Self-knowledge Matchmaking: Interests & Careers
Career & College Readiness Lesson Plans
Matchmaking: Interests Careers
Self-knowledge
Grade Level 9
Overview
Student will select and research occupations based on individual interests using the Interest Profiler Assessment on the California CareerZone Web site. They will utilize the research to create or modify their Career Action Plans on the California Career Center Web portal.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
· Identify possible occupations to pursue.
· Relate occupations to individual interests.
Language Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
· Orally evaluate assessment results to determine possible career choices.
· Orally explain what occupation matches their personal interests and why that occupation was selected.
Standards Alignment
· California Common Core State Standards: College & Career Readiness
Anchor Standards:
o RI. 2, 4, 7; W. 4; L. 1, 2, 4
· California Career Technical Education Anchor Standards:
o 3, 10
· California Standards for Career Ready Practice:
o 1, 3
· National Career Development Guidelines:
o PS1, PS2, PS3; CM1, CM3
· English Language Development Standards:
o Part I: 4, 5, 6, 9
o Part II: 1, 6
Materials
1. Computer with Internet access for students
2. Computer with Internet access and projection capability for instructor
3. Projector and screen
4. California CareerZone Account Setup Instructor Notes (p. 6)
5. California Career Center Account Setup Instructor Notes (p. 10)
6. Handouts
· What Are Holland Codes? (p. 5)
· California CareerZone Student Account Setup (p. 7)
· Matchmaking: Interests & Careers (pp. 8-9)
· California Career Center Student Account Setup (p. 11)
7. Online Resources
· Interest Profiler, California CareerZone
http://www.cacareerzone.org/ip/
· My Stuff Student Account, California Career Center
https://www.calcareercenter.org/Portfolio
Academic Vocabulary
· Career: is the body of work—all jobs, occupations, and life experiences—that a person experiences during his or her lifetime.
· Certificate: is a document that certifies that a person has received specific education or has passed a test or series of tests.
· Job: is a paid position with specific duties, tasks, and responsibilities in a particular place of work (e.g., photographer at Best Pictures).
· Occupation: is a cluster of jobs with common characteristics that require similar skills (e.g., manufacturing and product development).
· Outlook: is the expected rate of growth or decline for a particular occupation in the future.
· Wages/Salary: are fixed, regular payments, usually based on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis, made by an employer to an employee.
Activity
Based on their results from the California CareerZone (CareerZone) Interest Profiler, students will complete the Matchmaking handout and enter information into their “My Stuff” Career Action Plans on the California Career Center Web portal (Career Center) (link in Materials section).
Lesson Procedures
Lesson preparation:
· Go to the CareerZone (link in Materials section), create an account, and then complete the Interest Profiler (see instructions on the student account setup handout).
· Go to the Career Center (link in Materials section), create a student account, and then look at the Career Action Plan to become familiar with it (see instructions on the student account setup handout).
1. Distribute the “What Are Holland Codes?” handout and discuss it with your class. As part of that discussion, explain to students why it is important to have careers that match their interests. Tell students that just like music, movies, and friends, personality traits play a role in the choices they make. The same is true for careers. For example:
· If you are active and outgoing, you probably will not be happy sitting behind a desk all day.
· If you are shy and quiet, you probably will not be at your best in a loud, boisterous environment.
· If you like working alone, you probably wouldn’t thrive in a team setting.1
2. Students will complete the Interest Profiler on the CareerZone (link in Materials section). The CareerZone will prompt students to set up a CareerZone account if they do not already have one so that the Interest Profiler results can be saved. Distribute the “California CareerZone Student Account Setup” handout to assist students in setting up their accounts.
Walk students through the process of accessing the Interest Profiler using the computer and projector:
a. Go to the CareerZone Interest Profiler (link in Materials section).
b. Select “Assess Yourself”.
c. Select Interest Profiler and follow the directions for completing the assessment.
3. Have students complete the Interest Profiler (this may take 15 to 25 minutes) and then complete the “Matchmaking: Interests and Careers” handout.
4. Discuss the completed handouts with the class, “Were students surprised by the occupations the Interest Profiler suggested as a good fit?” “Which occupation has the best outlook?” “Which occupation requires the most education/training? The least education and training?” Have students share out in pairs or small groups.
5. Students will be entering information into their “My Stuff” Career Action Plans on the Career Center (link in Materials section). Students will need to set up an account if they do not already have one. Distribute the “California Career Center Student Account Setup” handout to assist students in setting up their accounts.
