Career Information and Resources Chapter 6

Relationship Between Data and Decision Making Having reliable data is essential to career decision making. Data may be acquired from print sources, computer-assisted career guidance systems, websites, and/or people. The counselor’s role is to assist clients/students to turn data into information.

Barriers and Decision Styles Clients/students may have difficulty dealing with data –because of physical, mental, or emotional deficits. –because of their usual decision-making style.  Planful. Compliant  Agonizing. Delaying  Impulsive. Fatalistic  Intuitive. Paralytic

Client Roles Complete the data-gathering homework given by counselors. Apply data collected to personal career choices, aided by the counselor. Assume responsibility for their own decision making.

Counselor Roles Select sources for data that are of high quality. Make sources of data known to clients and assist them to know how to use them. Assist clients to make meaningful use of data.

Types of Data Needed by Clients Occupational descriptions Descriptions of schools Descriptions of programs of study Descriptions of military occupations Descriptions of apprenticeships/internships Listing of jobs Descriptions of financial aid

Ways to Organize Occupations Holland’s system (R, I, A, S, E, C) ACT’s World-of-Work Map clusters and job families Guide to Occupational Exploration clusters O*Net system clusters U.S. Department of Education clusters

Physical Career Center Centrally located User-friendly Equipped with computers and Internet connections Equipped with video display devices Staffed with trained persons Organized by material type, content, career planning step, or life role

Virtual Career Center May include –assessment –linkages to websites that provide data resources –cybercounseling assistance