edtechdev/chatbotfiles · Datasets at Hugging Face

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REALITY: The way in which we work has changed in the last twenty years. There are many more flexible work
arrangements available. The “gig economy” refers to jobs that are independent of being an employee and are
often time-limited. These positions give people multiple options for generating personal income and are good
options for a “side hustle.” At the present time, the job market is also considered to be a “job seeker’s market,”
meaning employers are having difficulty finding candidates for their openings. Every day, thousands of people
get jobs that advance their status.

ACTIVITY
Consider the various events or conversations you’ve experienced in the past few years that have led you
toward a career goal. Have any of the myths or their counterparts listed above impacted your choices? Are
you called to reconsider any previous decisions? Why or why not? Are there additional preconceptions you
might have that could potentially block you from moving forward with your ideal plans?

What Should I Be?
Have you ever heard statements like these?
• “You are so good at math . . . you should be an accountant.”

Access for free at openstax.org

12.2 • Your Map to Success: The Career Planning Cycle

• “Your best grades have always been in art, but it isn’t really practical to become an artist.”
• “You like kids so much! You should be a teacher!”
Many people tend to first think of careers based on images they see in society or the media. Prestigious and
high-visibility occupations are what many young people aspire to when they are young. How many of you first
wanted to be a doctor, firefighter, entertainer, professional athlete, or teacher? As we grow up and get to know
the world better, we are exposed to a greater universe of jobs. However, young people in middle and high
school also tend to look at careers based on the subjects they are good at (or not good at) in school. These
self-perceptions and interests can last long into adulthood. But education and the work world can be
extremely different environments with different purposes and expectations. The realities of jobs and careers
we choose are vastly more complex than the courses we like or don’t and whether we perform well in them in
high school. Though we may have some images for “what we are” and “who we should be,” there are also
many different options, and the choices can be overwhelming. How do we ensure that we make career
decisions that are productive for us?

12.2 Your Map to Success: The Career Planning Cycle
Estimated completion time: 42 minutes.
Questions to Consider:
• What steps should I take to learn about my best opportunities?
• What can I do to prepare for my career while in college?
• What experiences and resources can help me in my search?

Figure 12.5 You can use the Career Planning Cycle to consider and reconsider your approach and progress in choosing and moving
toward a career. (Credit: Based on work by Lisa August.)

The Career Planning Cycle helps us apply some concrete steps to figuring out where we might fit into the work

375

376

12 • Planning for Your Future

world. If you follow the steps, you will learn about who you truly are, and can be, as a working professional.
You will discover important knowledge about the work world. You will gain more information to help you make
solid career decisions. You will get experience that will increase your qualifications. You will be more prepared
to reach your professional goals. And the good news is that colleges and universities are set up nicely to help
you utilize this process.

Learn About Yourself
To understand what type of work suits us and to be able to convey that to others to get hired, we must
become experts in knowing who we are. Gaining self-knowledge is a lifelong process, and college is the
perfect time to gain and adapt this fundamental information. Following are some of the types of information
that we should have about ourselves:
• Interests: Things that we like and want to know more about. These often take the form of ideas,
information, knowledge, and topics.
• Skills/Aptitudes: Things that we either do well or can do well. These can be natural or learned and are
usually skills—things we can demonstrate in some way. Some of our skills are “hard” skills, which are
specific to jobs and/or tasks. Others are “soft” skills, which are personality traits and/or interpersonal skills
that accompany us from position to position.
• Values: Things that we believe in. Frequently, these are conditions and principles.
• Personality: Things that combine to make each of us distinctive. Often, this shows in the way we present
ourselves to the world. Aspects of personality are customarily described as qualities, features, thoughts,
and behaviors.
In addition to knowing the things we can and like to do, we must also know how well we do them. What are
our strengths? When employers hire us, they hire us to do something, to contribute to their organization in
some way. We get paid for what we know, what we can do, and how well or deeply we can demonstrate these
things. Think of these as your Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). As working people, we can each think of
ourselves as carrying a “tool kit.” In our tool kit are the KSAs that we bring to each job. As we gain experience,
we learn how best to use our tools. We gain more tools and use some more often than others, but all the tools
we gather during our career stay with us in some form.

ACTIVITY
Consider the top KSAs you currently have in your tool kit. Consider at least one in each category that you
would like to develop while you’re in college.

Because you’re expected to spend your time in college focusing on what you learn in your classes, it might
seem like a lot of extra work to also develop your career identity. Actually, the ideal time to learn about who
you are as a worker and a professional is while you are so focused on learning and personal development,
which lends itself to growth in all forms. College helps us acquire and develop our KSAs daily through our
coursework and experiences. What might be some ways you can purposefully and consciously learn about
yourself? How might you get more information about who you are? And how might you learn about what that
means for your career? Awareness of the need to develop your career identity and your vocational worth is the
first step. Next, undertaking a process that is mindful and systematic can help guide you through. This process
will help you look at yourself and the work world in a different way. You will do some of this in this course.
Then, during your studies, some of your professors and advisors may integrate career development into the
curriculum, either formally or informally. Perhaps most significantly, the career center at your school is an
essential place for you to visit. They have advisors, counselors, and coaches who are formally trained in
facilitating the career development process.

