Career Sparks!

1 Discovering the SparkCareer Myths versus Reality
Reflection Questions

2 Getting a Plan Together
Career Action Plans
Components of the Career Action Plan
Reflection Questions

3 Exploring Interests, Values, Skills, and Personality
Interests
Explanation of Results
Values
Work Values
Katz Career Values
Values Identification
Skills
Skills Identification
Transferable Skills
Communication Skills
Creativity
Critical Thinking
Leadership
Life Management
Research/Project Development
Social Responsibility
Teamwork
Technical Scientific
Transferable Skills Assessment
Worksheet
Summarizing Interests, Values,
and Skills
Personality Type/Preferences
Type and Work
Assess Personality Type
Obtaining the Best Results
After the DWYA Assessment
Interpreting Your Results
Career Action Plan: Part I
The Big Picture: Your Life Plan
Academic Strengths
Interest Profiler Assessment
Values Assessment
Skills Assessment
Personality Assessment
Reflection Questions

4 Career Choices and Resources
Defining Terms of Your Research
So You’d Like Salary Information?
Education and Lifetime Earning
Income
Career Exploration Resources
Using O*net Online to Explore
Occupations
Additional Occupational Research
Information
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH)
America’s Career InfoNet
Occupational Outlook Quarterly (OOQ)
Occupational Data from the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics
Salary Data
CareerOneStop.org: Salaries and Benefi ts Information
JobStar Salary Guides
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
Salary.com
Researching Potential Occupations
Career Action Plan: Part II
Exploring Career Choices
Additional Occupation Questions
Informational Interviews
How Do You Go About Setting Up an Informational Interview?
How to Conduct an Informational Interview
Arrange the meeting
Sample Introduction
Before the Informational Interview
Interview Prep
Write an Outline
Dress for Success
During the Meeting
After the Informational Interview
Informational Interview Questions
Reflection Questions

5 Career and Purpose
What Is a Vocation?
Our Preferences and Vocation
Challenges of Being a Mortician
Finding Your Gifts
Why Pursue This Mission?
Practical Reasoning for Pursuing Your Vocation
Freedom
Traveling Further Down the Road to Life’s Mission
Health and Happiness
Because of “Should’s, Ought’s, and Could’ve”
Discovering Your Vocation
What’s Standing in Your Way?
Fear of the Unknown
We Like What We Know
The Fear of Being Vulnerable
The Fear of Failure
The Fear of Success

6 Decision Making and Overcoming Career Decision Making
Obstacles
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Rumination
Waiting for the Perfect Moment
Talking Yourself Out of Action
Playing “Sour Grapes”
Self-sabotage
Close Enough
Career Decision Making Difficulties
Questionnaire (CDDQ)
Moving Past the Obstacles
So What Happens if I Don’t?
Is There a “Perfect” Career or Major for Me?
Life Is a Dangerous Opportunity
When Sparks Fly
Stephen King
J. K. Rowling
Mohandas Gandhi
Thomas Edison
Milton Hershey
Abraham Lincoln
Steve Jobs
Setting Your Course
Journal: Overcoming Obstacles to Career Decision Making

7 Setting Goals and Making Decisions
Making Good Decisions
Kinds of Career Decision Makers
Problems in Effective Career Decision Making
Society
Friends and Family
Personal
Decision-Making Skills Pyramid
CASVE Cycle
Communication
Analysis
Synthesis
Valuing
Execution
Communication (Recycled)
Getting Stuck in a Phase
Tips for Making Tough Decisions
Values in Career Decisions
Career Action Plan: Part III
Career Decision Making
Career Decision Making
References
Reflection Questions

8 Putting It All Together
Strategies for Discovering a Major Compatible with Your Interests, Talents, and Values
Creating SMART Action Steps toward
Your Future
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Career Action Plan: Part IV
Putting Plans into Action
The Importance of Career Planning
Reflection Questions