Teaching the Career Decision-Making Process to Secondary Students and Their Parents

Dr. Ray DavisState Department of Education Office of Career and Technology Education

Job Market Trends

Global CompetitionNo Low Skill jobsNo Lifetime HireDiverse WorkforcePortable/

Transferable SkillsChanging

Employer Base

Learning = EarningAging WorkforceMore WomenLanguage SkillsContinuous TrainingFlexibilityService/Security

Economy

Worker of the Twenty-First Century

Exceeds at Problem SolvingPossesses Critical Thinking SkillsWorks in TeamsLifelong LearnerSucceeds in Diverse, Global WorkplaceFunctions with High Levels of

Technology and Adaptability

To facilitate an informed career decision, it is important to: Begin the career decision-making process early, but

understand a choice is “tentative” focus on identifying career groupings, clusters, or fields

rather than jobs develop sufficient self-awareness and self-understanding

through assessments and counseling initiate a thorough investigation of careers and

occupational areas through research and practical experience

discover the “common ground” between self and the career(s) under consideration

develop a plan that can lead to the chosen career path

The career decision-making process consists of four steps. The amount of time that each step requires will vary from person to person.

Step One: Self-Assessment and Understanding

A good career choice begins when you establish your individual career parameters. This step begins with a heightened awareness and understanding of one’s beliefs, interests, work values, needs, ambitions, lifestyle, and skills.

Questions for the student to consider include:

What type of work setting best interests me? (Interests) What have I done well and enjoyed in the past? (Skills,

Interests) What components are most important for me to have in

my work experience- High income? Team environment? Creativity? Structure? (Work values)

What type of worker am I? (Lifestyle, Personality Traits) What type of work will I consider to be fulfilling? (Values)

How to Get Started:

A counselor can work with students using: Assessments Workshops Interviews Web sites Computer-assisted career guidance programs Group procedures to assist the student in gather

information on “self”

The Role of the Counselor

Counseling is the backbone of the career decision making process. A guidance counselor enables a student to facilitate self-knowledge as it relates to the seemingly “adult task” of career decision-making and the determination of one’s “quality of life.”.

Step Two: Understanding of Careers and World of Work

“What career best suites me?” This is a question that most students ask educators. In most situations, there are numerous careers that might “fit” the student’s parameters for career selection. Effective exploration of career fields and job characteristics can help the student develop a realistic perspective on a career field. Invest time to make a thorough investigation!

Questions for the student to consider include:

What duties are involved in a career? What is the work environment like for jobs in a career? What types of careers will allow me to utilize my skills? Which careers provide opportunities for creativity,

teamwork, variety, or other values of mine? What types of careers provide opportunities to work with

people I enjoy being with? What opportunities exist for advancement?

How to Get Started:

School media specialists can link a student with a wide variety of books and web sites. Computer-assisted career guidance systems (CAGS), such as SCOIS, can assist a student in gaining valuable and updated information on careers both in South Carolina and the nation. Shadowing and mentoring programs can match a professional employed in a career field with a student.

Step Three: Choosing a Career Path This step involves synthesizing all

accumulated information gathered about self in Step One with the information on the “world of work” in Step Two.

Knowledge “Common Knowledge

of Self Ground” of World

(Step one) of Work

(Step Two)

The “Common Ground”

An effective choice is made when the student determines the “common ground” between self and career(s). This step usually takes the most time. A student having trouble addressing barriers to decision making should consult the school guidance counselor.

Questions for the student to consider include:

What match exists between the characteristics of this career and my personal traits and characteristics?

Do the “pluses” of this career outweigh the “minuses”? Will selection of this career necessitate that I make

compromises with which I am comfortable? Can I handle the stress involved in this career?

Am I capable of being successful in this career field? Can I explain this choice to my family even if it is not the

career they want for me? Does a “perfect fit” between my parameters and the

career have to exist for me to choose it as an initial career selection?

How to Get Started:

These questions are less difficult when a student works with a school guidance counselor. A counseling appointment can encourage the student to discuss options with a counselor who is trained to facilitate decision-making while minimizing stress and building a student’s confidence.

Don’t forget the insight a mentor can provide!

Step Four: Establishing a Plan to Enter the Career

Achieving an initial career goal involves being aware of academic and career options and taking steps to secure employment in the career field. Talking with people currently employed in the career of choice can assist a student in determining the best path to take to get from the point of career decision to employment in the career.

Questions for the student to consider include:

What opportunities exist for me to gain experience in this field prior to graduation - internships, co-op jobs, service learning, or apprenticeships?

What employers offer jobs matching my qualifications in this career field?

Will I need to attend a two- or four-year college to achieve my goal?

Questions for the student to consider include continued...

What additional courses might I need to prepare me for entrance into this field? Can clubs and organizations help me build other skills?

What skill improvement is needed to enhance my employability - computer skills, language skills, motivation, interpersonal skills, or promptness?

Have I developed the job search skills needed?

How to Get Started:

Take action! Nothing beats work experience!

Time spent in the work environment will allow one to realistically investigate “the match.” See if the environment and work “culture” matches the student’s personality.

Shadowing, internships, volunteering, apprenticeships, and community service is great.

Getting “From Backpack to Briefcase”

The school guidance office houses resources that can help a student make a smooth transition from school to work. Books, web sites, and workshops on resume writing, job search, and interviewing skills can assist a student in making the transition from classroom to the workplace.

What is the Role of the GCDF/School Counselor in

Career Guidance?

“Data to Information to Action”

How Do We Teach CD-M to Students and Parents?

MythsK-5: Too Early for

Students to Start!Don’t Rely Solely on

PCTNo One Test WorksCD-M is a Process,

Not a ProductNo Technology

Replaces Counseling

RealitiesCollege is Expensive

Career Planning School Should Have

Seamless CG ProgramUse Variety of ToolsUtilize a Career

Planner for 6-12“High Tech” Needs

“High Touch”

Keys to Parental Involvement

Deliver career information in ordinary language Educate them regarding career choices Explain career assessments and technology Pre-planning activities for parents Involve them in student’s self and occupational

exploration; teach decision-making Educate them about the career planner Structure parental planning meetings Search for alternatives to daytime meetings Consider child care for planning meetings Focus on parental empowerment

Keys to Student Involvement

Teach them that change is normal Promote student’s positive “self-talk” Invest them in career activities that promote

career development self-efficacy Look for “Compulsivity vs. Implusivity” in

decision making “Awareness of one’s self as the doer of a task” Reduce “Either/Or Thinking”…dualism Keep student focused on self-knowledge

(Reardon, Lenz, Sampson, and Peterson, 2000)

How To Improve Student’s Self-Knowledge

Help student to avoid over-generalizing from past experiences

Guard against the student relying too much on others’ opinions of the student’s values, interests, and skills in relation to a career

Back off of career decisions during emotional crisis

Make full use of tools in state-of-the-art-career interventions

Maximize clarity on student’s values, skills, and interests