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Unit 2: Look Outward
Activity 7: Ask the Expert
Think for a moment about all of the jobs that you encounter each week – at home, at school, at work, and in the community. They are all different from one another. Some are with the local, provincial, or federal government, some are with private businesses ranging from single-person operations to multinational corporations, and some involve self-employment. How does one decide which career to pursue?
John is 16, and, like many people his age, is unsure about what he would like to do for a living as an adult. He has many interests including sports, outdoor recreation, small construction projects involving design through completion, reading, spending time with friends, travelling, and meeting new people. At school he is particularly good at physical education, math, and science, though he also enjoys English, French as a Second Language, and outdoor education.
In his Careers course last year, John learned about many occupations. In fact, his teacher invited several speakers from a number of different fields come in to present to his class. John found many of the occupations to be quite appealing and soon realized his career aspirations were in constant flux. Now, John is feeling confused and is becoming a little overwhelmed by these seemingly endless possibilities.
Think About It: Seeking Career Information and Guidance
What advice do you have for John? What are some actions he can take? What sources can John consult to help him gain focus and begin to plan?
Learn About It: Sifting Through the Plenitude of Career Information Sources
There are so many sources of career-related information it can be overwhelming. How can you stop from becoming frustrated?
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
The number of sources and the amount of information available about careers can be overwhelming. Without a specific goal and plan in place, it is easy to get confused, frustrated - even lost - as you sift through copious amounts of information, particularly if you encounter conflicting messages.
How, then, can you decide which sources and what information are the most useful to you? The following is a strategy that will prove effective to help you find the correct answers you need, while saving you time and, perhaps, some frustration.
Focus your career investigation and planning. Begin by asking the right questions.
Before embarking on your career investigation, you first need to decide what questions, precisely, you’d like to answer. For instance, you may have questions related to some or many of the following - please, however, don’t limit yourself to only these:
- occupations to which you are best suited;
- descriptions of occupations;
- duties of occupations;
- education, training, and/or experience requirements;
- education or training programs;
- typical salaries, benefits, pension, holidays, and similar questions;
- typical work schedules;
- typical career paths;
- job security;
- opportunities and prerequisites for advancement/promotion;
- job safety;
- union issues;
- education/training support (financial or academic);
- employment incentive programs and initiative grants (e.g., for specific groups such as youth, adults entering a second career, minorities, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, etc.) A few examples can be found here;
- job/occupation prospects/outlook;
- job/occupation trends;
- types of opportunities available (e.g., public or private sector? opportunities for self-employment? etc.);
- recent and/or forecasted changes in the field (e.g., technological changes);
- occupations projected to be in demand in the future; and/or
- starting your own business (self-employment opportunities).
Next, you need to decide what criteria you will use to assess sources of information and data as you discover them, whether they are print, electronic, or human. The following interactive explains the CRAAP method of evaluating information.
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.
Work With It: Submission - My Career Questions and Assessment of Sources of Information
This task is a personal one and, as such, will look different for each learner who completes it. Create a document entitled “My Career Questions and Assessment of Sources of Information.” In the document, create a table as follows:
| Questions | Source | Currency | Relevance | Authority | Accuracy | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write your first question here | Provide source you will consult to answer your question. | Assess the source based on currency. | Assess the source based on relevance. | Assess the source based on authority. | Assess the source based on accuracy. | Assess the source based on purpose. |
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 |
- In the Questions column, list five (5) questions that are important and relevant to you with regard to your career planning. What do YOU feel that you need to know about the career that you are considering?
- In the Source column, locate and name, for each question, a source that will provide the information and/or data you require to answer the question. Your source may be print, electronic, or human. Examples include particular websites, local employment services/offices/agencies, a particular business/industry/institution, an individual employed in a particular field of interest, etc.
- In each cell, write an assessment of the source you have located based on the criteria for that column.
Save a copy of your table in your portfolio.
Think About It: What Employment Ontario Can Offer Me
Take some time to become familiar with the Employment Ontario Portal, exploring its various features and links, which will be very valuable to you in later activities.
What information and services are offered that may be beneficial to you now, or in the future, as you plot your course and navigate toward a rewarding career?
Choosing a career can be like buying car. If you don’t do your research, you could end up buying a lemon and being unhappy with your decision!
Typically, gaining employment that you enjoy, and from which you derive satisfaction, does not happen by chance. It usually results from a series of informed decisions, each based on fact finding missions that involve consultation with useful and accurate sources.
As we have learned, the plethora of sources of career-related information can be overwhelming. An Internet search will generate hundreds of results - no one has the time to go through them all. Fortunately, you are never alone in your journey. Choosing trusted sources, such as government departments and agencies, which stand to benefit from helping and supporting people to acquire gainful employment, is a great approach. And, of course, nearly all communities have career and employment services and agencies that can assist you in providing the information and guidance you need. Many of them even offer career counselling - which is a benefit everyone should definitely consider.
Introduction
Learning Goals and Success Criteria
Learning Skills and Work Habits
Rubric 1