Shaping the Future of Work (15.662x)

Week 4 Assignments

Week 4: Complete Your Career Plan

Use the results of the O*Net Interest Profiler you completed in Week 2 and build out your Career Plan as follows.

Use the results of the data provided by the O*Net Profiler exercise to think hard about your work and career interests. Ask yourself, based on what we have discussed in this course, are there new skills or competencies you will need to be successful in the career of your choice? You may have life and work experiences that motivate you to pursue a career different than what the Profiler suggests and that is fine, as long as you have thought out and discussed your career interests with people you trust—family members, peers, counselors, union or professional association experts, mentors, etc.

Based on the data from the Profiler and/or your self-reflection, provide short answers to each of the following questions either in the Version for those Currently Employed or the Version for those Currently in School.

Version for Those Currently Employed

1. What is your target occupation of choice for your next job (either with your current employer or another organization)?
2. What additional education do you need to obtain to qualify and be successful in that job/career and how and when do you plan to obtain it?
3. What will you do while getting the education needed to build contacts, networks, or other pathways to your target job?
4. Now that you are in the labor force:
   1. Who are your mentors?
   2. What key external professional/occupational/personal networks are you building or engaged in that will help you be successful in getting your next job of choice?
   3. What are you doing to keep your skills up to date with changing technologies or other things affecting your preferred job and career?
5. What do you want to be doing in ten years?
6. What else, in addition to the actions listed above, do you need to do to achieve your ten year goal(s)?
7. How does your job/career fit with your personal/family life? Who else do you need to consider and consult in making job/career decisions?
8. What will you do to find a future employer(s) and work environment that meet your expectations? (remember the elements in the “good jobs” app we used earlier in this course)
9. What are you doing to improve the employment conditions and opportunities that allow you and your fellow employees to achieve their career goals?

Version for Those Currently in School

1. What is your target occupation of choice once you are ready to enter the labor force?
2. What education do you need to obtain and be successful in that job/career and how and when do you plan to obtain it?
3. What will you do while getting the education needed to build contacts, networks, or other pathways to your target job?
4. Once hired:
   1. Who will you seek out as your mentor(s)?
   2. What key external professional/occupational/personal networks will you need to build or join and maintain to be successful in this job?
   3. What will you do to keep your skills up to date with changing technologies or other ways this job might/will change in the future?
5. What do you want to be doing in ten years?
6. What else, in addition to the actions listed above, do you need to do to achieve your ten year goal(s)?
7. How will your job/career fit with your personal/family life? Who else do you need to consider and consult in making job/career decisions?
8. What will you do to find an employer(s) and work environment that meets your expectations? (remember the elements in the “good jobs” app we used earlier in this course)
9. Once employed what will you do to improve the employment conditions and opportunities that allow you and your fellow employees to achieve their career goals?