August 19, 2011 Objective: Students will identify factors that affect career choices.

Review  What did we talk about yesterday?  What is a trade-off?  Today we are going to begin discussing factors that affect our career choices.

Trade-offs  Does a potential trade-offs affect your future career choice? Why or why not?

Childhood  How many in here want to do the same job as one of their parents?  How many of you have been told by your parents what you are going to do for your career?  If parents have overwhelmingly favored a particular career path or limited selection of careers, it has a powerful psychological affect on their children. Parents create the initial self-esteem of their child, which in most cases lasts the rest of their life. Throughout most of history, parents chose the future professions of their children.  How many in here want to do the same job as one of their parents?  How many of you have been told by your parents what you are going to do for your career?  If parents have overwhelmingly favored a particular career path or limited selection of careers, it has a powerful psychological affect on their children. Parents create the initial self-esteem of their child, which in most cases lasts the rest of their life. Throughout most of history, parents chose the future professions of their children.

Role Models  Role models influence adolescents. If students have a good teacher who makes an impression or a family member who is a pharmacist or a carpenter she looks up to, she may decide on the same career.  Another way role models affect the lives of adolescents is by discussing career decisions with them and making suggestions for consideration.

Features  Those that discover the best career for themselves are those who have an accurate understanding of their talents and weaknesses, the professional opportunities available to them and confidence in their decisions.  For some, it takes years of experience and exposure to different careers to find the best fit.

Grades  Dropping out of high school without a diploma has a direct bearing on the work and career options open to adolescents. So, too, do the final grades at the end of high school.  Students with high averages have the option of going to college, while those with very low grades have to do remedial study or find entry-level jobs that are open to them.

The Market  Market conditions affect the opportunities available in any particular field.  For example, during the gold rush of the mid-19th century, there were many opportunities for gold miners in California and those who provided services to them. After that boom ended, however, jobs for gold miners dried up rapidly, closing off that career option for all but the most committed.  Computer buffs had few job opportunities in the 1970s, but by the late 1990s, the demand for programmers was insatiable.  In the next few days we will begin to analyze current career and job trends.

Money  Money plays a key role in career decisions, particularly for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.  Example if a high school student has the intelligence to be a lawyer, unless she gets a full scholarship, she may have to resign herself to a different career because she can’t afford the education.

Location  In a study of science students in Western Australia, Deidra J. Young reported that students from rural and urban schools had different educational cultures.  Even though students considering careers may all be American, they look at the choices and possibilities differently if they live in New York than they do if they come from Deadwood.  Name some careers you might consider being from Nebraska that someone in New York City might not really consider?

Time  According to Ferry, adolescents who choose to go to college have more of a future orientation than those who choose unskilled labor or vocational careers.  Students who enroll in a four-year program know they won't be in the workforce until they graduate, but they will have more career choices than those without a postsecondary education

Conclusion  What was our objective for today?  Monday we will talking about factors that affect affect career decisions.