Actvity 2:

Exploring and Investigating Career Paths of Interest

Students explore their working styles strengths and preferences using the Job Explorer

Introduction

By generating an understanding of our preferences and personality, we can understand more about the jobs and careers that we might like, and also the ways that we might learn more information.

In this lesson, we will be talking a lot about skills and experience.

• Skill refers to the ability to do something. E.g. communicating with others, working in a team, or playing an instrument. Skills are not restricted to one particular event.

• Experience refers to specific events or exposure to a process or environment. E.g. working in a call centre, being in a sports team, or playing an instrument at a concert. In this lesson, we are focusing on experiences that are relevant to your career.

Both skills and experience are something that we can acquire.

Part A: The Job Explorer and 100 Jobs of the Future - Finding Out More

Student activity:

1. Students complete [Job Explorer](/quiz/) noting their working styles **strengths and preferences**. Students review the jobs suggested and select 1 – 2 jobs they are interested in.
2. Students arrange in small groups based on their preferred working styles (Practical, Investigative, Creative, Social, Enterprising and Organised - based on their responses to the first 3 questions of the Job Explorer).
3. Students or teacher to nominate one note taker per group.
4. Students share within their group one of the jobs and describe why they are interested in this job. The jobs they share can be similar or completely different.
5. Students to read the ‘what next’ section of the Job Explorer together, and identify the ‘working to your strengths’ strategy that is aligned with their personality area (see Figure 3: Working to your strengths).

   Working to your strengths When you’re exploring what’s out there, it helps to work with your strengths and preferences. The Job Explorer previously identified the styles that you’re likely to prefer working in, and it makes sense to work with those styles. Don’t feel that you’re limited to only working within your style though!
   If you scored highest in the Practical category, you might prefer to dive in and try new things. Practical experiences might be the most useful way for you to learn new skills and see if you like the areas you’re exploring. Try volunteering, teaching yourself some new skills or techniques – just have a go!
   If you scored highest in the Investigative category, you might prefer to do a lot of private research before you try anything practical. For Investigative people, online research is your friend! You might find that you can learn the most from researching trends, and you might find that online training is more your style than learning in a classroom setting.
   If you scored highest in the Creative category, you might find the idea of having a plan for exploring your options is too rigid. Feel free to go where the wind takes you! If you find an interesting tangent when you’re exploring your options, then dive in and learn more about it! Try out a new skill or way of learning and see if it works for you. You might also find that you prefer to get a group of friends together and try things out as a group, rather than going solo.
   If you scored highest in the Social category, you might find that you’ll have a better time exploring your options if you look for ways that give you more contact with other people. You could look into learning new skills or gaining new knowledge with a group of friends (why not get them to take the quiz too?) or perhaps join a club or society, where you can learn through interacting with other people. You might find that you get a lot out of volunteering, or that when you research your options you can get greater understanding by talking to people with relevant skills or experience than you could by just reading about it.
   If you scored highest in the Enterprising category, you might prefer to build your skills in a way that lets you see how much progress you’ve made. This can be as simple as tracking new knowledge, or doing more formal learning that has ‘grades’ or ‘levels’ to progress through. You might be interested in identifying the top people and companies in your field, and using their journeys as inspiration for your own. You may also enjoy exploring your options through talking to people who know about these areas or have relevant skills or experience, as this can give you a chance to get more detailed information and to have a real discussion.
   If you scored highest in the Organised category, you might prefer a methodical approach to exploring your options. Take the time to create a plan (and clear goals!) for how you’re going to approach things, and keep note of how your progress goes. You might also find that you feel more comfortable seeking out established clubs, societies or organisations, or people that can help you learn new skills, rather than trying to figure things out without much guidance.

6. Students to brainstorm ways that they could find out more about:
   • the skills and experience needed for the jobs they are interested in; and
   • the ways that students could gain these skills and experiences.

Part B: Sharing Ideas and Picking a Strategy

Each group to share their ideas with the class. One student from each group to present their ideas. Teacher to record ideas on the board.

Teacher explanation: There are many different ways for exploring more about the jobs that we’re interested in. For example: focus on strategies that were aligned with the different types of working preferences you might have (Practical, Investigative, Creative, Social, Enterprising and Organised), and then look at strategies beyond those styles as well.

Did anyone find that they have used any of these strategies before when you were trying to find out information or learn something new? How about when you’re studying?

Did anyone find that a strategy that one of the other groups came up with is one you’d like to try?

Students to identify one strategy from their own group, and one strategy from the other groups that they think will be useful and write it down.

Possible extension: students attempt one of the strategies discussed in class and then share what they found with the class.

Overview | Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3