Teachers and Counselors, Help Your Students Become Career Explorers
Posted on 04. Mar, 2010 by admin in Careers
As teachers and counselors, you help students explore careers.
You aid your students as they search for meaning, purpose, and direction.
You see their talents.
You know their interests, abilities, and skills.
You help students plan for the future.
You understand students. You know that students -
Are curious
Love colorful, multimedia presentations
Use their senses and imaginations in career exploration
You have searched for tools that will help you unlock their potentials.
Tips for Finding the Right Career Tool
Career tools help your students explore who they really are. Career tools include career tests, assessments, games, web sites, and books. Career tests answer the question “Who am I?” Career assessments point out your students’ likes, dislikes, or interests. Kid career tools should be fun, educational, and not boring.
Search for the resource that meets your students’ needs. Look at the benefits. Find tests, assessments, games, web sites, and books that are -
Eye appealing
Easy to use
Full of resources
With the right resource, students are ready and willing to -
Explore
Investigate
Learn
Ask questions
Enjoy discovering who they are
Gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
An effective career tool motivates your students to explore careers. Creative career tools build a foundation for more detailed career exploration.
Step One: Select a Career Test
How do you choose the right career test? Look at 3 major areas -
Format, e.g. Printed, CD-ROM, or on-line
Cost -$10, $12, $15, $20 or more
Resources – Information on interests, skills, and careers
When you look at a career test, ask yourself the following questions -
What do your students prefer? Printed or on-line career test?
What is your budget for the tests?
What resources do you have? Do you have a computer lab?
Find career tests that your students are interested in and that provide valuable information about careers and your student’s interests. Look at career tests that use well-known career models. Match students’ interest clusters to career or job codes. Use newer color-coded career tests that simply career models. The use of colors improves attention span, concentration, memory skills, and understanding. As students grow older, continue to use career models expand their knowledge of careers and college majors. There are a variety of career tests for youth, college students, and adults.
Step Two: Explore Career Web Sites and Books
Career tests prepare students to explore careers. Gather information about fun, informative, and attractive career exploration web sites and books. Look for web sites and books that provide career information about -
Tasks
Wages
Career outlook
Interests
Education
Knowledge
Skills
Similar careers
Examples of kid career explorationweb sites and books are -
Career Ship
What Do You Like
Eek! Get a Job
GetTech.org
LifeWorks
Young Person’s Occupational Outlook Handbook
Career Ideas for Kids Book Series
I Want To Be Book Series
Career exploration is a process. As teachers and counselors, use resources that make your journey enjoyable, educational, and effective. Plan successful kid career exploration expeditions.
Dr Mary Askew specializes in career tests, websites, and books for students. Students need eye appealing, easy to use, yet comprehensive career resources. Find out how students can reach their career potentials at Hollandcodes.com. Contact Dr. Askew at learning4life@qwest.net.