Chapter 2 Self Awareness Who are You? Values, Interests, Abilities

Values Value – personal views or ideas that a person feels are important. Health, Happiness, Wealth, Honesty Value – rules you make for yourself and you want to live by them Doing good in school, study, good behavior, no drugs (smoking, alcohol or other drugs) Value – personal standard by which one lives

Life Values – Things that are important in your life such as family values and social values. Good morals, lots of friends Work Values – Represent what is important in work such as the money you earn, job security, and your work environment.

Listen to your own values Learned many of them from your parents Give you direction Make you feel comfortable with your choices Values affect career choices Money – important for you to earn a lot of money? Independence – work for yourself, make your own decisions Security – regular salary Education – curious, like to continue to learn, professional job Being creative – give up security for creativity, need to create Making changes in your community--cleaner, less crime Regular schedule – same hours versus shifts Being Recognized – famous Putting Personal life ahead of job – stay close to family versus not enough time with family, too tired to do things with family Being a leader – be the boss instead of taking orders, someone else make decisions and take responsibility

Conflict of Values – When you have one or more values that you can’t satisfy at the same time Ex. – friends ask you to go some place your parents don’t want you to go Family values conflict with social values Interests Hobby: photography – famous photographer Fix bicycles – airplane mechanic Getting paid for what you like to do Best thing that can happen to you

Discovering your interests Interest – positive feeling you have about something; what you like to do; something you enjoy doing or thinking about Search inside yourself – fun, unwrap your skills What do you like to watch or read: Tv – police, animals, science, teachers Books – hospitals, private detectives, boating Movies – foreign countries, westerns Magazines – race cars, woodworking, computers

What are your hobbies and dreams? Interest Inventories What classes do you like? Which ones do you not have to worry about your grade? What are your hobbies and dreams? Interest Inventories Interest inventory – a questionnaire that helps people to determine what their interests are (Kuder inventory) How to avoid a boring job Choose a career in which you are interested Find out what doesn’t interest you.

Discovering your Aptitudes Aptitudes and Skills Aptitude – potential or ability for learning new skills (natural ability to learn a skill more easily than others) Ability – a skill that has been developed Skills – abilities to do things Discovering your Aptitudes Grades are indication Outside of school – singing, dancing, electronics Family and friends – teacher, guidance counselor Tests, Exercises

General – ability to learn; intelligence; understand instructions, facts, reasons, make good judgments Verbal – understand meanings of words and ideas Numerical – perform arithmetic operation easily and accurately (handout) Spatial – ability to see how objects in flat picture would look like in 3 dimensions (handout) Form perception – ability to notice detail in objects; see difference in shapes and shading of figures. (handout)

Clerical perception – observe detail and recognize errors in numbers, spelling, punctuation (handout) Finger dexterity – ability to move the fingers to work with small objects rapidly or accurately Manual dexterity – ability to move hands easily and skillfully Motor coordination – coordinate eyes and hands or figures rapidly or accurately (assembling parts) Hand-eye-feet-coordination – move hands and feet together when a signal indicates response needed. Color discrimination – ability to see likenesses or differences in color or shades (match and select colors)

Discovering Your Skills Not born with them but can learn Skateboard, computer, saxophone, sew, shoot baskets, bake, dance, ride a horse, crossword puzzles Tips to keep in mind about aptitudes and skills Just because you may not have a certain skill now doesn’t mean you can’t learn to be good at it Everyone is different; not everyone has the same skills Just because you are strong in a skill doesn’t mean you don’t have to work at it anymore Keep trying to learn skills you don’t have: read, write, balance checkbook, measure a room Most people find it easier to develop skills in things they enjoy doing

Special talent TERMS Natural talent (music, art, sports) Talent – a superior natural ability or skill (gift); still have to work very hard TERMS Career Portfolio – collection of information about one’s self Identity – the personality or activity by which a person is known Personality – the combination of attitude, values, interests and behaviors that identify a person Group of traits that make us unique: intelligence, enthusiasm, honesty, happy, pleasant, kind, selfish, critical, jealous, lazy Understanding your personality helps you choose a career you will like. Talkative: Salesperson Supportive: Customer service, health occupations Having a pleasant personality helps you get jobs and do them well. Others react positively to pleasant personalities. Enjoy working with these people. Learning style – natural method or way one thinks or learns Lifestyle – typical way of life Procrastinator – one who puts off doing thins or making decisions Self-concept – the way in which a person views their own self-worth