Career Path Reflection & Improvement Discussion

Length: ~3 pages, single-spaced, following formatting guidelines.

This assignment consists of answering the six questions below (100 points total).

Formatting Requirements:

Formatting is very important to business. Actual and potential clients are often pressed for time. By following formatting guidelines, you ensure that your audience can find the information they’re interested in quickly. This can make the difference between having someone look at your proposal versus having them skip over your proposal entirely.

Put your name & the date at the top.

Answers should be single-spaced.

Q1-Q5 will each be around 2 paragraphs (one for each requested item). Q6 will require a longer paragraph or two for each component: (a), (b), & (c).

Each question must be numbered appropriately (see below).

For each question bold the item requested, and then put a colon before answering the question.

oEx for Question 1: “Radiates prestige: This value is important to me because…”

oEx for Question 3: “Willingness to ask questions: This is an important strength because…”

oEx for Question 5: “Allies: This is an important enabler for me because…”

oEx for Question 6: “The importance of diversity: We learned about this Week 11, and I think that it is important to career choice because…”

You must skip a line between each part of each answer.

oQuestions 1-5: skip a line between each of your two answers (ex: between each of the values in Questions 1 & 2).

oQuestion 6: skip a line between (a), (b), and (c).

You must skip a line between each question.

Do not reproduce the question text on your Written Component.

Upload as a .pdf, .doc, or .docx.

Formatting is worth 10 out of 100 points.

See posted sample Career Reflection on Canvas for more guidance on formatting.

See posted video in the Canvas assignment explaining the assignment.

Grading (see Rubric in Canvas assignment for more detail, including allocation of points within each question):

10 points: formatting meets above requirements.

3 points: turning in this assignment on time.

oStudents who are more than 24 hours late may be penalized more heavily.

7 points: clear and professional writing.

80 points: question answer content (see below & Canvas rubric for more info).

Please answer and clearly format & label the following questions (formatting worth 10 points):

For Q1 & Q2: List of things people could value about their career (for Q1, you can add your own):

Career:

is meaningful,

allows leisure time outside of work,

accumulates money,

bestows power,

radiates prestige,

is comfortable,

provides security,

encourages creativity,

is self-directed or independent,

has room for advancement and growth.

1.Consider the list of values above that one might have with regard to their career. Which two of those values are most important to you? Why? If there are other, more important aspects of a career that you value, pick the two that matter most, explain them, and explain why they matter. See formatting guidelines (10 points).

2.Consider the list of values above that one might have with regard to their career. Which two values are least important to you? Why? Note that the values may still be important to you; you need to make a value judgment about what is least valuable to you, and explain why other values matter more to you. See formatting guidelines (10 points).

3.Consider your ability to give voice to your values while at work. What are two of your strengths that you can use to give voice to your values while at work? Why and how? Your strengths can be anything about yourself that you value (dispositions, skills, aptitudes, talents, personality traits, and so on). See formatting guidelines (10 points).

4.Consider your ability to give voice to your values while at work. What are two of your weaknesses that make it more difficult to give voice to your values while at work? Why and how? Your weaknesses can be anything about yourself that can make situations more challenging than you would otherwise like (dispositions, skills, aptitudes, talents, personality traits, and so on). See formatting guidelines (10 points).

5.Consider the list of 8 Enablers and Disablers available on page 2 of the handout from ZDS on 11/19 & 11/24. Given your answers to (3) and (4) above, which two enablers from this list are most important for you to be able to give voice to your values, and why? What two enablers help you the most to use your strengths and protect yourself from your weaknesses? See formatting guidelines (15 points).

Your answer should make explicit reference to your strengths and weaknesses as described in your answers to (3) & (4).

6.What’s one thing that you’ve learned about in this class that was meaningful to you that you think is meaningful to the question of career choice? See formatting guidelines, answer and clearly label (a) – (c) below (25 points total).

In answering this question, please clearly label the following (a)-(c):

(a)What was the lesson that was relevant to your career choice, and stuck with you? Put a title for the lesson first, and bold it. What was the material conveyed (summarize), and when/where in the class did you encounter it (what was the module, theme, medium (reading, lecture, discussion, presentation))? (10 points).

(b) Why was the lesson meaningful to you? How did the lesson connect with other things you’ve been thinking about? How did it connect with your values, interests, and/or goals? How can you use this lesson outside of this class when you’re thinking about your career? (10 points).

(c) Why do you think it might be a meaningful lesson for someone else? Why is it something that they should think about? How could it help someone set their goals or further their interests? How could it benefit someone who is different than you in terms of personality, interests, or experience? (5 points).