Choices® Explorer - Bridge · Career Planning Guide Page 3 Module 1: Building Your Own Future Introduction Picture a half glass of water. Is the glass half full or half empty? It

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Career Planning Guide Page 1

Table of Contents

Table of Contents...............................................................................................................................................1What is This .......................................................................................................................................................2Your View of the World ......................................................................................................................................2Module 1: Building Your Own Future .................................................................................................................3

Job Card A – Whining 101 ........................................................................................................................... 4Job Card B – Interworld Gumping ................................................................................................................ 6Job Card C – Personal Planning ................................................................................................................ 87Job Card D – Gumping vs. Planning ...........................................................................................................94Checklist..................................................................................................................................................... 97

Module 2: Personal Reflections ........................................................................................................................98Job Card A – What Do You Have to Offer the World...................................................................................99Job Card B – What Do You Want From Your Life.....................................................................................,114Job Card C – Dreamweaving .................................................................................................................... 115Job Card D – Cruising Skills Information................................................................................................... 117Checklist.....................................................................................................................................................118

Module 3: Career and Life Inspections ...........................................................................................................119Job Card A – Career Exploration .............................................................................................................. 120Job Card B – Career Information............................................................................................................... 122Job Card C – Career Detective School ..................................................................................................... 123

Module 3: Career and Life Inspections Career Detective – Rookie Research Worksheet ............................124 Module 3: Career and Life Inspections Career Detective – Rookie Research Worksheet ............................124

Checklist.................................................................................................................................................... 128Module 4: Making Connections to the World...................................................................................................129

Job Card A – Black and White World ........................................................................................................ 130Job Card B – Decision Steps .................................................................................................................... 132Job Card C – Career Research................................................................................................................. 133Job Card D – Today's Career and Life Goals............................................................................................ 138Checklist.................................................................................................................................................... 143

Module 5: Choosing Directions .......................................................................................................................144Job Card A – Plan A, Plan B ..................................................................................................................... 145Job Card B – Lifespan Planning................................................................................................................ 148Job Card C – Dear Future Me ................................................................................................................... 151Checklist.................................................................................................................................................... 154

Module 6: Building With Change.....................................................................................................................155Job Card A – Constant Change ................................................................................................................ 157Job Card B – Predicting Change............................................................................................................... 159Job Card C – Talk to Me ........................................................................................................................... 162The Next Stages of Personal Planning...................................................................................................... 163Final Examination...................................................................................................................................... 164Checklist.................................................................................................................................................... 165



What is This?

The Career Planning Guide is a fun and informative course that helps you create plans for yourfuture! It's organized so that you can learn by yourself or in a classroom.

Your View of the World

They used to say, Opportunity knocks. They don't say that much anymore.

It used to be that you could sit in your living room watching TV and Dr. Opportunity would justdrive right up and knock on your door, offering you health, happiness and endless forms of wealth. All you had to do was decide whether you felt like missing the rest of your TV show to take Dr. Opportunity up on the offer.

It isn't like that anymore – in fact, it probably never really was like that.

While you're sitting in your living room waiting for opportunity to arrive, somebody else has been out driving around looking for it; they found it in your driveway. Right now that person is takingDr. Opportunity out to lunch and building a future. All you're doing is watching some more TV.

The phrase for the 21st century is, Opportunity waits. It waits with that employer who is too busy to create a job posting for the person she so desperately needs. It waits with the service that those people wish they had, but no one has taken the time to create. It waits beside that low-status job that is rewarding, and pays well, but no one has noticed how much that job has changed. It waits in new places every day, as our ever-changing world unsettles the traditional ways in which we do things.

In the 21st century, there is abundant opportunity – only it is not located where it used to be. Thenew rule for opportunity is, You have to go get it. You have to plan your own future. So that's whywe created this tutorial called the Career Planning Guide. It teaches you how to build your ownfuture. That is a good thing to learn.

Before you launch yourself into the training modules, there are some things you have to do.

1. Read through each of the topics in the Help section.2. Go get a folder or a shoebox -- something that you can keep as your "personal safety

deposit box." The contents of this will be your Student Learning Plan -- a place to store information and documents that will help you to access opportunities and keep records of personal development. Several modules of this Career Planning Guide will suggest thingsto add to your Personal Learning Plan folder.

Remember, the time you take to complete the Career Planning Guide may be the most importanttime of your life! Besides, if you don't take charge of building yourself a future, who else is goingto do it?



Module 1: Building Your Own FutureIntroduction

Picture a half glass of water. Is the glass half full or half empty? It is both. (Anybody disagree yet?)

The world is a half glass of water. It has a lot of opportunity and it has a lot of danger. That's what makes the world so exciting – there really are no guarantees. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't. The fun is in the playing.

This is the best of times and this is the worst of times. Which of those times do you want to spend your life in?

Some people cannot see the opportunity. They think the glass – world – is empty. These people see what isn't, they see what's missing, and they say "should" a lot. They become what Pink Floydcalled comfortably numb, safe behind their wall, disconnected from the world. If you are one of these people and you are happy with that life, this Career Planning Guide is not for you. See ya!

Other people can see the whole glass. (Like George Carlin. He said the glass isn't half full or half empty, it's just that the glass is too big.) These people see the danger and the bad stuff, so they arecareful, they play it safe. But these people prefer to see the opportunity, the fun, the bizarre, the possibilities. These people like to laugh, meet people, connect with their world, and get involved. Ifyou are one of these people or you would like to improve your abilities in this area, then the CareerPlanning Guide is for you. Welcome!

"You see things and say, Why? I dream things that never were and say, Why not?" – George Bernard Shaw

Okay. Those of you still left want to learn how to build your own future, how to make the most of what comes your way, right? Good. There are two ways you can live life in a half-full glass(world), and you have to be good at both of them.

You can be a Gumper or you can be a Planner. Both are great ways to live a life; both have their advantages and disadvantages. Module 1 of the Career Planning Guide teaches you more about each of these.

So get going on Module 1 – Building Your Own Future. The Job Cards you have to complete are:

�� Job Card A – Whining 101�� Job Card B – Interworld Gumping�� Job Card C – Personal Planning�� Job Card D – Gumping versus Planning��Module 1 Checklist

You can get to any of the Job Cards by clicking on the words listed above. Be sure to complete the Checklist as your final task of Module 1. Have fun!



Module 1: Building Your Own FutureJob Card A – Whining 101

Purpose

To get rid of all the reasons why you can't build your own future.

Background Information

Babies are born motivated. They know they can build their own future. Ever watch a baby learn to walk? They get up, they fall down. They get up again, they fall down again. They get up and fall down, over and over. They don't say, "I have tried walking once, I cannot do it!"

So what happens? If babies know they can build their own future, why don't all adults? Well, somewhere along the way, we didn't always succeed and people didn't always treat us so well. So some of us quit trying in order to avoid the hassle.

This Job Card asks you to read several doubts and fears of other people who worry that they cannotbuild their future. Once you contribute to Whining 101, however, you have to leave your doubts and fears behind you. You can come back after the tutorial and take them back if you want. But youneed to leave them here in order to have fun with the rest of this.

After this Job Card – No Whining Allowed!

Step By Step

1. Read over the doubts and fears of others in the worksheet Whining 101 List2. Write on a scrap piece of paper any doubts or fears you have about building your own

future. Look at them again. Then crumple them up and throw them away.

Products

You got off easy in this Job Card – no products! Just an agreement to have fun and give it your best shot while you complete the aspects of the Career Planning Guide.



Module 1: Building Your Own FutureWhining 101 List

Doubts, Fears and Excuses List

��You cannot just do whatever you want in life; somebody always has a different opinion and wants something else. This world is in trouble. If you cannot see that, that is your problem!

��My dog ate it.

�� I do not have enough time to do this. I have my sports, my homework, I have to do chores at home and I have to walk our stupid dog. I barely have enough time to watch TV! Whenam I going to make a plan for my life?

�� I always say I am going to do stuff like this and then I never do. I do not know how this is going to be any different. Will it be different?

�� I am too cool for this.

�� I am here for a good time, not a long time. Live hard, party hard, who cares about tomorrow?All I know is, I will be rich so I never have to work. It will happen.

�� I do not have any talents. Really, what can I do to build my future? How do people know if they like something or are good at something?

�� I need a pill I can take to tell me what to do with my future. The rest of this looks like too much work! Get me a pill – and hope it doesn't taste like broccoli either!

�� I know I can build my own future, I just do not want to! I am a take it as it goes kind of person. Actually, how is it going?

�� I do not like computers. This looks like a computer thing. Computers make me feel stupid. Is this a computer thing? I do not like reading, either. Do you have to read? Maybe I will do this when computers talk to you – if I liked computers – which I do not.

�� Is this going to get me into college? No. I don't have time to do this if it doesn't help me geta good grade point average. If my Mom knew I was playing around with my future instead of getting real work done, she'd kill me!

�� I don't like to take charge of anything – I can't even decide what shirt to wear. I don't think Ican handle, like, a whole life. Maybe I'll just try to cope with what I've got.

�� I've got it in this order: Dates, Party, Metal. I don't have time.



Module 1: Building Your Own FutureJob Card B – Interworld Gumping

Purpose

To examine the "gumping" process of going through life.


In the movie Forrest Gump, the title character never made a plan in his life. He just did what he wastold, and made the best out of whatever happened to him. We think this is one great way to gothrough life. We call it "gumping."

Gumping is defined as simply breezing through life, making the best out of whatever happens to you. You make no plans and go where life takes you. When you are a gumper, you always deal with whatever happens by following three rules:

��Give it your best effort��Be moral and considerate of others��Have fun

Winnie the Pooh was a gumper. Everybody gumps sometime. Gumping is very unstructured, veryrandom, very in-tune with the prevailing winds of the day. Some people gump easier than others. Everyone can gump. Let's try it out.

Step By Step

a. You are going to practice the art of gumping. Your practice will take place in the Interworld – a place where nothing is sensible, but you can find interesting things there. (Sounds like life!)

b. You will always have choices of what to do, wherever you are in the Interworld. Take a minimum of 15 minutes to practice gumping your way through the Interworld. When youread a page, go in the direction that most interests you. Don't try to be logical about it. Mostimportant – don't make a map of where you go. Just let your instincts take you around. When you feel like it, end your gumping experience.

c. Print a copy of the worksheet called Comparisons – Gumping and Personal Planning



InterworldWelcome to the Interworld

You have just entered a world of random pathways that weave about with no particular order to them.

The Interworld is like life – a lot of interesting things can happen and useful things can be found – you just have to get out of your comfort zone and wander around!

You can also get lost in here, especially if you don't pay attention to where you are coming from.But hey! That's like real life too.

Are you ready to enter the Interworld and cruise around or would you rather get some InterworldTips before you begin?

Whatever you choose, remember the words of that famous quote writer Anonymous: "I never knewanybody who stumbled on to something great while they were standing still."



InterworldInterworld Tips

You're wise to check here first. Never enter a new place without getting all the information you can – you never know when it will come in handy!

Here are some Interworld Tips:��Explore Your Options – In the Interworld, there is no need to hurry. There are lots of

choices in here. Check out as many pathways as you have time for! You never know what you might find as you explore.

��Look For Useful Information – There is a lot of cool information in the Interworld,however it is seldom handy or easy to find (just like life). Keep your eyes open as youcruise around. If something presents itself, check it out.

��When In Doubt, Talk To People – People know stuff. People are interesting. Always takethe opportunity to talk to people in the Interworld. It's OK, you're safe in here!

��Pick Out What You Need – Information is only as useful as you make it. Write down or print anything that seems useful to you, even if you can't use it right away. Use the Interworld experience to broaden your mind. You won't believe how many times in yourlife that will pay off!

��Have Fun! – Exploring life is supposed to be fun. Sometimes it can be hard, confusing or frustrating, but maybe that's all part of the deal. The key to having fun in the Interworld – and in life – is to keep an open mind and play with what happens.

Begin your journey!



InterworldFirst Steps

A path heads up a gradual incline to the east; this appears to be your only choice.

But wait! There is an escalator going down into the ground. It's nestled within a row of tall evergreen trees.

There also appears to be some kind of house on the edge of a cliff further to the southwest.

You see a landing technician guiding space vehicles into the landing. Perhaps she can offer someadvice.



Interworld

You ask the landing technician, "Do you know the way?"

She takes the gum out of her mouth and places it on your shoulder – a move you consider slightlyodd. "Well that depends on what you are looking for," she replies.

"I'm looking for the way to go," you say. She answers, "Go the way that most matches who you are. This is the best way to go."

She takes the gum from your shoulder and places it into her ear, apparently an attempt to save her hearing from the constant roar of the engines. Her ears pop as she returns to guide more craft in for a landing. You know this because you saw the little gum bubble blow gently out of her ear as she walked away.

You continue your journey.



Interworld

You have entered a deserted house that is perched dangerously on the edge of a steep cliff. All the windows in the house are broken. It is clear no one lives here anymore, and it appears they left in a hurry.

The northeast door is open.

There is a doorway to the south – but no door on the hinges! Through that opening is a long drop to the ocean shore below.

Sitting on a virtual chair outside that door – floating in space – is the ghost of Albert Einstein. Youcan talk to the ghost if you like.

You can also take the secret passageway. A trapdoor under the old kitchen table is open and youcan see a rickety homemade wooden ladder to climb down.



Interworld

Sorry, plummeting of any kind is illegal in the Interworld environment. Get back in the house!



Interworld

You get in a long confusing conversation with Albert Einstein's ghost. He tells you things like he is thinking of letting his hair grow. You wonder how it's possible to not let your hair grow, but youlike the ghost and don't wish to offend him.

He wants you to hear some perspectives about his life. Read the ones that you like. Then you better continue with your travels!

��What one of Albert Einstein's teachers said about him....��His formula for success....��His secret for finding answers....��His measure of a truly valued person....��About living a quiet lifestyle....��What he thinks about what makes human progress happen....��His view of his success....



Interworld

"It doesn't matter what he does, he will never amount to anything." This teacher helps us to see that no one can accurately predict the future success of another person.

You're kidding!



Interworld

"If A equals success, then the formula is A=X+Y+Z. X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouthshut."

Yeah? Well, what's the meaning of life?



Interworld

"I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times the conclusion is false. The 100th time Iam right."

Not me. Me is always rite!



Interworld

"The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self."

Yeah, sure! Whatever



Interworld

"I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind."

What! No TV?



Interworld

"Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather fromlove and devotion towards men and towards objective things."

Wow, tell me more!



Interworld

"If I have achieved success it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."

Hmm, I bet you had a great view from up there!



Interworld

You are in a tunnel, dug originally by a miner looking for gold. In front of you is a fork in the tunnel.

The largest tunnel goes west through the wooden support beams and out onto a chrome elevatedwalkway.

A smaller tunnel shoots north – it's pitch black in there!

A tall man-made wooden ladder heads straight up into a lighted area above you. You ignore the herd of tiny sheep huddled just inside the tunnel's entrance – each animal no bigger than your hand. Apparently this is what happens to sheep if they stay in the rain for too long.



Interworld

The entertainment specialist spits worms out of her mouth and says, "You know I've been waitingfor you with baited breath! Get it? Baited breath! Ha!

"Nice to see you here in the Bog Walk. I've just been writing a movie script about a bog that goesback in time to try and become less boglike than the bog that it has become. I'm gonna call it Bog tothe Future. Whatdaya think? Ha!

"If you're looking for help with stress management in your life, you've come to the right place. Thekey is to see the game in everything, see the fun, see the laughter. Hey, when cows laugh, do youthink milk comes out of their noses? Ha!

"Stress happens all the time – it's energy. Used in a positive way, that energy is motivation – it'swhat gets you up in the morning. Negative stress happens when people get too focused, too serious about one part of their life. I live by the motto 'You should take your work seriously, but your self lightly!' But then again, I'm a light eater. As soon as it gets light, I start eating! Ha!

"Here are a few tips for handling stress and staying positive:

Read all 12 of the horoscopes and pick out the one you like. I find that by doing this I havea great looking future every day!

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Quit listening to songs like How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away. They keep a negative look at life alive. Listen to music that makes you feel good. It gives you energy!That goes the same for books and movies, too.Avoid whiners! I have neighbor who needs to have the whine whistle permanently removedfrom her nose! For her, everything isn't just quite right. She's always complaining about something. I asked her the other day, "How can you stop fish from smelling?" She said, "Idon't know. I hate it when a fish smells.” I said, “No problem – you just cut off its nose!”She didn't get it.Listen to the lyrics of the Dire Straits song Why Worry – “There's always sunshine after rain, there's always laughter after pain, these things have always been the same, so whyworry now?” Really listen.Try seeing the usefulness or the humor in everything. Everything is either useful or funnyor both! Sometimes you have to look a little harder, but it's there. Sometimes we have so much emotion it's hard to see, but it's there.Back up. Try looking at a stressful situation from the moon or from five years from now. Most things that seem really serious will not really matter later. If you can laugh at it later, you can laugh at it now!