6. Model for students how to create a Career Action Plan or how to update an existing Career Action Plan. In this lesson, you only need to enter information into the first four textboxes on the online form:
· Career field & specific occupations
· Related occupations
· Degree/Certification needed
· Education and/or training after high school
Have students enter their information then save and print their Career Action Plans.
Estimated Time
One class session
Evaluation:
· Students will complete the Interest Profiler, complete the handout based on their Interest Profiler results, then enter the information into their Career Center Career Action Plans, save and print a copy to submit with the handout.
Adaptations
· You can assign other assessments found on the CareerZone “Assess Yourself” page at http://www.cacareerzone.org/assessments.
1The three examples in Step 1 were adapted from the article, “Does your career fit your personality” by Rachel Zupek, CNN online.
California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education
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Self-knowledge Matchmaking: Interests & Careers
What are Holland Codes?
The Holland Codes, developed by psychologist John L. Holland, are based on the theory that career and occupational choice can be improved by taking into account a person’s personality traits. According to Holland, people are one of six personality types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional, and there six matching types of work environments. He found that people with the same personality types work well together, and people who work in environments that match their personality type are more likely to be successful and satisfied.
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Source: California CareerZone
http://www.cacareerzone.org/faq/32
California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education
Self-knowledge Matchmaking: Interests & Careers
California CareerZone Account Setup
Instructor’s Notes
The step-by-step account setup instructions are in the student handout. As the instructor, it is important for you to know that:
· Students can complete some of the activities on the CareerZone without having a student account. However, students’ assessments results and occupational research will not be saved unless students are logged into their accounts. Because career and college planning is an ongoing process, having students save their work means they will be able to access it for another class or at a later date.
· To help your students remember their passwords, you may wish to establish a password convention. Here are a few examples:
o student initial + class period + lesson title [tsperiod2highschoolplan]
o student initial + year + class period [ts2015period1]
o
student initial + school’s initials + year [tsDSH2015]
California CareerZone Student Account Setup
Follow these steps to set up your CareerZone account:
1. Go to CareerZone, http://www.cacareerzone.org/index
2. Select “Sign In”—the button is at the upper right hand corner of the page
3. Select “Create an Account”
4. Enter the required information:
· Username
· Password
· Zip code (of your school)
· First and last names (Suggest you do not use your full name.)
· School name
· Answer the dropdown menu questions
5. Select “Create account”
California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education
Self-knowledge Matchmaking: Interests & Careers
Matchmaking: Interests & Careers
Name: ______Date: ______
The following questions can be answered using the results of your Interest Profiler and review of occupational profiles on the CareerZone.
What is your three letter Holland Code?
What occupation or occupations most interested you that the Interest Profiler results showed to be a good match for you?
What are the primary Holland Interest areas for this occupation or occupations?
What similar occupations can you consider exploring?
Matchmaking: Interests & Careers, page 2
What education and training is required to prepare for this occupation or occupations? Are any occupation certificates needed?
What type of work does someone in this occupation do?
What is the current average annual wage for occupation or occupations?
What is the outlook for this occupation or occupations?
California Career Center Account Setup Instructor’s Notes
The step-by-step account setup instructions are in the student handout. As the instructor, it is important for you to know that:
· Students can complete the activities on the Career Center using the PDF handouts instead of using the online forms. However, their research and career and college plans will not be saved unless they are logged into an account. Because career and college planning is an ongoing process, having students save their work means they will be able to access it for another class or at a later date.
· A student account can be deleted by selecting “Delete My Profile” on the student’s Profile page. This removes all information related to the account.
· To help your students remember their passwords, you may wish to establish a password convention. Here are a few examples:
o student initial + class period + lesson title [tsperiod2highschoolplan]
o student initial + year + class period [ts2015period1]
o student initial + school’s initials + year [tsDSH2015]
California Career Center Student Account Setup
Below are the instructions for setting up your “My Stuff” account:
1. Go to the Career Center at https://www.calcareercenter.org/.
2. Click on “My Stuff”.
3. You will be on the “My Stuff” page. Click on “Create an Account”.
4. You will be on the “My Profile” page. Fill in the requested information:
· E-mail address
· Password
· First Name
· School name
· Zip Code (of the school)
· Grade level
5. In the “Why did you come to California Career Center” box, check the reasons you came to the Web site. Be sure to check, “It was an assignment”.
6. At the bottom of the page, click on “Submit”.
If at some point you want to delete your account, go to your Profile page and select “Delete My Profile”.
California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education