assignment 7 careers

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Career Exploration Ideas: How to Get Students Excited About Career Planning

Choosing your life’s work doesn’t happen overnight. For many people, it takes years of trial and error that may include post-secondary education and a series of jobs that aren’t the right fit.  What if we could help the next generation avoid that painful process? Imagine a world where students graduated from high school with confidence in their strengths, a strong sense of purpose, and a clear pathway to a meaningful career that’s especially suited to them?  Educators and counselors have already begun to sow the seeds of future fulfilment in their students by embedding career exploration into their lessons for children as young as 3 rd grade. It’s a concept that can be woven into just about any subject and is highly compatible with social-emotional curriculum activities.  Let’s look at some ways you can introduce career exploration into your classroom or virtual classroom—at any grade level.

What Is Career Exploration?

Meaningful career exploration for students is two-pronged. It involves:

• Reflecting on an individual’s own interests, strengths, skills, values, and preferences. Students are encouraged to engage in self-discovery with exercises that answer questions like: 
• Which subjects do I most enjoy and excel in? 
• What kind of things do I like to do outside of school?
• What kind of activities do I do that make time feel like it’s flying by? (This is a good indication of flow , an important component of happiness and satisfaction.)
• Attributes of careers, i.e. core tasks involved, average salary, working conditions, etc.
• What kind of qualifications one might need to achieve each job, i.e. post-secondary study, experience, etc.
• How some careers connect to others, i.e. an engineer could also get a job as a project manager, salesperson, technician, etc.

Why Is Career Exploration Important for Students?

Every good explorer starts a journey with a map. Conditions may cause them to alter their plans and they may learn new information that leads them to change directions, but having a guiding force is a helpful way to create and retain a strong sense of purpose throughout every adventure. When we make career exploration part of the framework for every student’s education, they learn to think beyond the day’s math test or history lesson—and connect the dots between what they are learning and how they might apply it in the future. This often leads to improved engagement, higher achievement levels, reduced absenteeism, and increased graduation rates. When students have a good understanding of the working world, they can imagine how they might fit into it someday. They can prepare for the kind of career they want by setting goals, choosing courses, and focusing on extracurricular activities that support their future. Best of all, students who participate in career exploration activities often develop a stronger sense of self-esteem and self-knowledge. They naturally begin to build social-emotional learning skills such as organization, communication, problem-solving, and even financial literacy because they’re focused on achieving a goal. 

What Are Some Career Exploration Tools?

[xo-module id=”13083″] Gone are the days when educators and counselors have to rely on outdated worksheets that have been circulating since the 1980s. Today’s career exploration tools include sophisticated EdTech programs and creative ideas to engage learners of all ages.

• Xello : College and career readiness software that helps students build self-knowledge, personalized future readiness plans and critical life skills.
• WeTeachNYC : An online education community with a free unit on career exploration
• Bizworld.org : Career Exploration Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5 and 6-8.
• Teachers Pay Teachers: Career exploration trivia game and career exploration activities . 
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: Learning and career development programs  

Career Exploration Activities for Elementary Students

The Forest Hills School District in Cincinnati has students as young as third grade participating in career exploration using college and career readiness software Xello. They start by playing ‘Career Town’, a game that underlines the variety of work and workers in a community, and the importance of every worker in a community.  School Counselor Kate McKenzie also has students in Grades 3-5 log their interests and achievements in Xello. “I want to get them thinking about, ‘What am I good at?’, ‘What do I like to do?’ It lends itself beautifully to goal setting and expanding their hobbies. They can start expanding their experiences which will help them craft a better story of themselves as they grow up,” she said. Other tried-and-true career exploration activities for primary students include:

• Bringing in parents and community members to share what it’s like to do their jobs. Take special care to ensure diversity and an equitable gender spread so every student can see themselves in at least one career.
• Asking students to reflect on what they enjoy and what they’re good at and then connecting that to a career. Many educators assign a ‘poster project’ in which students create colorful posters to depict the career.
• On field trips, taking special note of the careers at the museum, zoo, art gallery, or theater presentation. Ask hosts to share a little about their job as part of their presentations.

