entire subject area

8. A specific set of skills for unique occupations

9. The schedule for the career journey

10. Work tasks that are used in various types of careers

11. Refers to the way you feel about something

12. A type of career that usually requires a college degree and specializedtraining

13. The U.S. Department of Labor agency that creates career informationstatistics

14. A paid position involving a specific time and specific tasks set by anemployer

Review What You Have Learned15. What do you expect from your future careers?

16. What factors influence most students' career decisions?

17. What do students choose as their top five career fields?

18. What do the fastest-growing careers of the future have in common?

19. What is the difference between a job and a career?

20. What are the four components of the P*A*T*H to Success?

21. Why should you develop a career plan before high school graduation?

22. What is the difference between transferable skills and skill sets?

23. What are some of the specific steps in creating a career plan?

24. What are some of the benefits of creating a career plan?

Case ChallengesAfter reading both case studies on the next page, analyze each careerplanning situation. Have the students successfully prepared for the future?If so, explain why. If not, suggest activities they can do to make clearercareer decisions.

a. attitudeb. blue-collar careerc. Bureau of Labor

Statisticsd. careere. career clusterf. career plang. Career Portfolioh. hearti. jobj. occupationk. passionI. professional

careerm. talentsn. skill setso. transferable skills

Chapter 1 • Prepar ing Your Path for S u c c e s s 21

25. Julio plans on going to college after he graduates from high school. Hehas not thought about what courses he will take, because colleges haveadvisors to help students, right? Besides, he has his college fund, and hisgrades are good enough for a scholarship towards his first-year tuition.Since his family is pushing him into college, he figures they will pay hisexpenses. He will have at least four years to make his career decision.Why decide a college major now?

26. School does not really interest Dakota. She is only scheduling the classesshe needs to graduate. Any other classes would be "fun" classes tofill her schedule. So what if her grades are not terrific? She just wantsto have fun with her friends and pass her classes. After all, what doesschool have to do with the real world anyway? Dakota works at a fast-food restaurant and she believes she can cover her expenses on herown. If she needs more money, she can use a credit card. After all, shewill be sharing an apartment with Sabrina and Petra after graduation.

Make Academic Connections27. LANGUAGE ARTS Volunteering is an excellent way to "try out" a

career field. Research volunteer opportunities in your school and yourcommunity. Choose at least one organization that interests you. Write aletter to the head of the group or organization asking for informationon volunteer opportunities. After you receive the information, followup with a thank-you note. You may even schedule an interview topursue the opportunities.

28. MATH Below is a list of three careers, the number of people currentlyemployed in that career, and the percent of projected increase by 2018.Use the projected increase to calculate the approximate number ofpeople employed in that career in 2018.

Physician assistant

Physical therapistassistant

Dental assistant

Number currentlyemployed

66,000

21,200

280,000

Projected increase Number employed

27 percent

33 percent

29.2 percent

Workplace Connection

22

Learning about yourself is one of the first steps to discovering your career.Survey your strengths by exploring your past and yourself today.

29. Complete the following statements.• As a child, I liked to• Today I like to• Others describe me as• I am best at ....

Part 1 • P r e p a r a t i o n