"Okay, that's it from me! I'm going back to my singing. Life really is a series of lucky situations made more lucky by our own efforts and attitudes, you know. Can you imagine if Bette Midler'ssong, The Wind Beneath My Wings had instead been titled, The Wind Beneath My Arms? Do youthink it would have been as much of a success? I don't think so!

"Okay, that's it from me, I'm going singing! Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. Nothing ain't worth nothing but it's free-ee...."

As you continue your journey you feel the stress flowing freely from your body



Interworld

You are in a large underground cavern with colorful stalactites hanging from its huge ceiling. Lightshines through a fairly large crack in the roof, revealing only part of what you sense is a muchlarger cave.

In the light, you can see three tunnels shooting off in different directions – one to the west and the other two to the south and east.

The eastern tunnel has an escalator going up.

Oddly, an old vending machine sits in the middle of the light.



Interworld

You are standing in a meadow.

To the east you can see the foothills of mountains and a cave entrance.

To the south, a path angles into a forested area with a slight mist hanging near the ground.

To the north is the road to the crossroads.



Interworld

You've climbed to the top of a ridge and are now looking into the Great Chasm. The bottom of this pit has never been explored. Many expeditions have tried and failed, however.

A path slopes downhill to the west, where the sound of aircraft engines can be heard clearly two or three times a minute.

To the north a path winds down a steep shale cliff to the base of the mountain



Interworld

You are at the base of an impressive mountain path heading due south. The path winds its way up a steep rock bluff. The shale surface looks dangerous, but the path looks fairly safe.

A safer path heads west into a dark thicket.

To the northeast, a path heads towards a small rocky hill. Loud sounds are coming from the mountain.



Interworld

You're standing on a small rocky hill that overlooks a windblown, rough ocean shore. Below you is a squatter's shack made of driftwood.

A path heads southwest to the base of the mountains.

Another path proceeds west past a wooded area to the east end of the ocean path.

Every now and then, there are odd sounds coming from up on the mountain. Strangely, the shack is quiet.



Interworld

You are looking at an incredible shack made entirely out of wood and other materials tossed in bythe sea. You move towards the shack and a voice shouts "Go away!"

You ask, "Do you know the way?"

The voice responds, "No! Ask the gnu! Now go away!"

You notice a key hanging on a nail sticking out of the shack. You also notice a large slow-movinggnu in the trees beside the shack. You hadn't noticed him before. You say, "Hi! What's new?"

The gnu responds, "I am."

You ask, "Do you know the way?"

The gnu responds, "No, but if I were a lover of technology, I would take the mountain path to the Great Chasm behind the Landing. This is the way I would go. These are my Gnu Directions."

The gnu fades back into the trees. You go back to the hill



Interworld

You are at the east end of a beautiful ocean path. The sound of waves hitting the shore soothes you.

There is a path heading further east through a wooded area to a rocky hill.

To the west, an ocean path winds along to a bridge that crosses an ocean channel.

Straight ahead of you is a large billboard. Behind it there is a grove of very tall trees. You can readthe billboard if you like, or you can continue along the path.



Interworld

The billboard has this message in plain big letters:

Obstacles are what you see whenyou take your eyes off your goals.

Continue your journey



Interworld

You're deep in a dark thicket. The undergrowth is very close to the thin path below your feet. Thereis a fork in the path ahead.

The wider, more traveled path shoots off to the east.

A familiar whistling sound is coming from the thin path that travels north.

The path west clearly leads out of the thicket



Interworld

You are just outside a wooded area. There is space between the trees and an eerie mist covering the ground within the forest. A path heads south into the misty woods.

To the east, wooden stairs climb up to an elevated chrome walkway that leads into the foothills.

A large structure is visible to the north: you sense it is safe there. As the mist moves about, yousuddenly realize you are not alone.

Two identical 40-year-olds are sitting in barber chairs beside the path into the woods. You can talkto them



Interworld

The twins introduce themselves as Frank (who keeps saying, "Let me be frank with you") and Juan(who says his name was taken from the number of noses he has). Frank hands you a tattered piece of paper.

You open it and read, "Frank and Juan were born identical in every way. They can help you withwhich way to go. However one of them has a personality problem – he is a compulsive liar. Becareful what you ask them – only one of them is to be trusted!"

Frank tells you that he and Juan are tired of people asking them stuff, so you can only ask two questions. You think for a while and then say to Frank, "If I asked Juan if you were the liar, what would he say?"

Frank thought for a minute and replied, "He'd say no."

Aha! you think, now I know who the liar is! So then you ask, "Which is the way to EnvironmentWorld?"

Frank says, "Go east!" and Juan says, "Go south!"

Do you know which way to go?

You thank Frank and Juan for their help and return to your choices



Interworld

You are having trouble seeing things in the misty woods. You can smell the ocean, but you can'tsee it. It seems hidden within the shapes of the sea mist.

You see the shape of a covered bridge looming to the southwest.

A brick road shoots off to the west; it is covered with pine needles from the trees.

The path to the north is more visible. There is an eerie feeling here.



Interworld

You are part way across a covered bridge. A crossing guard stands between you and the entrance to the world.

The bridge also heads east into a misty wooded area



Interworld

The crossing guard complains that his wife thinks he's too nosy – at least that's what she writes in her diary. He complains that he couldn't get any help in the bookstore today.

He asked the woman where the self-help section was, and she said, "If I told you that it would defeat the whole purpose now, wouldn't it?"

You interrupt, "Excuse me, but do you know the way?"

The crossing guard says he doesn't, but he does know that the way will be most likely be discoveredif we would just manage our money well. He complains the people he works with don't know how to manage money. It drives him crazy.

In his former job as an accountant, he helped people manage their money for times when theyneeded it most. He tells you that people don't look far enough into the future when they makemoney decisions.

"It's the same problem as we have with the environment," he says. "People are so wasteful today,assuming that it's all going to be there when they need it tomorrow – but it isn't. We're just startingto clue in to the fact that our resources are not infinite. Things like clean air, ozone layers, clean water and natural resources are all running out. I just wish people would understand that money is the same: if we don't manage it well, we can find ourselves short of resources later on when we really need it!"

He tells you his favorite quote is "We don't inherit the future from our ancestors, we borrow it fromour children." What he says makes sense to you. We do have to manage all our resources – financial and natural ones.

He offers to teach you financial management and financial planning skills, but you decline, suggesting that you can't afford it right now.

He turns his attention to his regular job of making sure no harmful or dangerous goods are broughtinto the world. You thought it was a little silly of him to cover your whole body with that environmentally friendly, pump-action spray, but he explained how important it is to maintain the ecologically balance of the world. You figure a little biodegradable spray won't hurt you!

As he returns to his post, he complains that the Animal Crackers he just bought had a childproof warning on them that said, "Do not eat if seal is broken." He said you'd never guess what he found when he opened up the package....

You decide to continue with your journey



Interworld

You are halfway across an elevated chrome walkway, crossing over a bog that is full of sounds – crickets, frogs, tadpoles trying on legs and the whistling wind through the bulrushes.

An entertainment specialist sits on the walkway playing a guitar. She is wearing multi-coloredpants and a bright yellow shirt that says "Laughter is the sound of freedom!" on it. Her hat is on the ground. In it rests a few coins and a key.

The walkway continues both east and west



Interworld

You are at a crossroads. To the north is an open prairie.

You can see nothing but a hazy skyline. To the east, the path heads directly into a dark thicket.

The southern path takes you into a meadow.

You hear a faint whistling sound coming from the thicket.



Interworld

You've entered a damp grotto, deep in the thicket. A gnarly dwarf sits on a stone. He's whistlingStairway To Heaven, but is having trouble hitting the high notes.

There's nowhere to go in here. It is a dead end. You can talk to the dwarf – he has somenavigational advice and you could ask him the only joke he knows – if you can stand it.

Otherwise you might as well go back to where you just came from!



Interworld

"Ooooooooo, and it makes me wonder.... Hello! Looking for some directions? Take the path to the east back there. Or maybe take the path to the north. Me, I prefer the comforts of a good dampgrotto!

"Now get out of here, I was just getting to the good part! (He starts doing what some tone-deafpeople would call singing.) Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on.…"

You reconsider your choices



Interworld

"How do you catch a unique bunny? Unique up on him! “

(The dwarf starts snickering with little snort-like sounds.)

“How do you catch a tame bunny? Tame way – unique up on him!"

(The dwarf laughs really loudly, sounding like a small yappy dog that barks through its nose.)

You reconsider your choices



Interworld

You are standing in the middle of a prairie path. To the west is a sheer vertical rock wall. The open prairie to the north features the smell of wild flowers and the sound of insects in the tall grass.

You can barely see some kind of metal structure to the north. To the south, you see the crossroads.

After some close examination, you notice an elevator built into the rock wall.

There's a sign beside the elevator.



Interworld

The smell of salty air is everywhere as you look north onto a beautiful ocean shore. To the north is a long metal bridge spanning a narrow ocean channel. On the far side nothing is visible, althoughthere may be a thin line of smoke.

An ocean path winds to the east along the rocky shore. You can see a large sign at the far end of thepath.

To the south, an open prairie leads to a large world of some sort.



Interworld

The sign reads:

Rock Elevator

This ain't nocountry and western ride.

We keep our elevator musiccranked to 11.

You step away from the sign



Interworld

You are at the top of a sheer rock wall. There is an elevator on the edge of the cliff.

A path heads south to a lookout. You can hear the sound of running water from over there.

There is a key balancing dangerously on the edge of the rock wall.

A sign to the west says:

Fool on the Hill – This Way!



Interworld

You are standing at the Information Falls Lookout, a very solid elevated wooden structure that sits atop a ridge just west of the crossroads. You can hear the powerful sound of Information Falls below you.

Looking west, you see a rope bridge leading to a glassed-in observation tower.

You can see people inside. A path leads north to the top of a sheer rock wall.

The pathway to the south winds its way to a place you cannot see.

A carved wooden sign is part of the lookout structure.



Interworld

The carved letters in the wooden sign spell out the following message:

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

– Goethe

After pondering this thought, you return to your journey



Interworld

You've stumbled into a place seldom seen by human beings – you're in the legendary FridgeGraveyard. All around the barren plateau there are hundreds of old refrigerators, some standingaround in a circle, some heaped into piles, and some sitting alone in an open field. In the center of it all is the Children's Art Museum – a collection of elementary student art presented on various fridgedoors.

A brick road heads east down into a misty forest area.

A northerly path winds off beyond the Fridge Graveyard and towards a lookout on top of Information Falls.

A pathway strewn with litter heads to the west. On the fridge next to you, you notice some catchysayings on the fridge magnets



Interworld

The fridge next to you has six fridge magnets stuck to it. They are holding up someone's "To Do" list. Every magnet has a catchy little phrase on it – each one has something to do with planningyour future. They are listed below, according to their color.

You can read as many of them as you like.

The blue one��

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The cinnamon oneThe green oneThe tangerine oneThe red oneThe pink one

Are you ready to continue on



Interworld

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." You try to pry the magnet off of the fridge but it won't budge.



Interworld

"If you don't have any idea where you are going, you'll probably end up somewhere else." You taste the cinnamon magnet but it tastes like... not cinnamon



Interworld

"We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing."You play with the green magnet for a while and feel much younger



Interworld

"You can't have everything. Where would you put it?” You think there might be some room in the fridge and decide to look later.



Interworld

"What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" I'd take the blue magnet off of the fridge what else



Interworld

"When everything seems to be coming your way, you better check what lane you're in!"You shiver as you recall your driver's test.



Interworld

You see a beat-up old two-story brick building, set in the middle of a desert-like plain. The wind is blowing slightly and tumbleweeds are moving slowly by.

The building is covered in colorful spray-painted graffiti. The upstairs windows are all broken and there are obvious signs that people have thrown tomatoes and rotten fruit at the building. There is a line up of people outside.

You ask a businesswoman standing in line, "What is this place?"

She tells you this is the Insultatorium – a place where people come to learn how to handle verbalabuse. "I've been coming here for years," she says. "It has really helped me to develop my abilities to deal with rude and offensive people. Now if you don't mind, I'll be on my way. I'm almost late for my Cranky Old Men On Buses class!"

She heads off into the building. Weird, you think to yourself.

You could enter the Insultatorium or take a different pathway.

One path heads straight west to some form of big structure. Another path heads southwest.

To the east you barely see what appears to be giant teeth set in dirt.



Interworld

You have arrived at an abandoned movie set. The remnants of an old western town are there – storefront walls with no buildings behind them. Dust and spider webs are everywhere, hangingfrom windows and false fronts. Words are spray-painted on the storefronts. They say:

'One Job for Your Lifetime'��

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'A Woman's Place is in the Home''Natural Resources are Infinite, So Industry Will Go On Forever!''Quit School – Get a Job''Until Death Us Do Part''College Guarantees You a Job''Some People Have Nothing to Offer the World''Technology Will Never Replace People in the Workplace'

The wind blows tumbleweeds past you as you mosey down the street. A sign comes into view. It is the name of the town you are visiting. It says Jurassicville.

A path heads northeast towards a two-story building. There's really nothing else to see here, except the quicksand at the end of the street.



Interworld

You stepped onto your destination, and a trap door opened up, sending you slipping and slidingdown a long tube. You kept falling for about 10 minutes, until you fell out into this incredible room!

The walls are covered with technical equipment and flashing lights. There is a giant map of somesort on wall in front of you. It is humming and buzzing and the lights brighten up in different areas on the map at different times. You gasp as you look up and realize you are underwater! The entire roof is a glass bubble. Above it, you see fish and seaweed and other underwater stuff.

An engineering technologist is waving at you. You can talk to her if you want.

There is also a whiteboard sitting on a stand in the corner. You can read the words there if you like.When you move to certain parts of the room, words are sent through infrared laser into your head.

You can hear north, hear east, hear south or hear west.

The bad news is, you can't get back to where you came from! You'll have to send yourself to the landing.



Interworld

"You can't achieve big goals without big dreams."

Now, where were we



Interworld

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

And I left my chemistry set at home!



Interworld

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

Kinda like trying to get back on the covered bridge....



Interworld

"We don't receive wisdom. We must discover it for ourselves during a journey that no one else can take for us."

Guess I should get on my way then



Interworld

The technologist rolls up her sleeve, revealing an arm with 14 watches on it. They are all set fiveminutes fast. She explains that she hates to be late for anything. She tells you she wears the watchesunder her long sleeves because, as she puts it, "You should never let anything technical know youare in a hurry!"

Good advice.

You ask her, "Do you know the way?"

"Give it time or take the time. Either way, it's a matter of time!" She replies, and explains that a technical world requires people to be better at time management than ever before.

"Everything happens instantly nowadays," she says, adding, "So people have higher timeexpectations from each other. The ability to manage your time in a technical world is almost a formof self-defense."

She offers to train you in time management if you want, but you respectfully decline – thinking youjust don't have time for that right now.

You thank her and she returns to her work. As she leaves, her arm explodes with the sounds of 14 watches all beeping. It is five minutes before the hour.

Time for you to get back to your journey



Interworld

"We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our livesthere."– Charles Kettering




Interworld

Inside the Insultatorium you see a row of doors, each with a sign over top indicating the class beingoffered. The signs say things like,

Building Your Elephant’s Skin: Dealing With All-Knowing Critics and

Phone Fighters – Effective Telephone Tricks.

The Insultatorium host comes over to you and says, "Hey, you ugly git! What do you think you are doing hanging around this place! Who buys your clothes – some colorblind, cross-eyed, prehistoric creature with no taste? Stop your sniveling! Stand up and act like someone I should care about!And who's the dog-faced rotter with you? Some four-eyed soot-eating crud who – oh, I'm sorry, Ijust noticed you don't have anybody with you.

"Look! I've got to remember to look! I could lose my job around here if I don't look before insulting. As my supervisor says, 'An insult is only as good as the doubts it is based on.' How can Isee your doubts if I don't look?"

You try to make the host feel better by telling him that you DID feel insulted until he started talkingabout someone who wasn't there. He gives a little sniff and tells you he's okay.

You ask why people come here and he tells you that assertiveness and conflict resolution skills are now necessary life skills.

The Insultatorium starts off with rude behavior and then trains you in how to deal with all types of negative people – the obvious and aggressively rude people as well as the more subtle manipulators.

The Insultatorium host strongly recommends to you that you take the training.

"It can be a jungle out there if you don't," he warns.