Career Exploration Activities for Middle School Students

Grades 6-8 are often considered the prime beneficiaries for career exploration activities. They are at an age when they are especially receptive to “cool” jobs and they understand the connection between careers, salaries, and the kind of lifestyle they want.  This is also a time when they will need to choose their high school courses, some of which are specialized pathways to a particular area of post-secondary study. This is where self-knowledge is especially important so they can make informed decisions that will affect their future. Career exploration activities for this group include:

• What a typical day is like
• Salary range
• Education requirements
• How/why they chose that career
• I want to work inside / outside all day.
• I want to work by myself / I want to work with other people as much as possible. 
• I want to use technology / work with my hands and/or people. 

Then have them pick three careers based on what they’ve chosen. Tools like Xello will help them narrow it down.

• Once they have highlighted three possible careers, have them chart the path to get there. What type of courses should they take in high school? Are there extracurricular activities that would give them experience? What kind of post-secondary education would lead them to that career?

Career Exploration Activities for High School Students

By this point, students should have some idea of their strengths, challenges, and passions. The goal is to avoid high school seniors who have absolutely no idea what their future holds. This is a time to double down on career exploration activities in as many classes as possible.  Activities include:

• Assigning take-home assignments focused on helping students define career options that are a good fit for them.
• Asking students to consider and present non-degree post-secondary pathways, i.e. apprenticeship programs.
• Having students uncover five “hidden” jobs each, i.e. not teacher, engineer, baker or mechanic. Ask them to find roles like HR specialist, content marketing strategist, forensic science technician, or computer network architect and present them to the class. 

School districts everywhere are increasingly recognizing the importance of career exploration, particularly when programs and activities satisfy mandates like ESSA .  More importantly, educators understand that the ripple effects of students who are engaged, have self-knowledge, and understand how they might one day fit into their communities are much more likely to choose the right post-secondary pathway for them.  A generation of purposeful adults who set and achieve the right career goals for them? When career exploration is integrated into education, it’s not only possible; it’s probable.

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Career Exploration Assignment

Hospitality Management/Professional Studies

Perspectives in Hospitality Management

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

As students prepare for their internship and future career, they will research employment prospects within the Hospitality and Tourism industry. This assignment consists of three parts. 1) Students are to write a two page essay answering specific questions, 2) write a cover letter to a potential employer 3) present to their peers their project.

Scenario: As you prepare for your internship and future career, you will research employment prospects within the Hospitality and Tourism industry

Part I. Write a two page paper with three documented sources in APA style.

Reflect on the following: What position do you think is most appropriate for you at this time?

Consider your skills, interests, and experiences to justify your choice.

How your education has prepared you for this specific role. Why did you choose this position?

Explain what aspects of the job and company attracted you.

Connect your personal and professional goals with the job role. What are the duties and responsibilities of the position?

Detail the responsibilities associated with the job. What is the name of the company?

Choose a specific company in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry.

Explain briefly why you find this company appealing. What is the salary range?

Research the salary range for the chosen job. What potential career growth within the chosen job? What are the benefits?

Research and list the benefits offered by the company. Is the company multinational?

Describe why a multinational company aligns with your career goals. Is the company website user friendly?

Provide links to the company's website and relevant social media profiles.

Briefly discuss how the company utilizes social media. Conclusion:

End with a strong statement about your readiness and enthusiasm for the chosen career

II. Cover letter:

Create a professional cover letter to the company you would like to be employ. Please follow these guidelines:

Opening Paragraph: State the following: • Why you are writing the letter and how you found out about the position • Why you are interested in the position, focusing on how you can meet the company’s needs • Create an effective statement that will entice the recipient to read your letter. Body: • Focus on telling the story of how your experiences (work/college) will be of benefit to the employer • Highlight just a few of the most relevant examples from your background which are most directly related to the position and explain why they are of importance to the employer. • Do not exaggerate your experience, role in group projects and/or level of content knowledge Closing: • Thank the reader for their time and re-express your interest in the position • Sign your letter, even if you are going to send it as a PDF attachment to an e-mail

III. PowerPoint Presentation:

Use visuals, bullet points, and concise text on each slide.

