Teaching the Career DecisionMaking Process to Secondary Students and Their Parents

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

• Dr. Ray Davis
• State Department of Education
• Office of Career and Technology Education

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Job Market Trends

• Global Competition
• No Low Skill jobs
• No Lifetime Hire
• Diverse Workforce
• Portable/Transferable Skills
• Changing Employer Base

• Learning Earning
• Aging Workforce
• More Women
• Language Skills
• Continuous Training
• Flexibility
• Service/Security Economy

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Worker of the Twenty-First Century

• Exceeds at Problem Solving
• Possesses Critical Thinking Skills
• Works in Teams
• Lifelong Learner
• Succeeds in Diverse, Global Workplace
• Functions with High Levels of Technology and
  Adaptability

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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

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The career decision-making process consists of
four steps. The amount of time that each step
requires will vary from person to person.
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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 ones beliefs, interests, work
  values, needs, ambitions, lifestyle, and skills.

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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)

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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

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The Role of the CounselorCounseling 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 ones quality of life..
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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 students 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!

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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?

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How to Get StartedSchool 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.
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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)

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The Common GroundAn 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.
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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?

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How to Get StartedThese 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 students confidence. Dont forget
the insight a mentor can provide!
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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.

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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?

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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?

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

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What is the Role of the GCDF/School Counselor in
Career Guidance?

• Data to Information to Action

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

• Myths
• K-5 Too Early for Students to Start!
• Dont Rely Solely on PCT
• No One Test Works
• CD-M is a Process, Not a Product
• No Technology Replaces Counseling

• Realities
• College is Expensive Career Planning
• School Should Have Seamless CG Program
• Use Variety of Tools
• Utilize a Career Planner for 6-12
• High Tech Needs High Touch

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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 students 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

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Keys to Student Involvement

• Teach them that change is normal
• Promote students positive self-talk
• Invest them in career activities that promote
  career development self-efficacy
• Look for Compulsivity vs. Implusivity in
  decision making
• Awareness of ones self as the doer of a task
• Reduce Either/Or Thinkingdualism
• Keep student focused on self-knowledge (Reardon,
  Lenz, Sampson, and Peterson, 2000)

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How To Improve Students Self-Knowledge

• Help student to avoid over-generalizing from past
  experiences
• Guard against the student relying too much on
  others opinions of the students 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 students values, skills, and
  interests