Learning to Earn: Career Planning
⬇ Download Teacher GuideThe "Learning to Earn: Career Planning" lab is a comprehensive lab designed to guide students through the essential aspects of career planning and preparation. The lab is structured to provide students with practical knowledge and skills that will help them make informed decisions about their future careers. It is divided into three main sections: Career Planning Basics, Preparing for Job, and Unemployment, Needs & Wants, and Conclusion.
Section 1: Career Planning Basics
Students will explore the fundamentals of career planning, including understanding personal interests, strengths, and values, and setting short-term and long-term career goals.
Key Activities:
- Exploring Interests and Strengths: Students identify their personal interests and strengths through self-assessment activities.
- Setting Goals: Students learn to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) short-term and long-term goals related to their career aspirations.
- Educational Pathways: Students compare the benefits and drawbacks of various post-high school options, including entering the workforce, attending trade school, community college, university for a bachelor's degree, and graduate school.
- College Degree Costs: Analyzing the cost of attending colleges and the financial aid available.
- What is a good job? : Analyze survey results on what are the characteristics of a good job, what are employers looking for from a potential employee, etc.
- Career Clusters: Understand an analyze career clustered.
Section 2: Preparing for Job
Students develop practical job application skills, including resume writing, cover letter creation, and building a professional online presence.
Key Activities:
- Data Analysis: As a first step to career exploration, students will analyze various data such as Jobs vs Salary, Fastest Growing Occupations, Fastest Declining Occupations, etc. using interactive worksheets.
- Understanding Job Posting: Analyzing sample job postings to understand the requirements and responsibilities of different roles.
- Resume and Cover Letter: Students create a professional resume that highlights their skills, experiences, and achievements.
- LinkedIn Profile: Create a LinkedIn profile to showcase professional qualifications and begin building a professional network.
Section 3: Unemployment, Needs & Wants, and Conclusion
Students explore economic concepts such as unemployment trends and the difference between needs and wants, helping them understand broader economic factors that impact their careers.
Key Activities:
- Unemployment Trends: Analyzing data on unemployment from 2000 to 2022 to understand economic cycles and their impact on the job market.
- Needs vs. Wants: Completing a worksheet on differentiating needs from wants, and understanding how this distinction affects financial planning and career decisions.
- Final Reflection: Reflecting on what has been learned throughout the lab and discussing long-term career planning and personal financial management.
This lab provides a structured and engaging approach to career planning, helping students make informed decisions about their futures while equipping them with the practical skills needed to succeed in the job market. By the end of the lab, students will have a well-rounded understanding of career exploration, job application processes, and the economic factors that influence their career choices.
Student Feedback
I learned that it's good to know what your strengths and weaknesses are and to work on the things you aren't the best at. It's also important to choose a job that you will enjoy and not to base it solely on the salary or something like that.
I will remember how important it is even though it may not seem like it its important to go through certain steps and think about what will happen when you have this job what opportunities may come and what may block you from where you want to get
There's a lot that I knew about already, but the lab helped me to understand some of the smaller details that are important to think about.
Always take your beliefs and interests into account when looking for a job or what you may want to do for a future career.
I will remember how impactful higher education is to unemployment rates.
I remember the information about college, trade and working right after school the most because it is very relevant to me right now.
I would strongly recommend this lab to others. I will remember to align my career values with my personal values and not anyone else's. I will also remember that unemployment causes should be near the forefront of my planning for a career and that resumes are essential to impress employers.
I thought it was very interesting to see the different unemployment rates and how much jobs around the country and world change so frequently over time
I will remember that being prepared about your career can save you from making mistakes down the road, and also knowing that higher education could save you from unemployment
I have written resumes before but it was helpful to better understand cover letters because they were in the past not clearly explained to me
Specific lessons taken from analytics from charts and graphs explaining data such as unemployment rates, salary rates, and new jobs
I will remember that it is important to do a career that is right for you.
I will remember that career options can always change.
I will remember how much cardiology pays.
I will remember that it is very important to choose wisely on the type of workforce, trading school or university, due to not being left in debt after graduating and having a set plan to be able to pay for the education.
A big part I took away is the research part, for example finding the growth rate or unemployment rate of a certain field and seeing what life could look like deciding on going to college or not.
The detailed and informative slides.
I will remember that it is very important to start saving early
I will remember that it is very important to choose wisely on the type of workforce, trading school or university, due to not being left in debt after graduating and having a set plan to be able to pay for the education.
A big part I took away is the research part, for example finding the growth rate or unemployment rate of a certain field and seeing what life could look like deciding on going to college or not.
How it viewed any option as viable and tried to be as unbiased as possible
I will remember the different options after high school and how all options have pros and cons. Like working immediately out of high school, or getting a higher education.
What I will remember most from this lab is analyzing the different graphs and tables giving a broad idea of stats.
That if my plans for my career change, I don't have to still go to college. There are different pathways I can take after graduating highschool
I will remember how to find the average of something! But in all seriousness I will remember what I need to do first when considering on going to college.
Something that I would remember most of this lab is that I need to always be open to new ideas and to re make my job resumes, and write my certifications.
The thing I remember most was the career clusters and preparing for a job.
The lab was extreamly helpful in many aspects of how life would be after high school, the thing i would take most from it would be the resume section.
How long it takes and what to think about when you are writing your summary.
The savings with the needs and wants. Choosing basic needs is pricy but it's better than having to do a career you don't want because you don't have money for all your wants that you probably won't use or eat.
Most jobs I want don't pay well.