Follow a logical flow that corresponds with the essay structure.

Practice delivering the presentation to ensure it fits within the three-minute time frame.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

Discuss the scope of the hospitality and tourism industry. Evaluate and apply information discerningly from a variety of sources to classify and examine food and beverage operations. Describe and discuss the roles and responsibilities of key executives and department heads in the hospitality industry.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

This assignment is introduced in week 6 of the semester, with a dedicated 45-minute session allocated for questions and answers.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

This term project is high stakes, as students are reintroduced to APA style guidelines and instructed on how to create a one page bibliography.

Assessment: How do you assess this activity? What assessment measures do you use? Do you use a VALUE rubric? If not, how did you develop your rubric? Is your course part of the college-wide general education assessment initiative?

I utilized the AAC&U Information Literacy rubric for assessment purposes only. I do not use the rubric for grading students' work.

Reflection: How well did this activity work in your classroom? Would you repeat it? Why or why not? What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them? What, if anything, would you change? What did students seem to enjoy about the activity?

This activity proved to be highly effective in my classroom. As part of the project, students delivered a three-minute presentation about their chosen career paths. This not only allowed them to showcase their own goals but also provided their classmates with valuable insights into various careers within the industry.

Additional Information: Please share any additional comments and further documentation of the activity – e.g. assignment instructions, rubrics, examples of student work, etc. These can be links to pages or posts on the OpenLab.

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➡️ DI baseball regionals continue

🥎 WCWS action continues

👉 DII baseball finals

⚾️ DIII baseball finals

NCAA | May 26, 2024

Sixteen regional sites selected for the 2024 ncaa di baseball championship.

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee announced the 16 regional sites for the 77th annual NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.

The 16 regional sites, with host institutions and records are as follows: 

• Athens, Georgia – Georgia (39-15)
• Chapel Hill, North Carolina – North Carolina (42-13)
• Charlottesville, Virginia – Virginia (41-15)
• Clemson, South Carolina – Clemson (41-14)
• Bryan-College Station, Texas – Texas A&M (44-13)
• Corvallis, Oregon – Oregon State (42-14)
• Fayetteville, Arkansas – Arkansas (43-14)
• Greenville, North Carolina – East Carolina (43-15)
• Knoxville, Tennessee – Tennessee (50-11) 
• Lexington, Kentucky – Kentucky (40-14) 
• Norman, Oklahoma – Oklahoma (37-19) 
• Raleigh, North Carolina – NC State (33-20) 
• Santa Barbara, California – UC Santa Barbara (42-12) 
• Stillwater, Oklahoma – Oklahoma State (40-17) 
• Tallahassee, Florida – Florida State (42-15)
• Tucson, Arizona – Arizona (36-21)

By being awarded a regional, all 16 host institutions have also been selected to the 64-team championship field.

Each regional field features four teams, playing in a double-elimination format. All 16 regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, May 31 to Monday, June 3 (if necessary).

UC Santa Barbara is hosting for only the second time and for the first time in Santa Barbara (it hosted at a neutral site at Lake Elsinore in 2015).

Florida State is hosting a baseball regional for the 36th time in tournament history, the most by any school. Oklahoma is hosting for the first time since 2010.

Arkansas, Clemson, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Virginia each hosted regionals in 2023 and Oklahoma State is hosting for a third consecutive season.

The full 64-team field, top-16 national seeds, first-round regional pairings and site assignments will be announced at Noon (ET), on Monday, May 27. The one-hour program will be shown live on ESPN2. The committee will set the entire 64-team bracket through both the super regionals and the first round of the Men’s College World Series and will not reseed the field after play begins. 

Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.NCAA.com/mcws , Tuesday, June 4 at 10 a.m. (ET). 

There are 30 Division I Conferences which will receive an automatic berth in the field of 64, along with 34 at-large selections. The Men’s College World Series begins play Friday, June 14, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.  

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