The Topic:  Careers Easier - Careers are the kinds of work or jobs that a person has through life.   Harder - Almost every adult has some kind of career, a pattern of work and work-related activities that develops throughout their lifetime. It includes the job or series of jobs a person has until retirement. Most people choose and follow a career path aimed at helping them satisfy specific goals. Those goals might include earning a living and helping others.    Career decisions include choosing a field and deciding how you want your career to develop. Other choices involve selecting the educational and job opportunities that will help your career path. Knowledge of your own abilities, interests, and goals, and knowledge of the world of work gives you the foundation on which to base these career decisions.       Teenage Jobs, Careers, and College http://www.quintcareers.com/teens.html This site is all about teens and their choices to be made.   Career Key http://www.careerkey.org/english/ Site provides guidance and help in hoosing a career.   Career Paths Online (Students and youth)  http://www.careerpathsonline.com/ Begin here with career planning at the beginning levels of determining interests and values or "career scaping."   MyFuture (High school)  http://www.myfuture.com/ This site is written for and aimed at teens. Its career tips include 'The Industrial Strength Tool Kit', a career interest finder, tips for creating an effective resume, military opportunities and more.    Explore as many of the Careers websites as possible and complete one or more of the following activities:   Plan Your Career. After visiting several of the sites like (1) Teen Careers, (2) Career Paths Online, or (3) Career Key, identify at least two top choices for your career field. For each, what aspects of the fields interests or attracts you. What are the negative aspects of each choice. What types of job preparation, education, and licensing/certification is involved? Identify the salary levels, job conditions, probable living locations associated with each. What personal attributes do you have that naturally fit the occupational fields? What are your areas of weakness for each? What could you begin doing (right now) to prepare to meet a possible career in each of these fields? What should you do in the future? Hold a job fair and answer questions for others about your career fields.   Complete a Careers Webquest. Follow or adapt the guidelines provided as you complete one of these webquests:  1) Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker...What Will My Next Career be? (Middle & high school) http://internet4classrooms.com/career.htm 2) Have We Got a Career for You! (High school) http://edtech.suhsd.k12.ca.us/inprogress/suh/kcallaway/careersquest 3) MLK Career Expedition (Middle school) http://students.itec.sfsu.edu/itec815_f98/blind/index.html 4) Target the Perfect Career (9th grade and above) http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/formats/webquests/misc99/career/webquest.html 5) The Real World and Careers: Closer Than You Think (Middle school) http://education.nmsu.edu/webquest/wq/career/index.html 6) Where Will You Go From Here? (Eighth grade - for individual use) http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/WebQ97/CAREER~1.HTM 7) What Will I Be When I Get Big (Elementary school) http://www.slc.k12.ut.us/webweavers/johnc/my_life.html   Use the Self-help Career Planning Guides. Most of the sites have career planning self-help sections. Visit at least two different sites and complete two different surveys, interest inventories, or other career planning tools. Compare the results. Do you agree or disagree with the findings? Why?   Debate the Issue of 'Equal Jobs for Equal Pay'. Do you know of instances where someone has been paid less than another worker for the same job (equal preparation, work conditions, length-of-employment, etc.)? Do you think that there is any instance where unequal pay is justified? Why do you think that the condition exists in some locations? Should it be corrected? Why or why not? How could this be enforced or enacted?   More Careers Websites America's Job Bank (Adult)  http://www.ajb.dni.us/ The talent bank section is a nationwide electronic resume system allowing job seekers to market their qualifications, which is then searched by employers for workers who meet their needs. Site also includes a career and resource library and information about occupational trends.   Work Channel http://www.ivillage.com/work Site contains a variety of work related information.   Career and Educational Guidance Library (Post high school and adult)  http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/Students/CareerLibrary/links/careerme.htm Here you find a full range of services from listing individual jobs to resources, college information at all levels, and how it relates to the occupation.   Career City: Cutting Edge Careers (Adult technical and professional people)  http://www.careercity.com/ Here you find the Job Satisfaction Quiz, job listings by occupation and state, resume tips and postings, career management information, assessment of skills and interests, tips on cover letters, interviewing and networking, and articles and books excerpts on career-related topics.    CareerMagazine (College and Adult)  http://www.careermag.com/   This is a magazine website that has feature articles about careers, working, resumes, and job openings.    Career Trail (Middle and high school)  http://library.advanced.org/11720/ This student-developed ThinkQuest site uses the scenario of a frontier town with horse, cart and the road to introduce skills, jobs, and how to get hired at this student guide to jobs, resumes, and vocational interests.    Coolworks (Post high school and adult)  http://www.coolworks.com This site advocates living and working where others only get to visit. Here you can find leads to seasonal summer and winter jobs and work at resorts. ranches, national parks, and camps. It also contains volunteer opportunities.    Department of Labor Educational Resources (High school and adult)  http://www.dol.gov/asp/fibre/main.htm This site offers information on finding a job, deterring school dropout, and information on child labor and youth employment laws.   eXploring Careers Navigation Page (High school and adult)  http://www.explore.cornell.edu/careers/home.htm This website has resources on education, career development and links for youthful exploration.   Monster Board (College and adult)  http://www.monsterboard.com/ This is first a job-hunting site, but you can also find information about international and state jobs, employer profiles, relocation services, and resume and interview techniques.   New Directions: Kids Career Information (Middle school)  http://www.bcit.tec.nj.us/KidCareer/info.html Website was designed to help provide career education information for middle school students. It contains information about career choices for the 21st. Century and some self administered questionnaires both for students and adults.   Occupational Outlook Handbook (Middle, high school and adult)  http://www.bls.gov/oco/ Revised every two years, the handbook describes what workers do on-the-job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide rage of occupations.   Peterson's Education Portal (High school and adult)  http://www.petersons.com/ Here you find information about colleges and universities, career schools, graduate programs, distance learning, executive training, private secondary schools, summer opportunities, study abroad, financial aid, test preparation, and career exploration.   Lesson Plans and Activities Who is the Right Person for the Job? Grade 9-12 http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/formats/webquests/misc99/job/Default.htm This webQuest aims at learning how to hire the right person.   Personal Interests and Career Traits (Grades 10-12) http://www.col-ed.org/cur/misc/misc72.txt Learn to develop your personal interests in relation to career traits.   Let's Talk About Work http://www.lacnyc.org/resources/workshops/talkaboutwork.htm Learn about the world at work & explore career options.   Becoming an Effective Employee http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/formats/treasure_hunt/misc99/ethics/ This is an internet based Treasure Hunt on business ethics.   Environmental Careers http://www.ktca.org/econnection/lessons/ecareers.html Explore interests leading to environmental careers. Site includes several activities.   Target the Perfect Career (Grade 9-12) http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/formats/webquests/misc99/career/webquest.html Compile a directory of needs for career assessment.   Job Readiness Scavenger Hunt http://www.lacnyc.org/resources/workshops/jobhunt.htm Learn interesting facts about job search strategies with links to learning.   Job Search http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/formats/treasure_hunt/spring2000/fisd3022k/rsth/default.html This is an Internet treasure hunt.     application education work experience interview 'head hunter' volunteer internship resume skills training opportunity job opening temporary work employer mentor finder's fee profession supervisor vocation interests life planning technician interests seasonal job entrepreneur goals inspiration occupation part-time employment objective achievement leisure lifelong learning counseling action plan enterprising social money investigative resources summer job accomplishment human resources job fair job description benefits wage & salary     Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 8/99. Updated by Nancy Smith 7/02.