Week #1 Overview

Introduction

Career decision-making is a process that involves time, self-study, and planning. Too often, it is assumed that a decision regarding a career or educational major can be made quickly or on the basis of some test. Instead, students need to develop their ability to make good decisions, clarify their understanding of themselves, and enrich their knowledge of work possibilities in the world. When students develop these career planning skills, they are in a better position to make informed decisions regarding their educational majors and potential careers.

Many students approach career decision-making with fear and trepidation but planning your career can be one of the most exciting and enriching times of your life. Career planning is a process that enables you to learn more about you and who you are becoming.
 
This self-knowledge, when put together with an understanding of the world of work helps you to make informed decisions and to take action. Put simply, career planning involves four basic components:

Objectives

Students will:

• Introduce themselves on the Discussion Board
• Learn how to Navigate WebCT to find all course materials
• Complete a personal & career autobiography
• Be able to use basic terminology related to the course topics
• Complete the course orientation

WebCT Tutorial - if you are having trouble getting around the course

Course Geography - to find out where everything is located in this course

Typical Week - to learn the rhythm of the course

Career Changers - if it appropriate for your situation

Career Checklist - scan this for the career development "big picture" as it applies to tasks you need to do before your first job out of college. Highlight things you will do

MC Career Website - Visit each of the 6 steps in the career planning process to get an overview of this course.  You may be tempted to do some of the self assessments.  That's fine, just make sure to copy your results for future use.  If you want immediate gratification, the best idea is to go to Sigi 3, behind MyMC (select the Student Services tab).  That one allows you to keep your record.  You can compare those results to what you will find out from  the Strong and MBTI which are standardized career inventories. Take as much or as little time with these course sites as you want.  Some students have a need for as much information as possible at the beginning of the course to set the context of what they will learn.  Other students like each part of the career development process to be revealed to them one step (module) at a time.  Either approach works for this course as long as you become actively involved with the material.  As with all courses, you will get as much from this course as you put into it.

Introduce yourself to the class. Make sure to include,  your major (if you have one), something about your family.  Tell us where you are working and something about any career or educational plans you are considering.  Share what you enjoy doing with your free time.  Let us know why you chose to take this course online.  Add anything else that will help us get to better know you.

Post this introduction to the Discussion Board 

1. From Discussions, click Introductions. The "Discussion Messages" screen appears.
2. Click Compose message. The Compose Discussion Message screen appears in a new browser window.
3. In the Subject text box, enter the subject for your message - for example, "John's Bio." Compose your message in the message window or copy and paste it from a Word document. Make sure to sign your name to all messages. Don't forget to select the post your message button. To make sure you have successfully posted your first message, select the update listing button at the top.  Your message should appear (6 points)
4. Read all other messages that have been posted.
5. Respond to the messages of at least 2 other students (2 points each).

Complete the Career Autobiography and submit it to the Assignment Drop.  Naming convention for this assignment is yourlastnamebiography. 

You will submit this assignment to the Assignment Drop.  Here is how to do it:

• Go to the Table of Contents for this Module
• Open the Career Autobiography
• Use your Right Mouse button to right click on the document and Select All
• Go to Edit on your Menu Bar and select Copy
• Open a new Word Document, go to Edit, Paste
• Complete the Assignment
• Save as yourlastnamebiography
• Go back to course website
• Select Assignment Drop
• Select Career Autobiography
• Select Upload File
• Select the Browse button to find the yourlastnamebiography document
• Select upload
• Select Submit assignment button
• Say ok to the Confirmation box
• I will return this assignment with feedback
• Don't forget to come back to the Biography link in the Assignment Drop to read the feedback

Assignments Summary