Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

1. Apply self-awareness to choices pertaining to work, leisure and education.
2. Apply knowledge of the world of work and career information to choices pertaining to work, leisure, and education.
3. Access current resources and tools to enhance career development.
4. Utilize a variety of decision-making models to plan for career and life choices.
5. Synthesize and integrate career information, using self-awareness and decision-making skills, in order to create a career and educational plan.

Flexible dependent on needs of student population and preferred teaching style of instructor.

Students will demonstrate these learning outcomes by these tasks conducted individually and in cooperation with other students.
 

1. Utilize career assessments to gain information specific to interest, personality, values and skills.
2. In-class participation through a variety of methods including dyads, learning teams and/or presentations.
3. Presentations and reports related  to information gained through career information sources.
4. Develop a plan of action (written or presented) to further define career and educational goals.

Competencies and Skills
The following list indicates the skills students will develop by doing assignments and participating in class:
 

1. Increase self awareness as it relates to career readiness and confidence, values, interests, skills, lifestyle and personality.
2. Use critical thinking and problem solving skills to effectively analyze and synthesize personal traits and career research to make an informed career decision.
3. Research occupational/career and educational information using various methods (informational interviews, career resource center, internet).
4. Apply the career planning process to future life decisions.

Concepts, Themes, Issues
The contextualized networks of meaning students must understand in order to demonstrate the performance tasks and achieve the outcomes.
 

1. Career Development Theories
2. Values Clarification
3. Career Related Interests
4. Skills/Abilities (transferable, adaptive, task specific)
5. Personality traits
6. Internal and External Barriers
7. Lifestyle (income, geographic location, leisure)
8. Diversity and social justice issues
9. Career confidence and readiness
10. Career Information Research
11. College Major
12. Decision-making/goal setting
13. Financial literacy (understanding costs of training and education)
14. Career action plan