What Is Your Future Career?


Introduction | The Task | Resources | The Process | Learning Advice | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction
It is time to start thinking about your future. Not sure what career path to choose? Get some help finding majors and careers that match your interests and skills. Find out about majors and careers from a researching on a website, reading student blogs, and employee interviews.



The Task
Each of you will research careers on a website and match possible majors and careers to your individual interests and skills. You will be matched with a partner with similar career interests and you will create a 1-2 minute career commercial. The commercial should highlight the name of the career, a description of what a person in that career does, the salary, the job outlook, the education needed, and some interests and skills a potential employee should exhibit.

Resources
Choices Explorer Website - http://www.collegeplanning.org/iowachoices/

Choices Explorer Research Document Details home, work, learn, life and portfolio tabs (with research and printing requirements for each tab)

Windows Movie Maker Directions With details to learn how to edit video, photos, audio, titles, special effect, and transitions

Blank Career Commercial Timeline Show each section of your commercial and how much time each section will take

Soundzabound Website - http://www.soundzabound.com/mambo/  - (for copyright free music - need our user name and password)

The Process
1.  Explore & Research on Choices Explorer Website

• Give Site ID
• Give default password
• Facilitate filling in portfolio information
• Create portfolio Name and Portfolio Password (record these on a card that goes home with students to use at home with parents)
• Login
• Show tabs (home, work, learn, life, your portfolio)

2. Career Commercials

• Using Windows Movie Maker students will create a Career Commercial
• Teacher will teach basics of Windows Movie Maker (to edit video, photos, audio, titles, special effects, and transitions).

• Teacher will look at saved careers and majors and group students in partners for this final project.
• Students will use the Choices Explorer information to create a 1-2 minute commercial promoting a career that is of great interest to the students.

1.  Partners decide on the career to create a commercial about.
2.  Research information to be included in the commercial using Choices Explorer:

• Name of career
• Description of what a person in the career would do
• How much money they get paid (salary)
• The outlook for getting a job
• What education is needed
• Pros
• Interests and skills you should have
• What makes this a great/exciting career

3.  Include at least 2 still pictures & at least 2 video clips (also use music, narrations, interviews, etc.)
4.  Be creative sell your career
5.  Create a timeline for your commercial (total length 1-2 minutes) (include each section of your commercial and the time spent on each section)

6.  Write out scripts used in the movie
7.  Use of narrations, music and transitions to enhance commercial (no more than 3 transitions allowed)

Learning Advice
To complete this project you will need the following:

• Access to the internet
• Site ID and Password to the Choices Explorer Website
• Digital Camera
• Digital Video Camera

Evaluation
Choices Explorer Research Gradesheet
Career Commercial Timeline & Movie Gradesheet
Career Commercial Movie Rubric



Conclusion
Hopefully you have explored different majors and careers that match your interests and skills. You have read career descriptions, blogs from students, and interviews from employees to help you choose a career that will be exciting and interesting to you. You and your partner needed to exhibit cooperation while putting together a commercial for your chosen career. The future is getting closer every day! I hope you have enjoyed the process of thinking about your future career.