REALITY: The way in which we work has changed in the last twenty years. There are many more flexible work

arrangements available. The “gig economy” refers to jobs that are independent of being an employee and are

often time-limited. These positions give people multiple options for generating personal income and are good

options for a “side hustle.” At the present time, the job market is also considered to be a “job seeker’s market,”

meaning employers are having difficulty finding candidates for their openings. Every day, thousands of people

get jobs that advance their status.

ACTIVITY

Consider the various events or conversations you’ve experienced in the past few years that have led you

toward a career goal. Have any of the myths or their counterparts listed above impacted your choices? Are

you called to reconsider any previous decisions? Why or why not? Are there additional preconceptions you

might have that could potentially block you from moving forward with your ideal plans?

What Should I Be?

Have you ever heard statements like these?

• “You are so good at math . . . you should be an accountant.”

Access for free at openstax.org

12.2 • Your Map to Success: The Career Planning Cycle

• “Your best grades have always been in art, but it isn’t really practical to become an artist.”

• “You like kids so much! You should be a teacher!”

Many people tend to first think of careers based on images they see in society or the media. Prestigious and

high-visibility occupations are what many young people aspire to when they are young. How many of you first

wanted to be a doctor, firefighter, entertainer, professional athlete, or teacher? As we grow up and get to know

the world better, we are exposed to a greater universe of jobs. However, young people in middle and high

school also tend to look at careers based on the subjects they are good at (or not good at) in school. These

self-perceptions and interests can last long into adulthood. But education and the work world can be

extremely different environments with different purposes and expectations. The realities of jobs and careers

we choose are vastly more complex than the courses we like or don’t and whether we perform well in them in

high school. Though we may have some images for “what we are” and “who we should be,” there are also

many different options, and the choices can be overwhelming. How do we ensure that we make career

decisions that are productive for us?

12.2 Your Map to Success: The Career Planning Cycle

Estimated completion time: 42 minutes.

Questions to Consider:

• What steps should I take to learn about my best opportunities?

• What can I do to prepare for my career while in college?

• What experiences and resources can help me in my search?

Figure 12.5 You can use the Career Planning Cycle to consider and reconsider your approach and progress in choosing and moving

toward a career. (Credit: Based on work by Lisa August.)

The Career Planning Cycle helps us apply some concrete steps to figuring out where we might fit into the work

375

376

12 • Planning for Your Future

world. If you follow the steps, you will learn about who you truly are, and can be, as a working professional.

You will discover important knowledge about the work world. You will gain more information to help you make

solid career decisions. You will get experience that will increase your qualifications. You will be more prepared

to reach your professional goals. And the good news is that colleges and universities are set up nicely to help

you utilize this process.

Learn About Yourself

To understand what type of work suits us and to be able to convey that to others to get hired, we must

become experts in knowing who we are. Gaining self-knowledge is a lifelong process, and college is the

perfect time to gain and adapt this fundamental information. Following are some of the types of information

that we should have about ourselves:

• Interests: Things that we like and want to know more about. These often take the form of ideas,

information, knowledge, and topics.

• Skills/Aptitudes: Things that we either do well or can do well. These can be natural or learned and are

usually skills—things we can demonstrate in some way. Some of our skills are “hard” skills, which are

specific to jobs and/or tasks. Others are “soft” skills, which are personality traits and/or interpersonal skills

that accompany us from position to position.

• Values: Things that we believe in. Frequently, these are conditions and principles.

• Personality: Things that combine to make each of us distinctive. Often, this shows in the way we present

ourselves to the world. Aspects of personality are customarily described as qualities, features, thoughts,

and behaviors.

In addition to knowing the things we can and like to do, we must also know how well we do them. What are

our strengths? When employers hire us, they hire us to do something, to contribute to their organization in

some way. We get paid for what we know, what we can do, and how well or deeply we can demonstrate these

things. Think of these as your Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). As working people, we can each think of

ourselves as carrying a “tool kit.” In our tool kit are the KSAs that we bring to each job. As we gain experience,

we learn how best to use our tools. We gain more tools and use some more often than others, but all the tools

we gather during our career stay with us in some form.

ACTIVITY

Consider the top KSAs you currently have in your tool kit. Consider at least one in each category that you

would like to develop while you’re in college.

Because you’re expected to spend your time in college focusing on what you learn in your classes, it might

seem like a lot of extra work to also develop your career identity. Actually, the ideal time to learn about who

you are as a worker and a professional is while you are so focused on learning and personal development,

which lends itself to growth in all forms. College helps us acquire and develop our KSAs daily through our

coursework and experiences. What might be some ways you can purposefully and consciously learn about

yourself? How might you get more information about who you are? And how might you learn about what that

means for your career? Awareness of the need to develop your career identity and your vocational worth is the

first step. Next, undertaking a process that is mindful and systematic can help guide you through. This process

will help you look at yourself and the work world in a different way. You will do some of this in this course.

Then, during your studies, some of your professors and advisors may integrate career development into the

curriculum, either formally or informally. Perhaps most significantly, the career center at your school is an

essential place for you to visit. They have advisors, counselors, and coaches who are formally trained in

facilitating the career development process.