Planning a Career

1. Planning a Career

2. Current Unemployment!!! • Unemployment rate as of August, 2011 is 9.1% (14 million people) • Labor Force: 153.6 million • Part time workers 8.8 million • Excludes people who have stopped looking for work.

3. Unemployment rates according to training/education • College degree 4.4% • High school 10% • High school drop out 14.3%

4. What is the difference between a job and a career?

5. Job vs. Career • A job is short term work that pays the bills. The sole purpose is to have a steady income for the immediate future. • A career is a long term chosen profession or occupation that provides an income and dictates your standard of living.

6. Careers • People switch careers @ 3 times on average during their lifetime. Why? • Slow down in the industry • Technology takes over job • Outsourcing • People’s priorities and interests change

7. Choosing a Career • When choosing a career, you should think about your: • Interests-do you like working with numbers, building things, etc? • Personality- do you like working with a group of people or by yourself? • Aptitudes- your natural talents • Abilities - developed through instruction or practice

8. Choosing a Career • High school is a great time to begin planning your career. • You have time to explore options and investigate different fields. • You can take courses that relate to possible career goals and fine tune the skills you need to succeed. • The path you choose when planning your career will determine your standard of living. • What kind of standard of living is important to you?

9. Education Vs. Earnings • Is post-secondary education worth the expense? • High school dropout, no degree - $19,226 • High school diploma - $28,950 • Two-year college associates degree - $36,395 • Four-year college degree (bachelor’s degree - $51,568 • Post-graduate degree (masters degree 6+ years - $67,073

10. So … HoW MUCH IS GOING TO CLASS WORTH? Page 102

11. Other options ?????? • Trade or Technical School! • Industrial Tsunami??

12. So how much does college cost? • Do I need to take out a loan? • What is the cost of credit if I do? • Should I go to a private college or State school? • How much will I make in my job after college? • Can I afford to have a school loan payment as part of my monthly budgeted expenses? • A college education is the best investment you can make!!!!!!!!

13. Why Invest in Education? • Government statistics show that people with less education are more likely to have trouble finding jobs. • Education ensures greater career opportunities. It’s an investment in YOU!! • In recent years, for every $100 earned by a high school dropout, a high school grad earns $130, and a college grad earns more than $200. • Imagine this difference over a year or a lifetime.

14. Educational Opportunities • The type of education or training depends on the occupation or career area you are interested in. • Examples are: • Internship- paid/unpaid short-term job offered to a student interested in entering that particular field. The employer gains a temporary worker and the employee gains work experience.

15. Educational Opportunities (cont) • Apprenticeships – classroom training with paid on-the-job experience under the guidance of a skilled worker. Usually found with trades such as carpentry, electrical, culinary arts, etc. • Career and technical schools- train students to become licensed or certified in skilled occupations such as health care occupations. Programs usually completed in 1-3 years.

16. Educational Opportunities (cont) • City or community college- usually offer two-year programs that can be transferred to four-year colleges. • Colleges or universities – offer bachelor’s degrees and graduate programs • Distance learning- internet, video conferencing, etc.

17. How much does college/post secondary training cost if you take out a loan. • Determine the cost of credit for the following schools using the loan payment calculator on the Internet.

18. What to look for in a career! • Job satisfaction • Decent pay with opportunity for advancement • Schedule/hours (flextime) • Employee Benefits • Paid vacations • Sick days • Personal days • Health plan (company paid premiums) • Dental • Life Insurance • Tuition Reimbursement • Stock options/profit sharing • Other benefits (fitness center, company car, bonuses, incentives. • Retirement and pension plans

19. True or False • You should do the minimum requirements in a job because it doesn’t have much to do with your chosen career. Let’s take a look at some of the qualities an employer looks for when choosing an employee:

21. Bridges.com Assignment • Take the interest survey to determine possible careers. • Come up with top 20 or 50. Choose 2. • Learn about these careers and prepare your summaries in a word document that include the following. • Facts about the job. • Salary range • Outlook for the future • Education/License requirement • Professional organizations and related websites. • Be prepared to share this information with the class.

22. Before you get the job, be smart about the following: • Job interviews and Job search packet. • Understand how payroll works –Payroll deductions and forms. • W-4 forms • Paystubs • Benefits • Medical insurance (employee/employer contributions) • Retirement plans (401K, 403b, 457) • Income tax returns (1040EZ)