You decline his offer for training, but you mark it in your mind for future use. You decide instead to leave the Insultatorium



Interworld

You are standing at the front steps of a beautiful old lighthouse. The lighthouse door is open slightly.

The Keeper's Cottage beside the lighthouse is locked up tight; you can't get in. The two structures are located at the westernmost spot in this landmass. Behind the lighthouse you can see nothing but an endless horizon.

A path heads east towards a two-story building.

There is an oak chest sitting on the front porch with the words, "Have A Look In Here!" carved on it.



Interworld

Inside the oak chest are two notebooks that someone has been writing in.

One is entitled Words We Need and the other is called, Career Quotes (Not For Goats).

Read them if you like but then you better get on your way



Interworld

These quotes are listed on the first page of this notebook. The goat reference remains a mystery:

"While one person hesitates because he or she feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." – Henry C. Link

"If you are not actively involved in getting what you want, you don't really want it." – Peter McWilliams

"Opportune moments seldom present themselves at opportune times."– Kathy Manning

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails." – David Kaplan

"No mariner ever distinguished themselves on a smooth sea." – Spyros Skouras

Go back to your journey



Interworld

This odd little notebook is somebody's collection of things we need words for. Here is what is written on the first page.

Things We Need Words For

Noun: The mistaken belief that the more you press an elevator button, the faster it will arrive.

Noun: The illness of dialing a phone number and forgettingwhom you were calling at the precise moment that they answer.

Verb: To heat up cold blankets by wiggling around a lot when you get into bed.

Noun: The primarily male illness of compulsive channel changing, more common today with the development of the remote control.

Verb: To sterilize the piece of candy you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, somehow assuming this willremove all the germs.

Noun: Name for popular phrases that make no sense, like"paying through the nose."

Time to get on with your journey



Interworld

Inside the lighthouse, you see a cozy old living room with a bunk bed built into the wall. The hugebookshelf covers the entire wall to your left.

There is a key on the table in the middle of the room. You notice two odd things in the room. For one thing, the center section of the bookshelf is on an angle, clearly showing a set of stairs goingdown behind it.

There is also someone hiding under the blankets in the lower bunk.



Interworld

"You can't achieve big goals without big dreams."

Now, where were we



Interworld

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

And I left my chemistry set at home



Interworld

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

Kinda like trying to get back on the covered bridge....



Interworld

You lift up the blanket to discover an interesting looking fellow shivering in the bunk. You havediscovered the legendary Unwork Man – the man who has no skills. He hands you a piece of paper on which someone else has scrawled a little of his history:

Unwork Man

Born: Like everyone else, born into a family. Some good times, somebad times.

Talents at Birth: The same ones he possesses today. Born with several natural talents that he has never taken the time to consider or develop.

Talents Learned Through Life: Has never stepped out of his bunk,has never experienced any of life. Therefore he has developed no learned skills.

Knowledge: Has never listened to or read or experienced anything, sohe knows absolutely nothing.

Connectedness To World: Lots of people live near Unwork Man, but he chooses to stay away from people, living alone in his bunk.You're the second person he's ever met.

Future: No future, unwilling to take the teeny risks required to trulyenjoy life. His future looks like more bunk.

You reach out to touch Unwork Man, to encourage him to come outside into the Interworld, to experience all the great things and scary things that are a natural part of life. He cringes as he reluctantly reaches out his withered hand to touch yours. Your hands touch and, at that moment,Unwork Man disappears.

Unwork Man never existed. Never has, never will.

You turn your attention back to the lighthouse



Interworld

You are standing inside a glass observation tower, where people are working to keep the Information Falls continuously running. Their job is to manage the cascading flow of career information that runs through the falls every day.

A door to a rope bridge is open to the east. An information technician is standing to your left. He has just completed an interview over the phone and is now checking the telecommunicationstechnology, which is all over the room.

You can talk to the info tech guy if you want. demarks of Bridges Transitions Inc.



Interworld

The information technologist starts talking to you about some person he just interviewed. Theperson spent eight months developing a solar-powered flashlight.

He says, "I guess it will be a product that will satisfy all our daytime flashlight needs." Youunderstand his point.

You ask him, "Do you know the way?"

He replies, "No, but I know one sure thing. We are living in a time when having information givesyou an edge over people who do not have information.

"Alvin Toffler wrote that business will follow the pathways of communication. When roads werethe pathways, towns became centers of commerce. When oceans became the roads of communication, huge port cities emerged all over the world.

The pathways for the 21st century global economy are wires – wires carrying more informationthan you know what to do with. Being an expert with information, an information technician likeme will have lots of job opportunities in the future.

"Now I've got to get back to work. These Information Falls never stop! Take my word for it. Develop your writing, researching, technical, telecommunications and interviewing skills. Youwon't believe the opportunities that will present themselves in your lifetime!"

He goes back to start writing his story about crazy business ventures. Other than the solar flashlightinventor, he says he'll be writing about a guy who tried to open a restaurant on the moon. It failed because it just didn't have the atmosphere.

Hmm, odd story, you think and then move on.

It's time to resume your journey



Interworld

To get to the fool, you walk up a hill that looks oh-so-much like a real hill. But when you lookmore closely, you notice that everything is made by humans and is technically operated.

The simulated flower meadow sways every now and then in the gusts of virtual wind.

The realistic dirt trail you are walking on echoes ever so slightly beneath your feet. The little robot bees buzz out the tune to a Bobby Goldsboro song, each of them cursing the day they took the robot bee job.

Suddenly, you see the fool. Sitting on the hilltop, he is staring at his sandals, doing some deep soul searching. His appearance is one you will never forget. He is dressed in a very expensive three-piece suit, made more classic by the multi-colored jesters hat and fake nose and glasses that he is wearing.

"Do you know the way?" you ask him.

He looks slowly to the horizon and begins to speak. Click on which piece of wisdom you'd like to hear from the fool.

The Point....��

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An Oxymoronic World – Good Grief!Pretend Virtual Reality....Beyond Elvis....

The fool closes his eyes and tells you he's tired. He says he's going to look at the inside of his eyelids for a while.

You realize it's time to continue with your journey



Interworld

"Do you think that if James Brown had been more successful in his high school English classes, he would have sung 'I Feel Good' differently?

Would he have sung 'I feel well! Hngh... na... I knew that I shall'?

I don't think it really matters. I mean he made a bazillion dollars from that song, even if it made his English teacher cringe. He did fine because he had a point to his life. This is my point.

If you read between the lines in your biology book, you'll find the importance of having a point. Do you know what happens when you plant a bean seed and then cover it with a maze, keeping the maze entirely dark except for a light at the end of the maze?

The bean plant will grow, finding its way through the whole maze until it eventually grows out into the light! It does this because it has a point – a goal to work towards.

"So what's YOUR point? Do you have goals you are working to achieve? If you don't, odds are youfeel bored, frustrated or unsure about your life. You're a bean with no direction. If you do have a point, I can't believe you're taking time to talk to a fool like me.

Be like the bean – get moving towards something. It's growth, you know."

Back to the fool



Interworld

"How can grief be good? Good grief is an oxymoron, a phrase within which there are conflictingrealities. Others include freezer burn, jumbo shrimp, elementary calculus, working vacation and tax return. Sometimes I like to sit up here on the hill and just think up oxymorons.

"The world we live in is oxymoronic. There are conflicting realities everywhere! They tell us it's a world of constant change – that's an oxymoron! TV guys tell us to fight for the rights of the unemployed worker – that's an oxymoron too! Other oxymorons from our world include globalvillage, non-working mother, technologically simple and multicultural.

"I figure you better get a whole pile of skills for an oxymoronic world. That's what I think."

Back to the fool, I guess



Interworld

"Sometimes a fake nose and glasses can really help you to see the world for what it is – especiallyif the nose is wind-up and the eyebrows go up and down. One thing doesn't make sense as I gazeout through these fake lenses. I can't figure out why people would want their reality to be virtual.Isn't it more fun to have REAL reality?

"Imagine virtual eating – just about eating a great breakfast so you can almost get food. I knowpeople who go on virtual diets so they can almost lose weight. I even know a guy who went on two diets because he said on one diet he just didn't get enough food. Maybe we should invent virtualsports so you can just about have fun playing the game. If you tried to invent virtual television,would it implode inside itself because it would be like DOUBLE fake real?

"I've decided I'm going to patent 'pretend virtual reality.' I'm pretty sure 'pretend virtual' means real, so that'll give me all the rights of ownership to everything that's real in our world – even genuineimitation items! The world that builds itself a pile of virtual places to go will very soon be lookingfor some reality. Either that or they'll implode, like the TV."

Back to the fool....



Interworld

"I can see a lot of stuff from up here on the hill. I see a world that has technology everywhere, I see small business as the fastest growing field of employment, I see more and more people workingfrom their own homes, and I see people moving so fast they can't see. But there's one thing I'venever seen and that's Elvis.

"Oh, I've seen him on TV and in the movies, and I've even heard some of his records. I can't figureout some of his lyrics, like, 'If you never caught a rabbit, you ain't no friend of mine.' I figure Elvishad something against Elmer Fudd or something. But I've never seen him in real life, and this amazes me because the tabloid newspapers see him every week. It's kind of like he moves around, living off the profits of payouts for 'Elvis sightings'. Although we don't know where we can find Elvis if we're NOT a tabloid, we do know one thing – putting Elvis's name on a tabloid paper makes more people buy it.

"I'm hoping we can move past this Elvis thing. We seem to obsess about the lives of others, rather than putting our energy into building opportunities for ourselves and those we care for. Somebodyfrom Asia once told me to 'Get my own house in order first,' as I proceed through life's variousevents. I figure Elvis is something we should all try to fit in after we have nailed a few accomplishments in the day."

Lets get outa here



Interworld

You are looking at an old vending machine. Although it is old in appearance, it clearly has verytechnical wiring and is in such good shape that somebody must be taking care of it. A large button on the top of the machine says Push This Button.

You push the button and the machine lights up brightly and plays a jingle that reminds you of the Gilligan's Island song, only faster and with no words.

The sign on the vending machine flashes:

Career Quotes for a Quarter.

You put in a quarter and the names of four famous people light up below the big blue letters. Thenames are:

Bill Cosby (comedian, television actor)��

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Silken Laumann (Olympic athlete, women's rowing)Helen Keller (deaf and blind at an early age, accomplished author)Yogi Berra (baseball player, manager, known for his interesting phrases)

Below the names in big blue letters, it says, "Read the Ones You Like!"When you finish reading, you decide to continue your journey through the Interworld.



Interworld

Bill Cosby (comedian, television actor):

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone."

No wonder I'm such a success



Interworld

Silken Laumann (Olympic athlete, women's rowing):

"Don't let fear stop you. You have time to make mistakes, you have time to go into one area and then discover it's not your talent. You do not have time, however, for stalling."

You wait too scared to put another quarter into the machine lest you make a mistake



Interworld

Helen Keller (deaf and blind at an early age, accomplished author):

When asked what could be worse than not being able to see, she replied,

"Being able to see, and not having any vision."

You turn away confused



Interworld

Yogi Berra (baseball player, manager, known for his interesting phrases):

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

Funny, I don't remember seeing any cutlery in the road. You remind yourself to watch the road lest you get a flat tire



Module 1: Building Your Own FutureJob Card C – Personal Planning

Purpose

To examine being the planner of your own future.


The guys who invented Trivial Pursuit had a dream. They wanted to make a game in which people answered questions like: Name the two dwarfs whose names don't end in the letter Y. They also wanted to make a lot of money. They made a plan, made the game, then made an incredibly largepile of money.

Build a dream, make it happen. This is personal planning – building your own future. The triviaguys did it. Oprah did it, but then again so did Elvis, Mick and Eddie. You can find people planningtheir way through life all over the place – in acting classes, genetics labs, travel offices, marathonraces and kung fu classes.

When you are the planner of your own life, you create a vision for what you want to achieve, then you build it. Everybody can do it, but some people are too scared or bored to try. Are you scared?

Step By Step

1. This is planner practice. Here's a goal for you, the Four Keys To Success. Read it. Do it. (Make a map of where you go. It will be useful.)

2. When you find the Four Keys To Success, print them out and put them in your Student Learning Plan file folder.

3. On the sheet called Comparisons – Gumping and Personal Planning, list five advantages to being a planner of your own future. Also list five disadvantages to planning. Don't do the questions – yet.

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Four Keys To Success sheet: Place this in your Student Learning Plan file folder.

Comparisons Sheet: Planning advantages and disadvantages sections are completed.



The Four Keys to Success

Scattered somewhere out in the Interworld are four keys. These keys provide career and life travelers with the four most important characteristics of a healthy self-reliant citizen. Find the keysand you will find success and happiness in your future!

Your task, should you decide to accept it, is to list the Interworld locations of the four keys to success. Good luck, and be careful – it's a jungle out there!

On to the Interworld.



The First Key To Success – Positive Attitude

Positive attitude means you see the world for what it is and see yourself for who you are.

Benefits to having a positive attitude in life include:

Self-Esteem – You see yourself for who you are instead of who you are not.��

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You See Opportunities – Negative people don't see the world for what it is. People with positive attitudes see places in the world that will benefit them and go for it!

Persistence – A key part of success is persistence, and a key part of persistence is seeingthe positive aspects of any life event. Everybody faces obstacles; positive people are morelikely to persist and blow obstacles away.

Fun – People don't laugh because they feel good, they feel good because they laugh!Positive people see the humor in things and in themselves. They have more fun!

You dream of all the doors this key will open for you.



The Second Key To Success – Personal Leadership

Personal leadership means taking charge of your life, making life choices that benefit present and future opportunities, as well as yourself and those you care about.

Benefits to personal leadership:

Independence, Freedom – The first step towards real freedom is taking responsibility for your life. If you leave your key life choices to others, you meet someone else's needs for your life more than your own.

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Respect – People respect people who can take care of themselves.

Decision-Making Abilities – Decision-making is hard. Many people never learn how to make tough decisions. Taking charge of your own life helps you to develop these skills.

Problem-Solving Abilities – Some people shy away from solving problems, hoping the problems will go away. They seldom do. When you take charge of your life, you learn howto work through problems. This is good in the long run!

Opportunities – It's a weird thing: people who take charge of their lives seem to get moreopportunities than those who don't. It's good to have more choices in your life.

Back to your journey



The Third Key To Success – Involvement

Involvement means you are active in your life, you're doing a variety of things with a variety of people. You are taking on new challenges, taking the risk.

Benefits to getting involved in life:

Vital Skills – development of a variety of academic and practical skills��

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Credentials – includes things like certificates, letters of reference, evaluations

Experience – people want you to have experience. Get lots through involvement

Connections – People get opportunities through networks of people they know

Fun – It's more fun to play than to sit on the sidelines!

You decide to get involved in your journey



The Fourth Key To Success – Balance

Balance means giving fair time in your life to all types of things that are important – work, leisure, learning and relationships. Balance has a great deal to do with personal health.

Benefits of balance in life:

Personal Health – Some people overwork or overplay. We all need time to contribute, time to relax, time to be with others and time to learn new things. Balance in life helps people to stay healthy of mind, body, emotions and spirit.

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New Ideas – Great solutions to challenges in one part of our life often come when we are not thinking about them, when we're doing something else. People who focus too much on one part of their life often can get too close to see good solutions.

Energy – Some people burn out when they run out of energy. We all need lots of energy to keep us going. A balanced lifestyle allows someone to be productive and energeticthroughout his or her life.

Stability – In a fast-changing world, stability is important! Putting all of your "eggs" into just work or just relationships is silly when these things go through constant change. Abalance of life activities provides individuals with more than one leg to stand on, more thanone thing that keeps you going. This is a good thing.




PRINTTHIS!

Comparisons — Gumping and Personal Planning

Gumping – Advantages Planning – Advantages

Gumping – Disadvantages Planning – Disadvantages

Which style of approaching life do you prefer? Why?

Today's world requires that you be good at both styles. Different life situations require different capabilities. List two situations (past, present, or future) in your life where gumping is what you did or would do. List two life situations (past, present, or future) where planning is what you did or would do.

To go back to Job Card B, click here.

To go back to Job Card C, click here



Module 1: Building Your Own FutureJob Card D – Gumping vs. Planning

Purpose

To learn when to gump and when to take control of your life.


People who gump through life are more relaxed, are good helpers and have a lot of fun. However,they leave personal achievement totally up to chance. Full-time gumpers are likely to feel less accomplishment, be less financially secure and end up in whatever lifestyle happens to show up. People who plan their futures are more likely to get top grades, find the job, create the new idea, receive more recognition and obtain their dream lifestyle. Full-time planners, however, tend to be more wired, more serious, less fun, and they often miss out on interesting stuff that is going on. Some people are natural gumpers, while others find it easier to plan their life. We all have to become good at both ways of doing life. It gives us more choices and makes us healthy.

