Do Now: Job Characteristics Answer in complete sentences. 1.What job setting do you want to work in? 2.Where will this job be and why do you want it to be there? 3.If you could do any job in the world, what would it be?

Job Characteristics Objective: To help students understand the broad career interest areas and the types of jobs in each area.

Job Characteristics Today, workers have more options than they did 20 or 30 years ago. Technological advance have created hundreds of new jobs. Society has changed! The workplace has evolved to have: Flexible hours, job sharing, and telecommuting which were unheard of in the not-too-distant past. Today, more people than ever are starting their own businesses as well!

Job Characteristics Cont. Some people are enticed by these new possibilities, others prefer to work in more traditional settings. The new ways of working will probably give you more freedom, but usually involve more risks and offer less security. Traditional jobs offer more security and possibly, less anxiety.

Consider Your Options Full-time job: Calls for hours per week. Part-time job: Calls for less than 35 hours per week.

Structured vs. Flexible Hours Structured Hours: Strictly prescribed. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. – You are expected to be at your job ON TIME! The 10 o’clock news anchor had better be at their desk at 10 p.m.! Flexible Hours: Provides more leeway. – You might be able to work any 8 hours you’d like to. – Self-employed people can be free to set their hours any way they’d like.

Working for a Salary Being paid by the hour or by the month. Could be on a contract (like teachers).

Freelance or Commission Basis Freelancers are paid by the job. Salespeople and agents are paid commissions, usually a percentage of their sales. Example: If a real estate broker receives a commission of 6 percent, they would earn $6000 for listing and selling a $100,000 house.

Telecommuting Combines the security of working for an established company with the flexibility of completing your work at home. While telecommuting, you might live in Boulder, Colorado while the company is based in California or New York….but still work from home!

Home-based business Technology has helped make it easier to start and maintain a home-based business. You could have all the software programs, fax/printer machines, and the internet to assist you in working from home. Many internet programs can help you be your own bookkeeper, graphic artist, marketing expert, and shipper making the job easier to complete from home!

Lifetime Career Having the same job, or kind of job, throughout your lifetime.

Sequential Careers Having a series of different careers throughout your working life.

Anxiety Def: Worry or fear about future uncertainties. Anxiety isn’t all bad. Up to a certain point it will help you do a better job. Example: If you are afraid of tomorrow’s science test, you are more likely to prepare for it. If you have too much anxiety, you will be too nervous to complete the job well.

Anxiety Tolerance Anxiety Tolerance is how well you can deal with fears and uncertainties. Some people feel that, “anything can happen,” or are confident that they can deal with whatever problems come along. People with low anxiety tolerance find worry and fear hard to deal with. Learning to tolerate discomfort is important. Learning to act in spite of your fears is a sign of maturity.

Activity 137 Job Characteristics Circle one job characteristic from each line either from column one or two. Which column had more circles? Write it on the line below. Column 1: Represents careers that have fewer risks, higher security, and less freedom. These careers allow for a lower level of anxiety tolerance. Column 2: Represents careers with greater risks, lower security, and more freedom. These careers call for a fairly high anxiety tolerance. Answer the three questions below.

Activity Employee or Employer Read the sentences below and check the appropriate box underneath each bolded word(s) that best describes or comes close to, your feelings. When finished, add up all your points. – A number one has a weight of one, a number two scores a two, and a three equals three points. If your total score is between a 12 and 16, you are a good candidate and should consider starting your own business at some time.

Activity 141 What About Status? What does status mean to you? Whose opinions matter to you most? What values does status reflect? Can you explain why a rock star has more status than a teacher or politician? Consider these questions and then circle whether you agree or disagree with the following statements.

Movie Time! Why NFL Players need a 10 year plan!