Looking Forward to the World of Work
Text: Chapter 1
A Working AttitudeBy
David Agnew and Jim Wendell
Arkansas State University
Objectives: Define “New Career Terms” Give reasons why people work Explain differences between a “Job” and a
“Career” State reasons why a positive attitude is
important Describe how school courses and school
work can affect a person’s career and life
New Career Terms:
Job - being employed by a person or company to perform certain tasks and being paid for the work.
Occupation - the type of work in which a person is employed.
Career - work done over a period of years. You will probably have many different jobs in your career.
New Career Terms (Cont.)
Goal - an objective or target to be reached by directing your thoughts and energy.
Attitude - a person’s outlook on life - either positive or negative.
Self Concept - a personal viewpoint of one’s self-worth and abilities.
Work Ethics - a set of values based on hard work.
Then There That Four Letter Word, Known as:
Work
What is Work…???
Hard to define - over 30 lines one dictionary. Most definitions state useful, productive activity
and the labor by which a person earns a living. On average, one will spend 30 or 40 years
working full time during their adult years. By developing a positive attitude towards work,
you can be someone who has a happy and fulfilling life .
Work is:Productive activity resulting
in something useful.
Why do People Work -besides to make money
People like to be with people.
People want to be fulfilled.
People need direction and purpose.
Source: Text
Working to Meet a Need
Economic $$$ Social Psychological
Survey Answers to Main Reasons to Work
To have money for necessities To have money for luxuries To be with other people and make friends To feel good about myself because I am
accomplishing something worthwhile To feel good about myself because I expand
my skills and knowledge through my work To feel good about myself because work
gives me a sense of identity
Job or Career?
Not the same thing Compare to friendships you have Job - similar to a casual acquaintance that
you didn’t care to know very well and won’t spend much time with
Career - like a best friend; a big part of your life and you want to keep knowing and learning about all your life
Job - a group of work tasks you agree to perform for an employer. Usually an agreement to be responsible for work that the employer agrees to pay you for.
Occupation - group of jobs involving similar tasks
Difference Between Job and Occupation
using an example of a grocery store clerk in two separate stores
Both have the same occupation - grocery store clerk
However, these are different jobs because of the different job duties in each position. In one the clerk might be responsible for gathering grocery carts and sweeping the floors and in the other, the clerk might have responsibilities of checking customers out.
A Career is:
Work you do over a period of years. Total of all the jobs you will ever have.
Example - An Education Career can consist of many jobs such as aide, teacher, principal, superintendent
Planning a CareerRalph Waldo Emerson: The reward for a thing well
done is to have done it.
Set a personal goal - something you want to obtain and will work to achieve.
Has a definite direction Has a thought-out plan Contains many steps Requires hard work Takes time
Planning a Career (Cont.)Comparing Career Planning to Mountain Climbing
Both require planning to advance in the
most productive manner Decisions need to be made for successful
completion of both Aimless wandering in either may result in
much activity with little or no gain toward the desired goal
Possible Career GoalsYou might dream of;
Owning a fishing cabin in the mountains Workshop with tools Solving mysteries, understanding scientific
problems, or acquiring knowledge about a specific topic
Inventing new products Writing a novel Owning your own business Going into politics
Advantages of Career Planning
You have more control over your life when you plan ahead Your income may increase faster because each job will be
higher on your career ladder You will more likely be working in your area of interest Each job may give you new skills and experiences for
preparation to the next advancement step You may be able to focus on reaching your most important
goals that you have established for yourself with the least amount of distraction
Attitude - Your Basic Outlook on Your Life’s Work
Perhaps the most important factor in your job success Usually influenced by parents and other adults Helps to develop a good work ethic - a set of values based on
hard work using the belief that work is good, productive, and contains certain joys and benefits.
Could help to avoid a bad work ethic - a set of values based on the beliefs that work is always negative and a “necessary evil” where one must do only the minimum amount of labor to survive.
Self-concept - one’s self image concerning your feelings about your own worth and value
Attitude Attributes POSITIVE ATTITUDE: Smiles constantly Seldom complains Listens to other’s opinions Willing to change for the
better Will admits mistakes Seldom makes excuses Seldom criticizes others Considerate of others Likes working with people
NEGATIVE ATTITUDE: Seldom smiles Complains often They are always right Stubborn - refuses to change Blames others Always makes excuses Criticizes others Thinks only of self Anti-social behaviors
Your Work Ethic: Where did it come from?
The protestant reform movements in Great Britain
Came to America with Pilgrims and others. Part of the religious movements of the late
1700s in the U.S. Society—TV, Movies, magazines, etc.. Parents, teachers, church, community
organizations. NEED
Attitudes toward work has evolved over time
• Industrial revolution first great drain on the traditional rural and agrarian society and it was a different kind of work.
• Electricity of the 1880s led to lighted factories.
• Sabbath Schools for children to learn to read in the early 1800s who were being over worked by factories.
• 1872 National Labor Reform Party formed
• 1878 Socialist Labor Party founded
• Child labor laws begin to emerge mid to late 1800s
Attitudes toward work has evolved over time, Continued….
• Agricultural advancements (Mechanical, Chemical) released workers from the farms.
• The Great Depression 1930s• 1938 Congress passes the Fair Labor
Standards Act, which establishes the forty-hour work week, the minimum wage, and bans child labor in interstate commerce
• Study done in the 60 and repeated in the 80s• Generation X
Work has mixed perception in society today People seem to want to “Get out of work” work smarter not harder Let others work for you Man’s work is from sun to sun but a woman’s
work is never done Eat sleep go fish Work in song…. Take this job and ______,
Working 9 to 5, Make hay while sun shines Work your fingers to the bone
What is a Good Work Ethic?
Being one time Doing your best Using your resources wisely Listening and following directions Thinking through what you are doing
In Summary:
What is work? What is a job? and what is a career?
What are the reasons people work? Why is it important to plan a career? Why is it important for one to have a
positive attitude towards life and work? What are the attributes of a positive
attitude?
The End