Step By Step

a. Get out your Comparisons – Gumping and Personal Planning sheet. The advantages and disadvantages sections should be complete. Discuss your answers with two other people, if youcan.

b. Take the Gump Detector Test, a foolproof way to determine your level of gumpness. Highgumpers? You need to really work on your personal planning skills. Low gumpers? You should find the Career Planning Guide easier to do, but better work on a little gumpness. In the middle? Balance is good!

c. Answer Question 1 on the Comparisons sheet. Which style of approaching life do you prefer? Why?

d. Answer Question 2 on the Comparisons sheet. Think of four different situations that you would approach by gumping or by personal planning.

e. Read the Comparison Answer Sheet.

Products

Comparisons – Gumping and Personal Planning sheet is completed. The answers have been reviewed. Gump Detector Test is completed.



PRINTTHIS!Module 1: Building Your Own Future

Gump Detector Test Answer the following questions by selecting which statement is most like you. To know yourgumpness is to be at one with nature (or possibly at two with nature).

1. Which are you most like:a. a sailboat moving across the ocean b. a cork bob-bob-bobbing around to wherever the waves take you

2. When you watch TV, do you watch: a. specific shows at specific timesb. whatever you happen to notice when you're channel surfing

3. Whenever you've had an essayassignment to do, do you:a. do the assignment bit by bit over timeb. remember at 10 p.m. the night before it is due and write the essay mostly from your textbook

4. When you're out on a Friday night,would you rather: a. go to a party or some other planned place to gob. cruise around in a car looking for something to do

5. When you look at your ideal collection of clothes, do you see: a. clothing you have selected, much that matches your taste and skin tone b. stuff you got for Christmas

6. If we looked at the gas gauge in your car (if you had a car), your gas tank would most likely be:a. more than half full b. less than half full

7. Imagine you have a large collection of CDs. Which best describes your collection:a. the CDs are all arranged alphabeticallyb. the CDs are stacked in piles, no logicalorder. Wrappers are still on some old CDs

8. If you were traveling in Europe for six months, which way would you rather travel:a. on an all-inclusive vacation package, where all things are organizedb. just land in a country and figure it out once you get there

9. When you think about your goals for your future: a. you have some things you want to make happen in your life b. whatever happens happens

10. If you were carving a block of stone, and I asked what you were doing, which would most likely be your answer: a. "I'm building a cathedral" b. "I'm carving this block of stone"

Checking Your Gumpness

Count up your "b" answers. Figure out your gumpness according to this scale:

0-3 Gump-Free Zone – lighten up a bit 4-6 Gump-Like Tendencies – nice balance 7-8 Gumpmeister – you gump therefore you are 9-10 Gumpus Maximus! – no idea where you're going



Module 1: Building Your Own FutureComparison Answer Sheet

Sample Advantages and Disadvantages

Gumping Advantages More relaxed lifestyleFewer worries, fewer concerns You discover more when you're not too focused, you experience moreDevelop confidence in your ability to handle whatever comes your wayMeet many people, have lots of fun!Learn to make the most of what you get

Gumping Disadvantages Personal dreams are less likely to happen Rewarding opportunities pass you bySkills to get what you want are less developed, less refined Less likely to feel personal accomplishmentLess likely to be included in the venture or the cause

Which style of approaching life do you prefer? Why?

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Planning Advantages More likely to accomplish specific life goalsMore likely to bring about needed social changeTremendous feelings of accomplishmentDevelopment of a strong belief in your own capabilities to make things happen Develop many credentials, references Easier access to jobs, financial assistance Learn to create your own opportunities

Planning Disadvantages Higher-stress lifestyleToo much focus on life goals can cause youto miss out on some parts of a life experienceLess likely to "stumble" onto something newLess likely to feel the joy of the momentLess likely to be included in the fun

No matter which style of living life you do most naturally – gumping or personal planning – you have to learn how to be good at both of them!You need good gumping skills to make sure you are healthy, enjoying your family and friends, developing good coping skills and seeing a wide range of what life has to offer.You need skills for personal planning to give you a good chance of achieving the lifestyleyou dream of, bringing about needed social change and developing feelings of personal worth and competence.Balance – being a good gumper and a planner – that's what is important!Today's world requires that you be good at both styles. Different life situations require different capabilities. List two situations (past, present or future) in your life where gumpingis what you did or would do. List two life situations (past, present or future) where personal planning is what you did or would do. Do you want to make things happen, invent things, get a job, win the competition, meet that person, make that team, contribute to that cause, change that unfair practice, accomplish life dreams? Use your planning skills.Do you want to have fun, fully experience the moment, enjoy the company of others, makethe most of life, be a good helper, be a good friend, take whatever comes your way? Use yourgumping skills.



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Module 1 – Building Your Own FutureChecklist

��Read about your view of the world��Have created a Student Learning Plan file folder for this unit ��Read Personal Planning introduction��Completed Whining 101��Completed Interworld Gumping exercise��Completed Four Keys to Success assignment in the Interworld��Placed the Four Keys Info into Student Learning Plan file folder��Completed Comparisons – Gumping and Personal Planning sheet��Determined personal gumpness on Gump Detector Test��Read the Comparisons Answer Sheet��

Checked all the boxes on this Checklist!



Module 2: Personal ReflectionsIntroduction

Do you believe in the Theory of Stupid? You know, that ancient belief that some people are smartand others are, well, how do we put this? Both oars aren't in the water, they're a few bricks short of a load, their elevator doesn't go all the way to the top – you know, they're STUPID!

That's old. It's been years since brain researchers believed in stupid. Researchers like Howard Gardner from Harvard have pointed out there are at least seven different ways people are smart: we're smartwith people, music, athletics, technical thinking, language, logic and math, and even self-assessment!

Everybody has talents, but nobody has them in the same combination. Your job is to figure out your talents and then make sure you get a chance to use them in what you choose to do. Thequestion we should be asking is not: How smart are you? Instead ask: How are you smart?

The best way to describe the Theory of Stupid is, well, it's stupid. Stupid is a choice. We all do stupid things, but that doesn't mean we're stupid all the way to the core. Do something stupid? Hey, welcome to the human race!

How are you smart? Are you a gifted athlete, artist, actor or architect? Do your natural talents show up in your organizational skills, leadership skills, people skills or skills for school? Do youfind it really easy to put things together and take them apart? Do people like to tell you their mostpersonal thoughts because you're a natural caregiver? Do you remember trivia and good jokes?

Knowing your natural talents is important. Whatever you do easily you should do for the world. Figure it out.

"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself."– Abraham Maslow

The Personal Reflections module is designed to help you gain a better understanding of who youare. It is based on two big life questions:

1. What do you have to offer the world? 2. What do you want from your life?

Get into Module 2 and see if you can come up with a few answers. The Job Cards for Module 2 are:

�� Job Card A – What Do You Have to Offer the World?�� Job Card B – What Do You Want From Your Life?�� Job Card C – Dreamweaving�� Job Card D – Cruising Skills Information��Module 2 Checklist

All good personal planning starts inside yourself. Spend some time doing a little internal cruising.Be sure to complete the Checklist at the end of Module 2. Have fun!



Module 2: Personal Reflection

Job Card A – What Do You Have to Offer the World?

Purpose

To identify your personality style and employability skills.


You need to figure out your talents. Knowing your talents helps you to get into life activities where you use your natural abilities. This is good for your confidence and your personal health.

The world needs you to figure out your gifts, too. We don't need gifted caregivers working on our cars. ("I just paid $400 for my broken water pump and it still doesn't work. But that's okay, because the mechanic was a real nice guy!") We don't need gifted artists helping us with our income tax, even if the finished product would look good on our wall. We need you doing what you do best – it will benefit the world you live in. That's good.

This Job Card sends you to the Reflecting Pool, a place where you'll be asked to answer a few questions about yourself. Record your answers on File Folder Report 1: Reflections Summary. Once it is completed, keep this summary in your Student Learning Plan file folder.

Step By Step

a. Read the Introduction and New Questions sections of the Reflecting Pool.

b. Print out a copy of the File Folder Report called Reflections Summary. Use it to write down answers to questions you'll be asked in the Reflecting Pool inventories.

c. Complete the Personality Style Inventory. Be honest with yourself. Don't answer how you wish you were or how others want you to be. Answer how you are.

d. Complete the Employability Skills Inventory. Again, be honest. Don't underestimate yourself. Remember that a skill is something you can do, not just what you are good at.

e. Look back over what you say you have to offer the world in personality style and employability skills. Remember that this list is not fixed. Skills develop throughout life!

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File Folder Report 1: Reflections Summary – Personality Style and Employability Skills sections are completed. You'll complete the rest of this report in the next Job Card.



Module 2 – Personal Reflection

Reflecting Pool

Psst… hey you! Are you interested in learning a little more about yourself? Click on any of those words below. They'll help you do a little reflecting!

First time here? You better start in the beginning – the introduction!

1) Introduction to the Reflecting Pool2) New Questions for the 21st Century3) Personal Reflections Summary Sheet4) Personality Style Inventory5) Employability Skills Inventory6) Interests Inventory7) Values Inventory8) Now What?




Introduction to the Reflecting Pool

So, you ask, tell us please what is the Reflecting Pool?

The Reflecting Pool is a place to come where you can learn more about yourself. You will complete a Personal Reflections Summary Sheet that outlines your personality style, skills, interests and values. You will have fun.

It's good to think about stuff – think about what makes people who they are. It's really important. You know: figuring out who you are and what you want to do with your life. Some people do it easier than others, but everyone needs to do a little soul searching now and then.

A lot of people are staring into the Reflecting Pool these days – that's good. All 21st century career planning starts with a little looking inside. Some people who come here don't know the right questions to ask.

Do you know the new questions that you need to ask yourself if you are going to be a happy, healthy, self-reliant citizen in the 21st century?




Reflecting Pool – New Questions for the 21st Century

No matter how old you are, people like to ask what you do. When you are young, wrinkly relatives tweak your cheek and ask, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" When you're older and introduced to someone new, it isn't very long before they'll ask, "So what do you do for a living?"

Believe it or not, people ask questions like this to help you with your career planning or to help define who you are. What you do is important, but people can't describe themselves by the job that they do or want to do, that's only one part of who they are. There are new life questions for these new times. The new questions place more attention on who you just ARE.

Here are the two big life questions:

a) "What do you have to offer the world?" b) "What do you want from your life?"

The first 21st century question is really important – what do you have to offer the world? New brain research indicates that every one of us has talents – things that we do quite easily. We should use these abilities in whatever we choose to do in our lives. That's why they call it a GIFT– we're supposed to give it to the world.

Here in the Reflecting Pool, there are two ways to identify all the things you have to offer. The first is the Personality Style Inventory. Take it – it will help you to identify your PERSONALITY STYLE (the way you prefer or tend to do things). You can also determine what EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS you have to offer by taking the Skills Inventory.

How about the second question – what do you want from your life? There are two good ways to figure this out here in the Reflecting Pool. First figure out your INTERESTS (what you like or would like to do) by taking the pool's Interests Inventory. Next, identify your PERSONAL VALUES (what is important to you) by completing the Values Inventory.

Keep a written record of your interests, values, personality style, and skills on the Personal Reflections Summary Sheet. You can print one from the next screen or get one from your classroom teacher (if you're IN a classroom!).




Reflecting Pool – Personal Reflections

Do you think if we wore contacts and slipped them BEHIND our eyes that we could think more clearly? You'll need clear thinking as you go through the four inventories here in the Reflecting Pool.

You need to record your answers to the inventories on a Summary Sheet. You'll need records of this information later when you explore various careers.

Print yourself a Personal Reflections Summary Sheet. Be sure to put a date on the page. Record information from the four inventories in the appropriate spaces. Keep this Summary Sheet for immediate use and for future reference to document what you were thinking about yourself at this time in your life.



PRINTTHIS!Module 2 – Personal Reflection

Reflecting Pool – Personal Reflections Summary Sheet

What do you have to offer the world?

Personality StyleA) ________________ C) ________________ E) ________________ G) ________________

B) ________________ D) ________________ F) ________________ H) ________________

Top 10 Employability Skills Other skills

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

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___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

What do you want from your life?

Top 10 Interests Other Interests

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

Top 10 Values Other Values

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

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Reflecting Pool – Personality Style Inventory

People are all different by nature. We each have natural talents, things we just do easily. Other people share similar abilities, but nobody has the same combination of talents as you do.

Knowing your unique personality style – the way you prefer and tend to do things – is very useful when you are trying to select possible careers for your future. To identify some of your style preferences and tendencies, you need to know a few things:

1) Everybody is an individual. The last four letters of individual are DUAL, representing the dualities that are in all of us. You know – you are left-handed and you are right-handed. You can write with both hands, but with one hand, well, you're more handy – it is just easier, more natural to use that hand. This is an example of a style tendency – you naturally do one or the other more effortlessly.

2) There are other dualities within us. For example, each of us can be an Outward and an Inward person. We need to be outgoing and reserved in our lives, depending on the situation, but most people can notice a style tendency (one of the two that they just do more naturally or more easily) when they pay attention to themselves.

3) People who match their personality style to their lifestyle tend to be quite satisfied and happy with their lives. Mismatch of personal style and how you work or live can cause people to feel ill or unhappy.

So figure out your style by completing the Personality Style Inventory! Here's what you do:

a) Read the descriptions beside each pair of words. Remember you are both of these things, but one you likely do more naturally. Try to identify the style you do most effortlessly, with the least difficulty.

b) Click on the button that is most like you. If you really can't decide, click on both buttons.

c) Once you have decided on each of the eight different choices, get out your Summary Sheet and write your style choices onto that sheet.

When your natural style is quite similar to the style of a type of work, it is more likely you will feel satisfaction from what you are doing. This is good.

Personality Style Inventory Form




Reflecting Pool – Personality Style Inventory Form

Personality Style – You can be both of the personality styles that are listed beside each letter, but you are more naturally inclined to one of them. Choose the word that is most like you. If youcannot decide, choose both words.

��InwardReserved, quiet, calm you. It is the concentrating and/or listening you.

��PeopleThe part of you that prefers to work,play and learn with other people.

��OutwardExpressive, lively, outgoing you. It is the interactive and/or talkative you.

��PrivateThe part of you that prefers to work,play and learn alone – books, video,experiences.

��RealisticThe world of today you. Prefer facts, products, hands-on involvement.

��StableConstant, predictable, solid you. Prefer clear rules, a true-blue individual.

��Intuition/DreamsThe world of possibilities you. Likes to play with ideas, invent things, see the meaning behind things.

��ChangingVariety, novelty, diverse you. Prefer flexibility, change, off-the-wallcharacters.

��ThinkingLogical, critical, analytical, firm you.Does what's fair, makes decisions byreasoning.

��ChallengeCompetitive, goal-driven, contests. Enjoy debates, games, insurmountableodds.

��FeelingGentle, considerate, appreciative, caringyou. Humane, makes decisions compassionately.

��CooperativeFeelings, concerns, supportive. Enjoysharing, friendship, cooperativeventures.

��PlanningDisciplined, structured, organized,decisive you. Make schedules, goesstep-by-step, and likes to see a project to completion.

��SpotlightLimelight, center, leadership. Likerecognition, clear benefits, independence.

��ImprovisingFree-flowing, random, spontaneous, momentary you. Prefer to wait and see, improvise, create, and start many things.

��BackstageTeamwork, acceptance, shared goals.Like contribution, volunteerism, makinga difference for others.




Reflecting Pool – Employability Skills Inventory

Some people who come here to the Reflecting Pool don't know what a skill is – they think it'swhat you are GOOD at. As you know, people can be good at things – that's good! But GOOD isan opinion of skill development, it's how you stack up against others who are nearby. A skill is simply what you can do. Awareness of personal skills (things you can do) is important when youare planning a career.

People come to the Reflecting Pool and say, "I don't have any skills – I'm a no-skill person. Compared to other people I'm not as good as them at anything!" This is silly thinking. Of course you've got skills!

The advantage we have over other creatures is we can take any skill we have and develop it – because we have BRAINS! We can think, set goals for ourselves and take any skill we have and build it. Skill building is good.

If you live life, you develop skills. Skill development just happens when you get involved in different things. Skill development can be improved or advanced by focused training and/or hard work, but skills will develop anyway when you get involved with life.

So the big skills question is – what can you do? To help you identify skills that can get a job(that's what an employability skill is), you should complete the Employability Skills Inventory.Here's what you do:

a) Look at each skill listed below and place a checkmark in the box if you can do that skill.

b) When you have completed the Employability Skills Inventory, write the skills you haveonto your Personal Reflections Summary Sheet.

c) Think of any other skills you have that are not listed on the inventory (remember – a skillis what you can do). Write them on your Summary Sheet.

d) On the Summary Sheet, circle what you believe are your Top 10 Skills.

