When I Grow Up, I Want to Be

1
When I Grow Up, I Want to Be?

• A Project in Career Exploration

2
Introduction

• You are an 8th grader looking forward to the day
  you can enroll in high
• school, but before you can register for classes,
  you must choose a career pathway
• an area in which to focus your high school
  studies.
• Your mind goes crazy. What do you want to be when
  you grow up?
• Do you want to be ......
• A Professional Athlete
• An Actor/Actress
• A Veterinarian
• A Race Car Driver
• A Doctor
• A Fireman
• A Teacher
• In this project, you will explore a variety of
  careers based on your personal interests
• and ultimately choose a career path and/or a
  specific career that is suitable for you.

3
Your Task

• As a incoming freshman, you have the task of
  choosing a career or
• a career pathway on which to focus your high
  school studies.
• You will do this by compiling a career
  exploration portfolio.  The
• portfolio will contain the following.
• Printed copy of your drivers license from your
  Drive of Your Life
• Core 40 Requirements
• Three Career Summary Worksheets filled out with
  careers that you chose
• Regional Career Outlook Map on your top career
  choice
• College Tuition Worksheet on your top career
  choice
• 3-paragraph Summary Paper
• Brochure on the information that you found on you
  top career choice with a 2 minute presentation on
  the career
• Reflection Sheet
• Are you ready to get started? As you can see you
  have a lot to do
• before you can register for high school.

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Task 1 Drive of Your Life

• The Drive of Your Life website Customize Your
  Ride
• recognizes that each person is unique, and that
  one way to
• explore interesting careers is to take an
  inventory of personal likes
• and dislikes, strengths and abilities.
• Take the interest inventory.
• There are no right or wrong answers its what
  you like to do.
• Pick one answer for each question.
• Take enough time to think about how you feel, not
  what you think someone else would like. Thats
  the only way the results will be meaningful.
• With every eight questions you answer, you will
  have the opportunity to pick a car and customize
  it for the rest of the activities on the site.
• At the completion of the interest inventory, you
  will view your completed car, create a
  personalized vanity plate for their car, and
  receive your three-letter personal style code
  reflecting your answers to the 48 questions.

5
Task 2 Career Exploration

• You will now see a list of potential careers in
  the Plan Your Trip Section
• that match their own personal style profiles.
  Review the careers listed and
• select three careers to investigate further
  during the Jump In and Drive
• session later. These careers will be added to the
  Destination list on the
• navigation screen. (Note that for each job, a
  Graduation Cap icon is
• featured next to the job, showing how much
  education is required for that
• job.)
• Find in-depth information on at least 3 careers
  that meet your current career goals including
• Education requirements and field of study options
• Tasks performed in a Typical Day
• Indiana specific Salary and Job Outlook
  information
• Print all Fast Facts/Typical Day information
  pages from the Jump In and Drive section of
  www.DriveofYourLife.org on the careers that you
  are most interested in to fill in the attached
  Career Information Worksheet for careers visited
• Print off Drivers License summarizing career
  exploration information
• Decide on 1 career on which to focus and create
  Career Exploration project

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Task 3 Career Exploration Map

• After reaching their chosen career destination
• in the Jump In and Drive section, information
• can be found on the Career Fast Facts page of
• the site. Using your printed version of the
• Career Fast Facts information, put the map
• information in region order from highest to
  lowest)
• Locate and rank the top 5 fastest growing regions
  in Indiana where you can find work in your career
  of interest.
• Create a Map Key and color code/mark your map
  accordingly.

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Task 4 College Evaluation

• Log on to www.TripToCollege.org
• Click Indiana Colleges
• Click Find Indiana Colleges that fit you best
• Indiana Colleges Search page appears you will
  see a green tab labeled Degree Type/Majors
  Offered  
• Click on Search by Career  by clicking on the
  career, a list of possible majors and degrees
  will appear in the white text box below. Select
  the one that is most appealing to you (or more
  than one, if you like) and then click on the
  "Add" button.
• If your career is not found in the Search by
  Career listing, choose a similar career or try
  another career from your license.
• Look at the other tabs and see if you want to
  refine your search any more.  Add any other
  criteria that you are looking for.  (City Size,
  Campus Location, etc)
• Click on the SEARCH button at the bottom of the
  page.  It will then pull all schools in Indiana
  that will help you get on your way to achieving
  your educational goal.
• When you are satisfied with the information that
  you received PRINT the information.   The print
  button is on the left side of the screen.
• Complete the College Tuition Worksheet 

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Task 5 Summary

• Write a 3-paragraph summary paper using the
• Information learned from the Drive of Your
• Life and Trip To College websites including
• Career
• Explanation of why you want to have this career
• Interesting facts
• Typical tasks
• Outlook for job growth
• Wages
• Education required
• Colleges in Indiana where you can earn a degree

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Task 6 Brochure and Presentation

• Tri-Fold Brochure (you can use the computer or
  hand draw)
• Pictures of career environment 4-5 pictures
  maximum
• Salary information yearly salary or hourly wage
  calculated for a year.
• Location of job Indiana map indicating job
  availability.
• Education plans Courses or areas of courses
  given with timeline for obtaining job in career.
• Care and creativity of presentation board All
  elements present and carefully placed to best of
  ability
• On Monday, November 9, you will give a two minute
  presentation about the career that you chose to
  do your exploration about.
• Complete the Career Reflection Sheet

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Conclusion

• Congratulations! You have made it through
• your career exploration project. Deciding what
• you want to do with your life is not easy, but
  all
• people must make the choice. Aren't you glad
• you took the time to properly map out a plan
• for your future?