All throughout life, your skills will develop. Nobody has taken any skill right to the limit, except perhaps some Olympic-level athletes. Your job is to get involved with life in areas that you wantto improve, and build yourself an incredible collection of skills – so you can handle pretty wellanything that life will throw at you.

Employability Skills Inventory Form



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Reflecting Pool – Employability Skills Inventory Form

Skills – Look at each skill listed below and place a checkmark in the box if you can do that skill.

��General learning ability��Listening skills��Mathematical reasoning��Self-confidence��Positive attitude ��Goal-setting��Financial management��Adaptability, flexibility��Creative��Leadership skills��Presentation skills��Computer literacy��Physical strength, fitness ��Driving skills

��Reading, writing skills��Problem-solving skills��Technical reasoning��Integrity, ethics ��Initiative, persistence ��Time management��Organizational skills��Respect for others ��Teamwork skills��Decision-making skills��Research skills��Stress management��Physical coordination ��Networking skills




Reflecting Pool – Interests Inventory

Your interests are what you like to do now or in the future. You can use your interests to help yourself identify future career possibilities. Obviously your interests are really influenced bywhere you live and what there is to do there. Your interests probably come from stuff you haveexperienced in your environment. Just think how many other things you might like to do – that you don't even know about!

A good place to start thinking about your interests is right here – you should fill out this InterestInventory. To complete this inventory, here's what you do:

a) Look over the list of interests and place a checkmark in any of the boxes that are interests of yours.

b) Write onto your Summary Sheet any present or future interests that you listed from the inventory.

c) Are there any interests of yours that are NOT listed on the inventory? Write 'em onto your sheet!

If you like something, someday it could turn into a future job, a future business venture, or a future leisure activity. Keep paying attention to your interests – they grow and change over time.

Interests Inventory Form




Reflecting Pool – Interests Inventory Form

Interests – Check the activities that you like or would like to do. Provide detail when you can. (For example: outdoor rec. – could be fishing, camping, hiking).

��Outdoor recreation ��Music, singing��Mechanics��Collecting things��Watching movies��Visiting museums��Puzzles, mazes��Fixing things��Doing nothing��Space, rocketry��Listening to music��Drawing cartoons ��Team sports ��Reading��Computers, the Web ��Crafts��Talking with others ��Shopping��Writing stories, letters ��Building things, models��Debating��Nature��Public speaking��Sewing��Beachcombing��Individual Sports

��Cooking��Animals, pets ��Playing games, cards ��Travel, sightseeing��Photography��Drama, theatre ��Working with numbers��Helping kids��Dancing��Working with tools ��Being with people ��Hanging out ��Art activities��Aerobics, jogging��Gardening, landscaping��Video games��Watching television��Studying languages��Volunteering��Figuring things out ��Money��Meeting new people ��Designing things��Science��Boating, sailing




Reflecting Pool – Values Inventory

"Sometimes you can't decide whether to fish or cut bait!" The fish-or-cut-bait phrase meanssometimes people just can't make decisions. Well, as anyone will tell you, knowing your personal values, what is important to you, helps make decision-making easier.

So it's good that you're going to take this Values Inventory – it will help you to be clearer on whatreally matters to you. Knowing what is important to you can also help to make career decisions. Here's what you do:

a) Look through the following list of values and place a checkmark in the box beside thingsthat are important to you.

b) Go back over the list and write the important values you selected onto your SummarySheet.

c) Complete the exercise by circling on your Summary Sheet the 10 most important valuesthat you have listed.

Values Inventory Form


Career Planning Guie Page 112

Module 2 – Personal Reflection PRINTTHIS!

Reflecting Pool – Values Inventory Form

Values – Check any words that are important to you in your life.

��Independence��Competence��Excitement��Helping others ��Friendship��Generosity��Working hard ��Popularity��Health��Wealth��Inner harmony��Physical challenge��Competition��Wisdom��Location��Appearance��Aloneness��Power, control

��Honesty��Having fun ��Aesthetics��Respect��Family��Structure��Cleanliness��Relaxation��Cooperation��Love, intimacy��Education��Material possessions ��Creativity��Security��Loyalty��Variety��Balance




Reflecting Pool – Now What?

So you probably are thinking, "Now what do I do with this information I have about myself?Where do I go from here?" Is that what you were thinking?

All career and life planning begins with looking at yourself. You have now completed a look at yourself – your style, skills, interests and values. You are more prepared to get out and choose some future pathways for yourself.

So what do you do now? Here are some suggestions:

a) Click on Explore Careers in Choices Explorer. There are lots of career articles in there about all kinds of careers – from astronaut to zoologist. Take a look through them.

b) Take your Summary Sheet and build on it. These inventories cannot include everything that there is in life. They are just starting points. Keep adding new style features, skills, interests and values to your list as you learn more about yourself through involvement in life.

c) Think of life activities that relate to your style, skills, interests and values. What fun thingscould you do that relate to who you are or who you want to be? What jobs could you do or businesses could you start that match your personal attributes? What training could you taketo develop skills or explore personal interests? Build a huge list of things you want to do.

d) Get involved in something you've never done before. Volunteer, join a club, inventsomething, write a letter to a major magazine, take up a new sport, register for a course, getinvolved! You'll be developing your skills, checking out your interests and meeting all kindsof interesting new people as you take on these new life challenges!

You know, some people base their whole future outlook on what it says in the horoscopes – "You will consider a long journey..."

Some prefer to read all the horoscopes and pick the ones they like! Instead of planning yourfuture based on where the stars are this month, use your Personal Reflections to plan your future.

You want to be a healthy self-reliant citizen, a person who is free to make choices in a world that is constantly changing. You can be that if you follow the directions that come from inside you...and get involved in life!

Coming to the Reflecting Pool is not a one-shot event for most people. They come back, usuallyonce a year, and take a new look at what's happening within. Skills develop, interests and valueschange, and your awareness of your personality style can get clearer as you pay more attention to it. It's a good thing to take stock of yourself now and then. It helps to keep people happy!




Job Card B – What Do You Want From Your Life? Purpose

To identify your interests and personal values.


Stuff. Some people want stuff. Other people want to be outdoors. Some want to be indoors with microscopes, microskirts, microcircuits, microphones or even microwaves. Others like dogs.Some collect, others create. We even know a person whose favorite thing to do is nothing. Go figure.

We all have differing interests – things we like to do. Our interests change all throughout our life, but some of our interests remain with us forever.

We also each value different things. Values – the things that are important to each of us – are good things to know, because they help us make important decisions. You could look at a valueas a really intense interest – something we really want in our life.

This Job Card sends you to the Reflecting Pool to figure out what you want from your life. Getting what you want is good.

Step By Step

a. Get your File Folder Report 1: Reflections Summary by your side (if it isn't there already!).

b. Complete the Interests Inventory in the Reflecting Pool. List as many interests as youcan, then identify your top 10.

c. Complete the Values Inventory in the Reflecting Pool. As with interests, identify manyvalues, then identify your top 10.

d. Place your name and the date on the bottom right-hand corner of the ReflectionsSummary. Put it in your file folder.

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File Folder Report 1: Reflections Summary – Interests and Values sections are complete. Store the Reflections Summary in your Student Learning Plan file folder.




Job Card C – Dreamweaving Purpose

To identify at least 20 life activities related to your personality style, employability skills, interests and values.


What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Would you invent the first functional water-powered engine? Would you climb a huge rock wall or sail around the world? Would you phone him (or her)? Where, in this incredibly diverse fast-changing world, would you take your talents and interests?

We call this dreamweaving – imagining a rich tapestry of things you will do in your future. Everyone needs to have a long list of things they have left to do – it is an important part of personal health. So, little dreamweaver, what have you got left to do?

Step By Step

a. Print a copy of the Dreamweaver's Guide to the Future.

b. Your task is to identify at least 20 possible future life activities that relate to your personality style, skills, interests or values. Place any one of your personal features in the column called You. Beside it place a life activity you could do that relates to that personal feature.

c. When you have completed at least 20 lines on the Dreamweaver's list, check back to make sure there are 20 different life activities. Put your name and the date in the bottom right-hand corner. Now file it in your Student Learning Plan file folder.

Products

File Folder Report 2: Dreamweaver's Guide to the Future – At least 20 different possible future life activities have been listed on this sheet.



PRINTTHIS!Module 2: Personal Reflection

Dreamweaver's Guide to the Future

Examples

YOU LIFE ACTIVITY

Interest: Outdoor Recreation Snowboarding

Interest: Photography Nature photography – wildlife

Style: Planning Organize road rally for friends

Skill: Leadership Own my own store on a ski hill

Value: Helping Others Teach survival first aid

YOU LIFE ACTIVITY

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Job Card D – Cruising Skills Information Purpose

To gather information about improving personal life skills.


Did you know that brains grow? The more you learn, the more connections grow from one brain cell to another. These connections are called dendrites and they happen when you learn new things. Your brain doesn't get bigger, it just gets more densely filled with new connections. (Thisis one time when it is good to be dense!)

This is good news. This means no matter what you start with, you can get smarter in any life skill.You get smarter by getting involved, taking new training, experiencing new bits of life. So gogrow some brain!

In Choices Explorer, you can find lots of information about improving your skills. You can grow brain while you learn about how to improve your own skills. How ironic. This Job Card introduces youto skills information about doing well in high school and asks you to read three articles.

Step By Step

Think of three school skills you would like to improve, areas in which you'd like to get somebrain density. Write the three skills on a piece of paper.

Check out the Featured Advice section in the Succeeding in High School category of Get the Answers. You can also use the Search at the top of the page to help you find information on topics you are looking for.

To complete your task, you need to read three articles about doing well in high school. Print or e-mail home a copy of any article you like. Once you have done that, you're done!

Products

Skills articles – Three articles about skill development have been read. You may even have sent in a request for a new article if you were unable to locate the information you wanted.



PRINTTHIS!Module 2: Personal Reflection

Checklist

��Read the introduction to Personal Reflections.��Visited Reflecting Pool, can identify the two big life questions.��Completed Personality Style Inventory.��Completed Employability Skills Inventory.��Completed Interests Inventory.��Completed Values Inventory.��Completed Reflections Summary and have stored it in my

Student Learning Plan file folder.��Identified at least 20 possible future life activities on the Dreamweaver's Guide. Stored

this resource in Student Learning Plan file folder.��Read three articles about improving your high school skills.��Checked all the boxes on this Checklist!



Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsIntroduction

It's a big world. Nobody has enough hours in a lifetime to do all the things there are to do on this planet. It's amazing that anyone could ever say they were bored – we figure the people doing the complaining are the boring part.

"I don't have time to do all the things I can do, so it doesn't seem important to worry about the things I can't do." – Dr. Stephen Hawking

Did you ever play that game – the one called Chains? We played it when we were driving longdistances so we wouldn't get tired of cows and telephone poles. It was a series of words about thingsyou can do in our world. The next word has to relate to the previous word and must be somethingyou can DO. You just keep on making new words until someone freezes up. Here's a chain:

baseball, ballroom dancing, watch dancing circus bears, circus clown, clown make-up, make-up sales, garagesales, garage mechanic, mechanical engineer, train engineer, watch spring training, whale watching, watchrepair, home repair, home construction, construction paper plane making, airplane pilot, model airplanes,fashion model, fashion design, interior design, interior lineman - football, foot doctor, playing doctor, act in aplay, playdough making, doughnut shop talking, Talking Heads concert, concert promotions, get a promotion in pay, payphone booth cramming, phone card using, playing your ace card, listening to Ace of Base, baseball.

This game shows that there are a lot of things to do in our world. People who know there are lots of choices are more likely to enjoy the life they are living. This is good.

"If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country." – Saturday Night Live

Module 3 is about learning how to go get good information about the world that is unfolding. Inthe jargon of the day, these skills are called:

Skills for Information-Access

Whatever it's called, it's a good thing to learn how to do. Whoever has information, has the power – and the choice. Module 3 awaits you: Career and Life Inspections. You are going to learn how to get good career information – how to recognize good information, and ask the right questions to get it. You must complete the following:

�� Job Card A – Career Exploration�� Job Card B – Career Information�� Job Card C – Career Detective School��Module 3 Checklist

Remember to complete the Checklist as your final task of Module 3. Have fun!



Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsJob Card A – Career Exploration

Purpose

To introduce you to the process of career information searching.


It's tough to figure out where to start sometimes. You know something about what you want fromlife, but where do you start looking?

In real life, it's best to begin by examining career clusters – groupings of similar occupations. Thegroups you examine should relate to your style, skills, interests and values.

Choices Explorer has organized its articles about careers into career clusters and school subject clusters. Bylooking through these categories, you will find detailed information about various career choices.

Step By Step

a. Get your Reflections Summary. Use what you know about your talents and desires to help you choose which way to go first.

b. Print out the Career Research worksheet.

c. Go to Explore Careers in Choices Explorer by clicking on Work at the top of the page. You can see explore careers by career cluster school subject or through an alphabetical list. Scan through them. Look briefly at the career articles that interest you.

d. After examining the career clusters, write on the Career Research worksheet the top three career categories you would like to visit, in order.

For example:1. Sports and Recreation. 2. Science and Environment. 3. Technology and Engineering.

Products

File Folder Report 3: Career Research Worksheet, Top Three – a list of three categories to visithas been filled out on the top of the Career Research worksheet.



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Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsCareer Research Worksheet

Top Three Career Categories

1. __________________________________

2. __________________________________

3. __________________________________

Career Article 1: ________________________________________________



Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsJob Card B – Career Information

Purpose

To examine in detail at least three different careers.


Work in today's world is constantly changing. The best source of information about any career is a direct interview with a person who is doing that particular type of work today. However, to practice getting this information, you have to learn the right questions to ask!

When you are getting information about a career you are considering, you should check out:

Career Information: Try to find out some of the details, like the work expectations, recent job opportunities, future opportunities and other stuff like that. Check the date on the information – it gets out of date fast nowadays!

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Career Interview: Try to talk to someone who does the work. Find out what they likeabout the job and what kind of stuff they do. Get the inside scoop from someone who knows!Sample Stuff They Do in a Day: Find out what kind of things a person in this job does in an average day. What math do they use? What decisions do they make? What writingor communication skills are used?Other Information: Find out how to get information and training for the career you are interested in.

Getting detailed information like this helps you to get a sense of what that career would be likefor you.

Step By Step

a. Click on Explore Careers. In Choices Explorer. Visit the category that is #1 on your Career Research sheet.

b. Select one of the careers listed in there. Click on that article and read all five levels of information there. Take notes of interest on your Career Research worksheet.

c. Repeat research for your other two choices of categories. Be sure to take notes. d. Complete this exercise by placing a #1 beside the career article that most interested you.

Place a #2 beside your second favorite and a #3 beside your least favorite. Place yourname and the date in the bottom corner.

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File Folder Report 3: Career Research worksheet – three career articles have been examined and prioritized. The report is placed in the Student Learning Plan file folder.



Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsJob Card C – Career Detective School

Purpose

To improve your information-accessing skills.


There are new careers being created every day. New opportunities are emerging regularly for newbusinesses, travel, recreation and educational training. How can a person keep up with all the choice?

Welcome to Career Detective School. We get our info. We teach info skills. We're the best. We believe that if you "Give a person a fish they can eat today. Teach a person to fish, they can eat forever." We teach you how to get career information.

This Job Card teaches you how to get useful career info by examining a variety of sources. It's out there, you just have to go get it.

Step By Step

You better check out the career articles for aerobics instructor, mountain bike racer and roller-coaster designer and see what kind of work researchers for Choices Explorer do in their investigativework.Do you have a tough career question? Send in your question to Ask Faith. You’ll find her on theChoices Explorer home page. If it's a really tough question, she'll get the information for you!

Your task is to be a detective; to find the answers to the questions on theCareer Detective's Rookie Research worksheet. Good luck.

Did you pass the rookie test? Then here's the next test of your information-accessing skills. Takethe Career Detective Quiz.

If you have been a successful sleuth, you should be able to take your career research skills to yourcommunity. Keep watching for new info. It arrives every day!

Need answers?

Click here for the answers: Career Detective's Rookie Research and Career Detective Quiz.

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Career Detective's Rookie Research Worksheet completed. Career Detective Quiz: all questions completed.


Career Planning Guide Page 124 PRINTTHIS!

Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsCareer Detective – Rookie Research Worksheet

Use your detective's logic to investigate and solve these career cases. The answers to the CareerDetective Rookie Research are in Choices Explorer.

1. Lori doesn’t know what to do, so she’s come to you, the Career Detective. She identifies her interests as stars, computers, math, nature and she has a natural curiosity about everything.Lori has had lots of training on computers and is a whiz at math. She’d love to combine her love of math and her curiosity about stars. Your task is to find a career that fit her interests and loves.

2. Heather is a huge fan of action movies. She would love be a stunt performer, but she’s not sure if there are any jobs for female stunt performers. As a career investigator, your job is to find out whether there are jobs for female stunt performers.

3. Alec loves the outdoors. He's also fascinated by the landscape of the earth. Alec likes to thinkabout how the earth formed, erosion, how rocks are formed – all sorts of stuff like that. He’s thinking about being a geologist. How many different types of geologists are there?

4. Terry has had a passion for mechanical stuff since he was a kid. You could always find himtaking apart something and then putting it back together again. Because of this, he’s developed an excellent ability to diagnose mechanical problems. Terry would love to becomea mechanical engineer. He’s wondering if a co-op program would be a good idea. Can youfind the answer for Terry?

5. Horses, dogs, cats – you name it, Dale’s taken care of them. He’s even had a pet boa constrictor. Dale has worked in vet’s office before and decided that he’d rather work as a vet’s assistant rather than be a vet. He wants to know what kind of education he’ll need and ifthere are any other places besides vet's practices that a vet's assistant can work. Your task,should you choose to accept it, is to find answers to Dale’s questions. Good luck!

Want the answers?

Visit the Work section of Choices Explorer, or go back to Module 3 – Job Card C



PRINTTHIS!Module 3: Career and Life Inspections

Career Detective Quiz Find the answers to these career questions (and a couple of others!) in the Work section of Choices Explorer.

1. Do dolphins communicate?

2. I'm interested in becoming an electrician. What do I need to do?

3. My friend was talking about his career dream of an actuary. I was too embarrassed to sayI didn't know what it was. What is it?

4. I really love diving. I'd like to be an instructor. Is it expensive to become an instructor?

5. I've heard about this computer thing called CAD. I think it stands for either Cartoon Drawing or Computer Aided Design. Which is it?

Are you in a classroom? See your teacher for the answers. Working on your own? You can find the answers in Module 3 – Job Card C


Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsRookie Research Worksheet Answers

1. Lori doesn’t know what to do, so she’s come to you, the Career Detective. She identifies her interests as stars,computers, research and analyzing data, nature and she has a natural curiosity about everything. Lori has had lots oftraining on computers and is a whiz at research. She’d love to combine her love of research and her curiosity aboutstars. Your task is to find a career that fit her interests and loves.

Answer: Astronomer. Astronomers spend most of their time analyzing data. They have an interest in data collection and research. They are curious about the world around them.Astronomers enjoy exploring and learning new things. They also enjoy thinking about monumental questions such as: How did the universe evolve? Could there be other life forms in the universe?

2. Heather is a huge fan of action movies. She would love be a stunt performer, but she’s not sure if there are anyjobs for female stunt performers. As a career investigator, your job is to find out whether there are jobs for femalestunt performers.

Answer: You'll find the answers to Heather's questions in the career article about stunt performers. In it, you'll find out that the top female stunt performers are work all the time.

3. Alec loves the outdoors. He's also fascinated by the landscape of the earth. Alec likes to think about how the earthformed, erosion, how rocks are formed – all sorts of stuff like that. He’s thinking about being a geologist. Howmany different types of geologists are there?

Answer: According the career article on geologist, there are 12 different kinds of geologists.

4. Terry has had a passion for mechanical stuff since he was a kid. You could always find him taking aboutsomething and then putting it back together again. Because of this, he’s developed an excellent ability to diagnosemechanical problems. Terry would love to become a mechanical engineer. He’s wondering if a co-op programwould be a good idea. Can you find the answers for Terry?

Answer: You can find the answers to Terry's questions in the career article on mechanicalengineers. It sounds as if a co-op program would be an excellent idea.

5. Horses, dogs, cats – you name it, Dale’s taken care of them. He’s even had a pet boa constrictor. Dale has worked in vet’s office before and decided that he’d rather work as a vet’s assistant rather than be a vet. He wants to know wherevet’s assistants work (other than vets' offices) and what kind of education he’ll need. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to find answers to Dale’s questions. Good luck!

Answer: Well, you've probably discovered that vets' assistants are now called animal health technologists. And you've also found out that they work in zoos, kennels, animal hospitals, privateclinics and laboratories. To become an animal health technologist, Dale needs to complete a two-year animal health technologist program.

All answers were found in Choices Explorer.



Module 3: Career and Life InspectionsCareer Detective Quiz Answers

Find the answers to these career questions (and a couple of others!) by examining the career articles in the Work section of Choices Explorer.

1. Do dolphins communicate?

Answer: Yes – get the full story in the dolphin researcher article.

2. I'm interested in becoming an electrician's apprentice. Please find me an address for apprenticeships programs forfurther information.

Answer: There are several addresses for more information in the article about electricians.

3. My friend was talking about his career dream of becoming an actuary. I was too embarrassed to say I didn't knowwhat it was. What is it?

Answer: Actuaries help insurance companies predict the number of customers who will havelosses and how much the company will have to pay in claims – from the actuary career article.

4. I really love diving. I'd like to be an instructor. Is it expensive to become an instructor?

Answer: Yes, it is. According to the scuba diving instructor article, it is expensive to becomean instructor.

5. I've heard about this computer thing called CAD. I think it stands for either Cartoon Drawing or Computer AidedDesign. Which is it?

Answer: CAD stands for computer aided design -- from the career articles for architect andmechanical drafter-designer.

All answers were found in the Choices Explorer.



PRINTTHIS!Module 3: Career and Life Inspections

Checklist

��Read the introduction to Career and Life Inspections.��Visited the Work section of Choices Explorer.��Completed Career Research Sheet, examined at least three career articles, reading all

aspects of each career. Placed worksheet in my Student Learning Plan File Folder.��Completed the Career Detective Rookie Research Worksheet.��Successfully completed the very difficult Career Detective Quiz, thereby impressing the

career researchers!��Checked all the boxes on this Checklist.



Module 4: Making Connections to the WorldIntroduction

Do it. Make a choice. Get involved. Take a stand. No fear. Go for it. Just do it. Seems likeeverybody, even the advertisers, are telling us to get out of our chairs and get involved in the world. Maybe we should listen to that little voice in the back of our heads:

"This world is changing fast. Where do I start? Making choices in this world isn't easy. But we'vegot to do it. (Do it) There's so much to choose from – it's tough to decide where to begin. (Make achoice) Choosing not to choose is a choice – I have to break the cycle – I have to get involved insomething more than this. (Get involved) I know lots of things I would like to do. Which do I choose? (Take a stand) I'm unsure of new things. (No fear) I don't know what they'll say. (Nofear) What if I fail? (NO FEAR) I know, I know – I should just go for it. (Go for it!) I've got to get involved. I've got to make some choices about my life. I've got to get involved."

People who are involved in life get more chances, more choices, more changes. People who stayon the bench get less. Opportunity waits. Each of us has to get out of the chair for at least part of our day. Even couch potatoes need to go for a walk or they die inside.

Knowing who you are and knowing where the opportunities are isn't enough. We have to makesome choices and get involved. Opportunity waits.

Module 4 is about working with the information to set career and life goals. You have somedetailed self-knowledge from the Reflections section (Module 2), and some detailed career information from the Inspections section (Module 3). This module seeks to find links between you and the many life choices you have.

Module 4 is about Connections. How do your interests and talents match up with those of various careers? The more "matches" you have with a career, the more likely it is you'll enjoy that type of work! Wise career planners use this knowledge to set life goals.

Module 4 introduces career planners to the technique of personal career researching. Personal research uses personal search words to identify leads for possible future career choices. The JobCards for Module 4 are:

�� Job Card A – Black and White World�� Job Card B – Decision Steps�� Job Card C – Career Research�� Job Card D – Today's Career and Life Goals��Module 4 Checklist

Remember to complete the Checklist as the last thing you do in Module 4. Have fun!

I never knew anybody who stumbled onto something great while they were standing still!



Module 4: Making Connections to the World

Job Card A – Black and White WorldPurpose

To practice making simple decisions, and to recognize the uniqueness of the choices we make.


Wouldn't it be easier if, every time we had to make a decision, there were only two choices? Which shirt will you wear today – the blue one or the red one? What flavor of ice-cream will youhave – chocolate or rocky road? Which job would you like – banker or outdoor adventurer?

If there were such a world – let's call it Black and White World – decision making would be much easier. We would follow this process for simple decision making:

1. What are my choices? (There would be only two.)2. Which choice is most closely matched to my interests or talents?3. I choose ... (then we'd choose one).

This Job Card asks you to answer the questions on the Black and White World Questionnaire, andthen compare your answers to the answers of two other people. It also asks you to notice the uniqueness of your decisions.

Step By Step

a. Print a copy of the Black and White World Questionnaire. Answer the 12 questions bycircling either:

1 – First Choice 2 – Second Choice, or NI – Not Enough Information.

b. Compare your answers to at least two other people's answers. If you are not in a classroom, you will have to ask the questions of two other people. We bet no one evermakes all the same decisions as you do. This shows your uniqueness and the importanceof being true to yourself when making choices.

c. If you were unable to decide because there is not enough information, obviously the next step could be to go get the information needed to make a choice. One common reason people cannot make decisions is because they don't have enough information.

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Black and White World Questionnaire: All 12 questions completed by three people and recorded on the sheet.



Module 4: Making Connections to the World PRINTTHIS!

Black and White World Questionnaire Welcome to Black and White (B&W) World where each decision is a 50-50 choice!

Answer the 12 questions by circling either:

1 – First Choice 2 – Second Choice, or NI – Not Enough Information.

1. You have to own a pet in B&W World. Would youhave a (1) dog or a (2) cat?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

2. Would you prefer to take an expenses-paid vacationto a place called(1) Adventureland or (2) Relaxland?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

3. Opportunity for you! You can own a vehicle in World! Would you rather own a(1) sports car or a (2) truck?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

4. What shirt would you wear to school today – the (1) blue one or the (2) red one?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

5. Trent and Susan are dating and they're both yourfriends. You find out that Susan is dating other people without telling Trent. You(1) tell Trent, or (2) don't tell Trent?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

6. Welcome to the B&W ice-cream factory! Twoflavors! What'll it be?(1) Chocolate or (2) Rocky Road!You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

7. There are only two job choices in B&W World (1)banker or (2) outdoor adventurer.You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

8. There are only two types of places to live, and both homes are equal in size. Would you choose to livein (1) near a forest or (2) a big city setting?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

9. Which way would you rather be paid –(1) a steady income (but no great wealth) or(2) pay for performance (either big bucks or nothing)?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

10. Just two sports here in B&W World! Would yourather (1) play soccer or (2) run long-distance?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

11. You can (1) be famous and wealthy right now and live for just 15 more years, or (2) live unknownwith an average income for 65 more years.You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI

12. You can (1) have someone else make decisions for you (you get only consequences) or (2) you makethe tough choices in your life. Which is for you?You 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI Other 1 2 NI




Job Card B – Decision Steps Purpose

To practice responsible decision-making skills.


Did the "R" word slip into that line just above here? Yes, there it is – Responsible. Oh oh.

Relax, it's nothing tricky. A responsible decision is one where you consider the effects of your decisions on people you care about and on your future. When you think of others (not just yourself), and you think of your future (not just the moment), you are in the process of making a responsible decision!

Want a little catch phrase for a responsible decision? You're getting one anyway: Not only me, not only now. Consider others (not only me), consider future implications (not only now), and you're being responsible! That wasn't tough.

This Job Card asks you to practice responsible decision making, by following these Decision Steps:

1. What are my choices? There are always lots – try to find many. 2. Which choice is most closely matched to my interests or talents? Select the choice that most

meets your needs. 3. What's the impact of my choice? "Not only me, not only now" – this is the responsible step.4. I choose… (Choose something and do it).

Step By Step

a. Visit any three career articles in the Work section of Choices Explorer. For each career, complete the Real Life Decision activity in the Getting Started section.

b. Keep records of the decision making you did – in case somebody asks!

Products

No product: Just practice of a very important life skill.




Job Card C – Career Research Purpose

To learn how to use career information and self-awareness to make career and life decisions.


In Module 2, you identified many things about yourself – your personality style, employability skills, interests and values. In Module 3, you looked at various careers in the Work section of Choices Explorer.This Job Card hopes to show you how to use that information to set some future goals for your Student Learning Plan.

Career research is using what you know about yourself and compares it to various careers. It is not some kind of magic test that knows more than you. It is a process you follow when you are trying to make career and life choices.

Step By Step

a. Select the Match Practice exercise and complete it. Your task is to choose the career that most matches Waldo.

b. Print a copy of the Real Life Career Research worksheet. c. Write your personal features in the spaces to the left of the worksheet. Research at least three

career articles and use the information there to determine which careers best match the personal features you have selected. Keep records of any matches in the spaces on the Real Life Career Research worksheet.

d. Interview someone in a career area of your interest. Use the Career Matching Interview Prompt Sheet to help them identify features of the career.

e. Review the Real Life Career Research worksheet. Which career that you researched has the most matches? (A match is when a career feature is the same as one of your features). Any career with five or six matches obviously offers you something!

f. Place your completed Real Life Career Research worksheet and the Career Research Interview sheet into your Student Learning Plan file folder.

Products

Career Research Practice: Exercise is completed.

File Folder Report 4: Real Life Career Research – Three career articles and one personal interview have been completed, and the career data is recorded. This worksheet and the Career Research Interview Prompt Sheet have been placed in your Student Learning Plan File Folder.


PRINTTHIS!Module 4: Making Connections to the World

Job Card C – Match Practice Look at the personal features of Waldo Walcarpet. Then look over the information shown from three career articles in Choices Explorer. Place a checkmark beside any career features that are the same as Waldo's.

Five or six matches is a good start for a career planner like Waldo. Matching doesn't mean he would like the career or be good at it FOR SURE, but it makes it more likely. Once he selects one of these careers, he should contact someone in this job field to check it out first hand!

So which of these three careers do you suggest Waldo should check out first?

Waldo Walcarpet'sReflections Summary Stats

Top 10 Style:Inward, Realistic, Thinking,Planning, Private, Changing,Competitive and Cooperative(tie), Backstage

Top 10 Skills:Computer literacy, Listeningskills, Reading, Problem-solving, Honesty,Organizational skills,Technical reasoning, Mathreasoning, Research skills,Physical coordination.Other: General learning,Strength and fitness, Driving,Time management

Top 10 Interests:Outdoor recreation, Fixingthings, Doing nothing,Individual sports, Reading,Nature, Photography, Jogging,Money, Science.Other: Video games, Workingwith tools, Travel

Top 10 Values:Competence, Wealth, Physicalchallenge, Appearance,Honesty, Having fun, Family,Health, Friendship,IndependenceOther: Wisdom, Excitement

ComputerProgrammer

Style:Outward, Realistic, Thinking, Planning,People, Changing,Cooperative,Backstage.

Skills:Computer literacy,Listening skills,Problem-solving,Decision-making,General learningability.

Interests:Computers,Designing things,Figuring things out,Fixing things,Organizing things,Buildingthings/models,Working withnumbers.

Values:Competence,Honesty, HelpingOthers,Independence,Creativity, Wisdom,Education, Security,Power.

ConservationOfficer

Style:Outward, Realistic, Thinking, Planningand improvise (tie), People, Stable, Competitive,Spotlight.

Skills:Physical Strength,Problem-solving,Technical reasoning,Positive attitude,Honesty

Interests:Outdoor recreation,Mechanics, Travel,Photography,Working withnumbers, Figuringthings out, Fixingthings, Debating.

Values:Independence,Honesty,Competence, Havingfun, Education,Physical challenge.

Pharmacist

Style:Outward, Realistic, Thinking and feeling(tie), Planning,People, Changing,Competitive,Backstage.

Skills:Problem-solving,Confidence,Decision-making,Respect for others,Communication.

Interests:Math, Medicine,Helping people,Computers, Writingreports, Publicspeaking.

Values:Helping others,IntellectualChallenge, Honesty,Good judgment



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Job Card C – Real Life Career Research Your Personal Features

Personality Skills Interests Values

Career = ____________________________________


Career = ____________________________________


Career = ____________________________________




Job Card C – Match Practice Look at the personal features of Waldo Walcarpet. Then look over the information shown from three career articles in Choices Explorer. Place a checkmark beside any career features that are the same as Waldo's.

Five or six matches is a good start for a career planner like Waldo. Matching doesn't mean he would like the career or be good at it FOR SURE, but it makes it more likely. Once he selects one of these careers, he should contact someone in this job field to check it out first hand!

So which of these three careers do you suggest Waldo should check out first?

Waldo Walcarpet'sReflections Summary Stats

Top 10 Style:Inward, Realistic, Thinking,Planning, Private, Changing,Competitive and Cooperative(tie), Backstage

Top 10 Skills:Computer literacy, Listeningskills, Reading, Problem-solving, Honesty,Organizational skills,Technical reasoning, Mathreasoning, Research skills,Physical coordination.Other: General learning,Strength and fitness, Driving,Time management

Top 10 Interests:Outdoor recreation, Fixingthings, Doing nothing,Individual sports, Reading,Nature, Photography, Jogging,Money, Science.Other: Video games, Workingwith tools, Travel

Top 10 Values:Competence, Wealth, Physicalchallenge, Appearance,Honesty, Having fun, Family,Health, Friendship,IndependenceOther: Wisdom, Excitement

ComputerProgrammer

Style:Outward, Realistic, Thinking, Planning,People, Changing,Cooperative,Backstage.

Skills:Computer literacy,Listening skills,Problem-solving,Decision-making,General learningability.

Interests:Computers,Designing things,Figuring things out,Fixing things,Organizing things,Buildingthings/models,Working withnumbers.

Values:Competence,Honesty, HelpingOthers,Independence,Creativity, Wisdom,Education, Security,Power.

ConservationOfficer

Style:Outward, Realistic, Thinking, Planningand improvise (tie), People, Stable, Competitive,Spotlight.

Skills:Physical Strength,Problem-solving,Technical reasoning,Positive attitude,Honesty

Interests:Outdoor recreation,Mechanics, Travel,Photography,Working withnumbers, Figuringthings out, Fixingthings, Debating.

Values:Independence,Honesty,Competence, Havingfun, Education,Physical challenge.

Pharmacist

Style:Outward, Realistic, Thinking and feeling(tie), Planning,People, Changing,Competitive,Backstage.

Skills:Problem-solving,Confidence,Decision-making,Respect for others,Communication.

Interests:Math, Medicine,Helping people,Computers, Writingreports, Publicspeaking.

Values:Helping others,IntellectualChallenge, Honesty,Good judgment



PRINTTHIS!

Think about each of the items in these lists of Values, Skills and Interests. Which apply to you?

Values:��Independence,

Wealth��Honesty��Love, Intimacy��Competence��Inner harmony��Having fun��Education��Excitement��Physical challenge��Aesthetics��Material possessions

��Helping others��Competition��Respect��Creativity��Friendship��Wisdom��Family��Security��Generosity��Location��Structure��Loyalty

��Working hard��Appearance��Cleanliness��Variety��Popularity��Solitude��Relaxation��Health��Power, Control��Cooperation��Balance

Skills:��General learning

ability��Presentation skills��Time management��Listening skills��Computer literacy��Organizational skills��Mathematical

reasoning��Physical strength,

Fitness��Respect for others��Self-confidence��Driving skills

��Teamwork skills��Positive attitude��Reading, Writing

skills��Decision-making

skills��Goal-setting��Problem-solving

skills��Research skills��Financial

management��Technical reasoning��Stress management

��Adaptability,Flexibility

��Honesty, Integrity��Physical

coordination��Creative��Initiative,

Persistence��Networking skills��Leadership skills

Interests:��Outdoor recreation��Team sports��Individual sports��Art activities��Music, Singing��Reading��Cooking��Aerobics, Jogging��Mechanics��Computers, the Web��Animals, Pets��Landscaping��Collecting things��Crafts��Playing games��Watching movies��Talking with others��Travel, Sightseeing

��Watching TV��Visiting museums��Shopping��Photography��Studying languages��Puzzles, Mazes��Writing stories ��Drama, Theater��Volunteering��Organizing things��Building things��Working with

numbers��Figuring things out��Fixing things��Debating��Helping kids��Money

��Doing nothing��Nature��Dancing��Meeting new people��Space, Rocketry��Public speaking��Working with tools��Designing Things��Listening to music��Sewing��Being with people��Science��Drawing cartoons��Beachcombing��Hanging out��Boating, Sailing




Job Card D – Today's Career and Life Goals Purpose

To establish a prioritized list of personal career goals in the areas of work, learning and lifestyle.


People without goals have to take what they get. People with goals get what they want. What do youwant? This exercise asks you to be clear about what you want.

You've practiced decision making (Job Cards A and B). You've practiced getting information for decisions (Job Card C). You're ready for THE BIG STEP – making some decisions! This Job Card asks you to prioritize your top five life goals in three different areas: work, learning, and lifestyle.

Step By Step

a. Print a copy of Brainstorm City. It's a tool for identifying your life goals.

b. Write on the sheet any goals you have for your future. The goals could be for sometime far in the future or for next week. They should be work goals, learning goals and goals for your lifestyle(things like relationships, recreation, living) Don't worry if the goals seem unachievable or bizarre,just write them down! You may want to use information from your Dreamweaver's Guide. Don'tstop writing until you have 30 future goals.

c. Print a copy of Today's Career and Life Goals. Got a copy? Put your name and the date in the bottom right corner.

d. Use the Decision Steps process to choose your No. 1 work goal, No. 1 learning goal and No. 1 lifestyle goal. Remember, this is not a permanent decision. These goals represent your goals for today. You may want to read How to Write Goals. You also may wish to see a Sample Career and Life Goals Sheet.

e. Continue prioritizing each column until you have at least five in each section. Place the sheet into your Student Learning Plan File Folder.

Products

Brainstorm City: At least 30 future goals are listed randomly on this sheet. File Folder Report 5: Today's Career and Life Goals – 15 life goals are prioritized and sorted into three lists.



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Job Card D – Brainstorm City

(Yes. This page is blank. Now fill it with ideas!)




Job Card D – Career and Life Goals Worksheet

Date: ............................................................................................................................................................

Work Goals

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Learning Goals

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Lifestyle Goals

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Job Card D – How to Write Goals Samples of Not-So-Good Goal Statements

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"I just want to be happy." (Nice goal – too vague) "Money." (Need a little more detail here – something you could measure) "I will invent something that makes the world a better place." (Nice – vague) "I will destroy the planet by 2020." (Measurable goal! However, it's hurtful to others – no good) "To marry Britney Spears by the end of the year." (Measurable, but probably unrealistic and too specific if you don't already know her!)

"What's in a Goal Statement?"

Three parts to a good goal statement: 1. It describes something you could accomplish. 2. It is measurable. 3. It has a timeframe on it.

Samples of Some Good Goal Statements

"To learn to speak and understand basic Spanish within two years." "I will successfully complete Electrical Trades Training before I am 22." "I will travel to Europe for at least three months within six months of graduation." "To own my own house before I am 35." "To make the rugby team and attend all practices during the year." "To complete Grade 3-level piano before the end of this year." "To contact at least ten potential summer employers before March 31." "I will golf at least three times a week from May until the end of September." "I will find out about scuba training before the end of this week." "To see a game in every major league professional baseball stadium before I am 50."

Spot the Error

Each of these goal statements has something wrong with it. Pick out the error. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

1. "I will build a 1966 Mustang from the ground up." 2. "By the end of 2010, I will own three TV networks." 3. "To help people who are visually impaired before the end of the century." 4. "To own my own sportswear store." 5. "I will own a lot of stuff and be very popular by the end of the year."

Answers 1. No timeframe – by when? 2. Unrealistic – not achievable, especially by that time. 3. Not really measurable. 'To help' is pretty wide open. Maybe "To counsel more than 100 people...." 4. No timeframe. 5. Good luck, but this goal is too vague. What the person intends to do to make this happen isn't clear.



Job Card D – Sample Career and Life Goals Sheet

Date: __________________________________________

Work Goals

1) To apply to 10 employers of chain sports store or other retail stores before the end of February.

2) To secure at least five summer job interviews before the end of May.

3) To own my own ski and sports equipment store by the time I am 30.

4) To start a wilderness experience business for Japanese traveling to North America (by 35).

5) Plan B: To be a conservation officer before I am 27 years old.

Learning Goals

1) To complete my business administration diploma program within two years of completinghigh school.

2) To continue with my tennis training for the next three years.

3) To speak Japanese fluently before I am 30.

4) To make the Honor Roll for each reporting period of my 12th grade year.

5) To locate some kind of training where I can learn simple mechanical repair for my car.

Lifestyle Goals

1) To have $100,000 in the bank by the time I am 35.

2) To travel to Asia within three months of completing my business administration diploma.

3) To play tennis every day for the next six months.

4) To become a competitive Hobie-18 sailor, winning in the open category within the next 10 years.

5) To ski every difficult part of every ski hill within a day's travel of where I live (before yearend).




Checklist

��Read Module 4's Introduction page – Making Connections to the World.��Completed Black and White World Questionnaire.��Can identify the four decision steps and knows what "not only me, not only now" means.��Made decisions in at least three Real Life Decision-Making scenarios from various career

articles.��Completed the Match Practice exercise.��Compared self to Career Matching aspects of at least four career articles and one career

interview. Recorded on Real Life Career Research sheet, and stored this information in my file folder

��Identified 30 possible career and life goals in the Brainstorm City exercise��Wrote 15 career and life goals, and recorded them on the Today's Career and Life Goals sheet.

Put this sheet in my file folder��Checked all the boxes on this Checklist!



Module 5: Choosing DirectionsIntroduction

Goals and dreams are double-edged swords. If you have future visions – have the self-confidence and abilities to achieve them, and are busy making them happen – goals and dreams are powerfulmotivators that give us great energy and vitality.

If you have future visions, but don't think you are capable of making them happen, or you're lost in trying to get there, goals and dreams are sources of great pain and stress. Having goals is not enough.You also have to figure out how to make them happen.

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

So why don't all people take charge of their lives and build themselves the lifestyle they truly desire? That's easy – our life schedule is pretty well booked already. Lots of us have dreams, but the baggageof life causes too many to keep their noses pressed to the traditional grindstones of life. Stuff likedreams we put off until tomorrow: Dreams are distant, not real, not immediate, not pressing.

In order to make our goals and dreams come true, we have to let go of something we're doing already.Can you cut back on the TV? Do you need that much sleep? Is there something in your life that doesn'thave meaning any more? Can you let it go? Opportunity waits.

This module teaches how to make a life plan (to everyone brave enough to try). Are you interested?

“Even if you’re on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers

It's time to draw the blueprint. You have been learning the first steps of Personal Planning. You haveself-awareness from your time in the Reflecting Pool. You have career awareness from your work in the career articles. You even have a collection of goals from the decision-making work you'vecompleted. You're ready to bring it all together in the blueprint – your plan for your future.

Module 5 – Choosing Directions – is ready for you. You will be taking selected goals and buildingmaps to help you reach them. Once you've crafted the blueprint for your future, the rest is up to you to make it happen! The Job Cards for Module 5 are:

�� Job Card A – Plan A, Plan B �� Job Card B – Lifespan Planning�� Job Card C – Dear Future Me��Module 5 Checklist

Go for it. Remember to complete the Checklist as your final task of Module 5. Have fun!



Module 5: Choosing DirectionsJob Card A – Plan A, Plan B

Purpose

To describe a variety of things you'll have to do to make your top two future career or life goals happen.


How can anybody honestly answer the question, "What are you going to be when you grow up?" Experts figure most of us are going to work in five to 10 different types of work in our lifetime. Some of the jobs we will have don't even exist as job choices at the moment! Nobody knows what they're going to do in the future. Maybe they should ask: "What are you going to be while you grow up?"

What you can do is start building plans to make some of your dreams turn into realities. For this first

Step By Step

a. Look at Today's Career Life Goals, the worksheet you completed in Module 4. Which is your Plan A – the future goal you most desire? Is it your No. 1 Work Goal, Learning Goal or Lifestyle Goal? Pick one.

b. Print a copy of Dreamsteps. Use it to do this exercise.

c. Create a list of things you'll have to do to make the goal become real. Don't worry about the order. Just make a random list. Want to see a sample? Click here.

d. Use any of these words to help you think of some steps: Who, What, Where, When, How, Money, Training.

e. Repeat same process for your Plan B future goal.

Products

Dreamsteps – Several steps to achieve your Plan A and Plan B have been identified.



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Module 5: Choosing DirectionsJob Card A – Dreamsteps

My Plan A Goal: ........................................................................................................................................

Plan A – My Steps to This Goal:

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My Plan B Goal: ........................................................................................................................................

Plan B – My Steps to this goal:

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Module 5: Choosing DirectionsJob Card A – Dreamsteps: Sample Plans

Plan A Goal: "To apply to 10 employers of chain sports stores or other retail stores before the end of February."

My Steps to This Goal:

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Make a list of at least 10 retail stores you'd like to work for. Prioritize the 10 stores, listing them in order of personal preference. Contact each store. Introduce yourself to the person who answers the phone and find out some information about the company – is it a franchise store? Are there opportunities for training? Basic business? Hiring this summer or part-time now? Who is hiring now in this field of work? Check about basketball camp – are they flexible around those hours? Ask about a time of year when they believe they will be hiring. Write in notepad. Phone back then.Ask parents and their friends for some contact names in these kind of stores. Put together a resume – write it with retail work in mind. See counselor about how to present yourself in a job interview.

Plan B Goal: "To have $100,000 in the bank by the time I am 35."

My Steps to This Goal:

Interview people in sports retail – learn more about the business, how to get trained.

services for skiers – for example honest ski hill information, weather reports, online ski swap, ski news, boarder news, upcoming ski and snowboarding events? Interview skiers to see if a store like this would succeed. Locate financial backers to invest in business. Develop a business plan. Learn more about the cost of retail space on the mountain. First store operational by the time I'm 25. Franchise out to at least four new stores by the time I'm 32. Develop a logo, catchy store name (SkiNet?). Complete business administration training at local college. Start Internet bulletin board on ski swap; operate out of my house. Establish effective billing structure for posting ads on the ski swap. Hire three people to operate the store, train them in customer relations. Establish "gray hair account." Put 10 percent of any money I earn into this account – don't touch it! Get part-time job at retail store, preferably in sports.



Module 5: Choosing DirectionsJob Card B – Lifespan Planning

Purpose

To sequence a series of "baby steps" to accomplish big life goals.


In the movie What About Bob, Bill Murray plays Bob – a crazy character described by his psychiatrist (played by Richard Dreyfuss) as "human crazy glue." They realize that Bob's road to recovery is a long one. Do you remember the strategy they used that was the only way to get Bob to recovery?

"Baby steps, baby steps."

This is the same strategy you must use to achieve your goals. Baby steps, baby steps. Now that you have figured out a couple of good future goals for yourself, it's time to plan some steps to get there. Little steps.

One more thing. Do you believe in life after the weekend? Are you here for a good time AND a long time? You can't achieve big things without big goals. Big goals take time to achieve. Ask any elder who has lived a lot of life. Good things take time to achieve, but that makes them more rewarding. Think of your whole lifespan, not just tomorrow. Big goals, little steps, lifespan perspective.

Step By Step

a. Before you start planning, build a Lifespan Map for your Plan A. It asks you to put in order the things you must do to achieve your chosen goals. Use your Dreamsteps to do this exercise. Print the File Folder Report 6 – Lifespan Maps worksheet to work on. Click here to see a sample Lifespan Map.

b. Be sure to include all key educational courses you require to get to your Plan A, any accomplishments or achievements you must experience, and clear timelines for your plan.

c. Repeat for your Plan B.

Product

File Folder Report 6: Lifespan Maps – Detailed steps are described in two different Lifespan Maps. This report is wisely placed inside your Student Learning Plan File Folder. Thanks. Thanks a lot.



PRINTTHIS!Module 5: Choosing Directions

Job Card B – Lifespan Maps

Plan A Goal:

Date Steps to Follow:

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Plan B Goal:

Date Steps to Follow:

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Module 5: Choosing DirectionsJob Card B – Lifespan Maps Sample

Plan A: To apply to 10 employers of chain sports stores or other retail stores before the end of February.

Date Steps To Follow�� January 12 Research parents, parents' friends for sports store contacts.�� January 13 Identify a list of 10 sports or retail stores I'd like to work for. �� January 13 Prioritize list of companies in order of most desired to least. �� January 20 Identify phone numbers and research all 10 businesses. �� January 20 Complete a resume, customized for retail store work. �� January 27 See counselor about job interview tips and training. �� January 30 Begin phone contacts with store No. 10

and develop skills for discussing this with employers. �� February 3 Complete five phone interviews with sports retail stores. �� February 10 Completed 10 phone interviews. �� Continually Keep records of when they will be hiring and contact on that day. �� February 24 Drop in to all 10 stores and introduce myself personally.

Plan B: To have $100,000 in the bank by the time I am 35.

Date Steps To Follow�� January Establish "gray hair account." Put 10 percent of any money I earn into this

account and don't touch it! �� May Interview people in sports retail – learn more about the business. �� June Get part-time job at retail store, preferably in sports. �� December Talk to ski instructors: What do they think about a sports and ski store with

online Internet services for skiers – for example, honest ski hill information, weather reports, online ski swap, ski news, boarder news, upcoming events.

�� December Interview skiers to see if a store like this would succeed. �� August Start Internet bulletin board on ski swap; operate out of home. �� August Establish billing structure for posting ads on the swapline. �� September Begin business administration training at local college. �� Summer Learn more about overhead costs, retail space costs, etc. �� Next Spring Develop a comprehensive business plan for SkiNet, Inc. �� Next Year Work full-time in a retail sports store; build personal networks. �� Next July Open first SkiNet, Inc. store with link to local ski hill. �� July, 5 Years Four new franchised SkiNet, Inc. stores have opened in new locations. �� December, 8 Years Gray hair account has $50,000 in it

– I've never touched money in this account. �� December, 10 Years Gray hair account reaches $100,000 goal – mostly from profits

generated in my very successful SkiNet, Inc. line of stores.



Module 5: Choosing DirectionsJob Card C – Dear Future Me

Purpose

To record three things you've learned about life and document personal data from this time.


It's weird to think of the future. What will you be doing at this exact time and date five years from now? How about 10 years from now? So much will happen in those years – you just can't know all the things that will happen.

Five years from now, you won't really remember yourself. You won't recall how you felt, what you believed, what you did, where you wanted to take your life. You won't be losing your memory or anything, you'll just have so much more in your head that this time will be a vague memory – unless you do something about it.

This Job Card has two goals. We want you to pass on some of your wisdom about life. We also want you to document who you are today and seal it in an envelope, then store in your file folder.

Write it down – it might be readNothing's better left unsaid.

Step By Step

a. You've lived some life and learned some things. Write down three statements about what you've learned about life. Begin each sentence with, "I've learned...."

To see some others, read Pearls.

b. Get out some lined paper, put today's date on it, and title the page, "Dear Future Me." Using the Dear Future Me Question Guide, record in the letter some information about yourself. Include your "I've learned" stuff.

c. Finished? Seal the information in an envelope and write a date on it five years into the future. Promise yourself not to open the envelope until that date. Put the envelope in your file folder.

See ya in five years!

Products

Dear Future Me – A sealed envelope with information about you has been put into your file folder. No questions asked!



Module 5: Choosing Directions

Pearls (of Wisdom)

"I've learned that good friends get better when the going gets tough." – Jenn Staley (17)

"I've learned that the dirt doesn't go away when the broom's in the corner." – Edna McPhee (44)

"I've learned that the world isn't as scary once you walk around in it for a while" – Jack Terbinger (18)

"I learned there's cash in the couch after Dad has a snooze." – Cara Newhouse (11)

"I've learned girls are more interested in muscle than mind because I don't see any pictures of guys' brains taped on their lockers." – Nick Muzilli (15)

"I've learned that once the cat is out of the bag it is impossible to get the cat back in." – Adam Douglas (22)

"I've learned the Golden Rule – whoever has the gold makes the rules." – Jeff Jameson (28)

"I've learned in video games that standing still will get you killed quicker than anything else." – Sheila Lee (17)

"I've learned that men and women stand different in the magazines. Women always look uncomfortable." – Zoe Cross (12)

"I've learned that men who wear hats drive slower than men who wear ball caps." – Dave Thackery (16)

"I've learned that no matter where you are, you are there." – Deep Doug McMasters (17)

"I've learned that every exit is an entry to somewhere else." – Kim Tennison (15)




Job Card C – Dear Future Me Question Guide

1. Who are the people you hang around with the most?2. What kind of food do you like to eat? What's the worst? 3. If you had to write five words to describe how you generally feel lately, what would they be? 4. What kind of music do you like? Which bands or artists? 5. Favorite parts of school? (if you're in school!) Least favorite parts?6. What do you usually do on the weekends? Do you like doing this stuff? 7. What movies have you watched lately? Which were good? Which ones were weak?8. What kind of things do you do for fun? Any hobbies? Sports? What? 9. Describe yesterday – what did you do? 10. How are things with your family? What's happening with them?11. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? 12. When you open this in five years, where will you be? What will you be doing with most of

your time?13. In five years, will you look different? How? Will you feel different? How? What else will be

different in your life? What will be the same?14. What will you accomplish in the next five years?15. What is your best guess of what kind of career you will have in the future? 16. What is your dream house? Dream car? Where do you want to live in the future? What else

will happen in your future? 17. What's your love life like? What will it be like in five years?18. What have you read lately?19. What do you think is going to happen with the world? 20. Are you optimistic about the future? 21. If you could change anything about your past, would you? What? 22. What's the best thing that has happened in your life in the last year?23. Favorite ice cream flavor? Favorite color? Favorite dessert? Favorite fast food place? Favorite

store to shop in? Favorite city? Favorite sport? Favorite TV show? Favorite video game?Favorite thing to do.

24. What are your natural talents – what do you find really easy to do? 25. What else do you want to tell yourself five years from now? 26. You may want to include some stuff in the envelope – something important to you or a gift to

yourself. (We don't recommend food. Remember it'll be in there for five years!)27. Seal the envelope, put it in your file folder, put a date five years from today on the cover – and

promise yourself not to open this until that time!




Checklist

��Read Module 5 Information page – Choosing Directions.��Identified a Personal Plan A and Plan B for the Future.��Completed the Dreamsteps exercise. A rough copy of selected steps to achieve personal

dreams was completed.��Completed a Lifespan Map for Plan A and Plan B and placed it in my Student Learning Plan

file folder.��Wrote three Pearls of Wisdom, based on life experiences.��Wrote a Dear Future Me letter to myself and stored it in my Student Learning Plan File Folder.��Checked all the boxes on this Checklist.



Module 6: Building With ChangeIntroduction

If you've made it all the way to this module, you've been busy! You have created a blueprint for yourfuture – a plan to achieve things you want in your life. Many people are not tough enough to completework that will help their future – they'd rather just get involved in things with immediate rewards.

If you've completed all parts of the last five modules, and have successfully developed a Plan A and Plan B for your future, you're a cut above many others on this planet.

Here's what you have accomplished so far:

1. How to Live: You can identify two equally important ways to go through life – gumping and personal planning.

2. Self-Assessment: You have identified a diverse set of personal features, including personalitystyle, employability skills, interests and values.

3. Career Research Skills: You have shown the ability to find useful career information and match it to your personal characteristics.

4. Dreamweaving: You have identified a variety of personal dreams and can outline your present Plan A and Plan B for the future.

5. Career and Life Planning: You have developed step-by-step plans to accomplish at least two future goals.

6. Student Learning Plan Development: You have created a "personal safety deposit box" for yourself to store information and documents that will help you to access opportunities and keeprecords of personal development.

7. Technical Skills: You have demonstrated the ability to use technology to gather information.

Nobody ever achieved big things without big goals. The first step towards becoming a healthy, self-reliant citizen is the development of a personal plan for the future. You have completed the first step. Congratulations for getting this far. You're a planner of your world – make it a good one!

Hey, maybe you are all done now. Click here to find out



It's not over. Not by a lifetime!

Did you really think you were finished?

Don't get too comfortable. There's more stuff to do.

Fortunately, nothing is static. Everything is moving, vibrant, full of energy, organic. Figure you can put your feet up now that you've got a plan? What world are you living in?

This is a dynamic world. It doesn't sleep. It's always moving, changing, growing, breaking down, adjusting, developing, mutating, shifting, transforming itself.

Are you scared? Do you wish you could just build the plan and then hire somebody else to manage your life for you? It would be nice, but GET REAL! Most people are busy trying to manage their own life. The world is always changing, and the pace of change will only accelerate in the 21st century. So strap on your seat belt – life just gets faster from here. Fast is fun!

Module 6 is about change – identifying change, seeing its usefulness, and predicting its influence on the achievement of your future plans. The Job Cards are as follows:

�� Job Card A – Constant Change�� Job Card B – Predicting Change�� Job Card C – Talk to Me��The Next Stages of Personal Planning�� Final Examination��Module 6 Checklist

Have fun!



Module 6: Building With ChangeIntroduction

If you've made it all the way to this module, you've been busy! You have created a blueprint for yourfuture – a plan to achieve things you want in your life. Many people are not tough enough to completework that will help their future – they'd rather just get involved in things with immediate rewards.

If you've completed all parts of the last five modules, and have successfully developed a Plan A and Plan B for your future, you're a cut above many others on this planet.

Here's what you have accomplished so far:

1. How to Live: You can identify two equally important ways to go through life – gumping and personal planning.

2. Self-Assessment: You have identified a diverse set of personal features, including personalitystyle, employability skills, interests and values.

3. Career Research Skills: You have shown the ability to find useful career information and match it to your personal characteristics.

4. Dreamweaving: You have identified a variety of personal dreams and can outline your present Plan A and Plan B for the future.

5. Career and Life Planning: You have developed step-by-step plans to accomplish at least two future goals.

6. Student Learning Plan Development: You have created a "personal safety deposit box" for yourself to store information and documents that will help you to access opportunities and keeprecords of personal development.

7. Technical Skills: You have demonstrated the ability to use technology to gather information.

Nobody ever achieved big things without big goals. The first step towards becoming a healthy, self-reliant citizen is the development of a personal plan for the future. You have completed the first step. Congratulations for getting this far. You're a planner of your world – make it a good one!

Hey, maybe you are all done now. Click here to find out



It's not over. Not by a lifetime!

Did you really think you were finished?

Don't get too comfortable. There's more stuff to do.

Fortunately, nothing is static. Everything is moving, vibrant, full of energy, organic. Figure you can put your feet up now that you've got a plan? What world are you living in?

This is a dynamic world. It doesn't sleep. It's always moving, changing, growing, breaking down, adjusting, developing, mutating, shifting, transforming itself.

Are you scared? Do you wish you could just build the plan and then hire somebody else to manage your life for you? It would be nice, but GET REAL! Most people are busy trying to manage their own life. The world is always changing, and the pace of change will only accelerate in the 21st century. So strap on your seat belt – life just gets faster from here. Fast is fun!

Module 6 is about change – identifying change, seeing its usefulness, and predicting its influence on the achievement of your future plans. The Job Cards are as follows:

�� Job Card A – Constant Change�� Job Card B – Predicting Change�� Job Card C – Talk to Me��The Next Stages of Personal Planning�� Final Examination��Module 6 Checklist

Have fun!



Module 6: Building With ChangeJob Card A – Constant Change

Purpose

To identify ways in which the world is constantly changing.


Elementary calculus. Jumbo shrimp. True lies. Politically correct. Freezer burn. These are oxymorons – phrases within which there are conflicting realities. Here's a rare oxymoronic double: "Hey those tight slacks look pretty ugly!"

We are living in an oxymoronic world, a world of conflicting realities. Global village. Unemployed worker. Working vacation. Technically simple. Constant change.

We live in a time of constant change. How can change be constant? Well, it just is! Nothing seems very permanent nowadays. There are new opportunities every day. In a world of constant change, being flexible and open to new ideas is important. This Job Card asks you to list ways that the world is constantly changing.

Step By Step

a. Print a copy of the Constantly Changing World worksheet.

b. Review your list of 10 world changes with one other person. Working together, see if you can add other examples of our changing world from your own experiences.

Products

Constantly Changing World worksheet: 10 changes in the world that impact careers and career choices have been identified and listed on this worksheet.



PRINTTHIS!

Module 6: Building With ChangeJob Card A – Constantly Changing World Worksheet

In the space below, list 10 changes that are impacting careers and career choices in our world.

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Module 6: Building With ChangeJob Card B – Three Sample Predictions

Life Goal A: To own my own ski and sports equipment store by the time I am 30.

Life Goal B: To travel to Asia with three months of completing post-secondary training.

I predict the following 10 changes or events that may influence the path of my career:

1. "Internet growth – If the Internet does not make it into as many homes in the next 10 years as has been predicted, I may have to postpone or adapt my dream of SkiNet, Inc."

2. "World population growth – If world population continues to grow at its present rate, world travel could become more dangerous, particularly being a tourist in Asia. This may cause me to cancel plans to travel to Asia."

3. "Ecotourism – If the growth trend continues in ecotourism, SkiNet, Inc. may adapt to offer wilderness vacations to travelers, particularly those from Asia."



Module 6: Building With ChangeJob Card C – Talk to Me

Purpose

To introduce you to the importance of networking.


"It's not what you know, it's WHO you know!" People say this as if getting opportunities through people you know is a BAD thing. Wrong! Most jobs that people get today are never posted in a newspaper, never discussed with employment centers. The skill you need to develop if you want to take advantage of these unposted jobs is called NETWORKING and it is a necessary skill if you want lots of choice in your future.

Every person you meet is a potential gateway to a good opportunity. Keeping good records of who you know and how to contact them is really important. Don't feel bad if you get a break through someone you know. It's the way people do business nowadays.

You have a blueprint for your future. You should be telling people what your life goals are. You never know who will help you out along the way. They can't help if they don't know your goals. Tell them.

This Job Card asks you to learn some networking skills by participating in one of the interactive features of Choices Explorer. Networking is good.

Step By Step

a. Read the biographies and the questions asked of some of the career experts. You can find them through the Work section.

b. Come back to the experts regularly, having a look at the questions asked. You may learn some information that will help you to achieve some of your life goals. You may even ask for assistance if you wish!

Products

No product here, just an introduction to the discussion parts of the emerging information highway. Have some fun with it!



Module 6: Building With ChangeThe Next Stages of Personal Planning

Congratulations on completing the Career Planning Guide! We hope it was fun as well as rewarding for you. Your final assignment is to complete the final examination. Relax. You're the only one who knows the right answers.

Being a career planner (complete with a life planner) is just the first stage of building your own future. There is more to do. You've got to get together the team, the finances, the tools needed to build what you envision. You need a variety of talents for making it happen, like job-seeking skills, entrepreneurship, self-motivation, and networking skills. The good news is that building a future is unpredictable, interesting, challenging, and you get to meet a lot on new people along the way. It beats sitting in the basement watching TV!

We encourage you to set some goals in your life and GO FOR IT. You've got to start somewhere. It might as well be starting today to create your dreams for tomorrow.

"Success follows doing what you want to do. There is no other way to be successful." – Malcolm Forbes

The Student Learning Plan that you have created should become a tool that you use for the rest of your life. Whenever you need information for a resume, an application to an educational program, financial assistance, or for an interview, the plan has what you need. You should also use this resource to keep records of your thoughts, feelings, and preferences at different stages of your life. You will find it very interesting later in life.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." – Lao-Tse

You've got plans for your future. Go for it. It will be worth it.

On to the final exam



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Module 6: Building With ChangeFinal Examination

The following must be completed before you take the final exam:

��Comparisons: Gumping and Personal Planning worksheet��File Folder Report 1: Reflections Summary��File Folder Report 2: Dreamweaver's Guide to the Future��File Folder Report 3: Career Research worksheet��Career Detective Rookie Research��File Folder Report 4: Real Life Career Research��Brainstorm City worksheet��File Folder Report 5: Today's Career and Life Goals��Dreamsteps worksheet��File Folder Report 6: Lifespan Maps��Dear Future Me letter��File Folder Report 7: Career Path Influences

Final Exam QuestionsAnswer the following questions on a sheet of paper.

Put today's date on the page. Store your answers in your Student Learning Plan when you are finished.

1. At this time in your life, are you more of a gumper or a planner? Both skills are important. Which one do you have to work on the most? Why?

2. You have identified several things about yourself – your personality styles, employability skills,interests and values. You are also a dynamic person: You are always changing. Name 10 personal features that you predict will go through the most change in the next 10 years.

3. The world is a dynamic place: It is always changing. In the 21st century, people with accurate information have more chance at accessing opportunities. What are the five most important typesof information you need to keep up-to-date with, in order to achieve your goals? (For example,information about ski technology)

4. If you had to pick one of your life goals to achieve, which one would it be? Why? What are the three most important things you would have to do to make it happen?

5. Many people do not ever achieve important life goals. Why do you think that is? What are yougoing to do to make sure your goals become realities?


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Module 6: Building With ChangeChecklist

��Read the Module 6 introduction page.��Completed the Constantly Changing World worksheet.��Completed Career Path Influences, and predicted at least 10 world changes that

will influence career path��Read The Next Stages.��Completed the Career Planning Guide Final Exam.��Checked all the boxes on this Checklist – and you're DONE!


Documents

Choices® Explorer - Bridge · Career Planning Guide Page 3 Module 1: Building Your Own Future Introduction Picture a half glass of water. Is the glass half full or half empty? It