TITLE: PERSONAL INTERESTS AND CAREER TRAITS
AUTHOR: Harold "Skip" Adams, William P. Lord High
School; Woodburn, OR
GRADE LEVEL: 10-12
OBJECTIVE(s): Students will:
* get to know you and the other students in class.
* find common and different interests among their fellow
classmates.
* identify personal strengths and interests and match
them to a career and its related skills.
GOAL/CONCEPT:
Students will develop an awareness of their personal
interests and relate them to career traits. The students
will match their traits to various jobs to help them see
beyond their immediate future.
Students will be better prepared to make career choices if
they are aware of their personal interests and strengths.
These exercises can build student self-esteem, identify
strengths, and predict future skills. This unit provides an
opportunity for you to introduce yourself and to get to know
the students.
If students have difficulty reading the materials, have them
work with a partner. You should always draw on your own
experiences to promote better understanding. Model the way
the activities should be done before the students start.
MATERIALS:
1. Magazine pictures of various careers. Masking tape.
2. Copies of the "Personal Interests Inventory" and
"Find Someone Who. .." worksheets.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1. GUESS THE CAREER
Discuss with the class the fact that this unit is
designed to increase their personal skills
awareness. Students need to realize that different
skills are needed for various jobs. This exercise
will introduce them to a variety of different jobs
as they get to know the teacher and one another
better.
STEP ONE:
Introduce yourself and have a student tape to your
back one of the magazine pictures that you have
collected. (Make sure that you collect pictures
that will easily identify careers. Ask the students
one by one to stand up and introduce themselves. As
they do, tape a picture to each student's back.
Everyone needs to keep the pictures secret.
STEP TWO:
Explain to the students that they will try to guess
the career pictured on their back by asking others
yes\no questions such as:
* Do you need a college education?
* Does it require strong reading and or math skills?
* Do you work with other people?
* Do you need computer skills?
* Does the job require physical strength?
If further clues are needed, give them by stating
what skills are necessary to the career, without
naming it: For example:
* You would need to read to do this job.
* Typing skills are a must if you do this job.
Students remove the pictures as they correctly guess the
career.
2. FIND SOMEONE WHO...
Explain to the students that one way people choose a career
is based on their personal interests. The goal of this
activity is to find out each other's interests.
STEP ONE:
Have the students identify their personal interests
by completing a Personal Interests Inventory.
Students will then circulate through the room
getting signatures for their "Find Someone Who..."
sheet. (See Worksheet).
STEP TWO:
After the activity is finished, hold a discussion
about their findings and point out common and
different group interests.
FIND SOMEONE WHO...
Circulate through the room and ask classmates if they have
any of the interests listed below. when you find a match,
have your classmate sign the blank next to the statement.
Make sure all students in the class are represented,
although not all blanks need to be filled. You can have more
than one signature on a line, but the object of the activity
is to discover the wide variety of interest among your
classmates.
Speaks another language _________________________________
Plays a musical instrument ______________________________
Is good at sports _______________________________________
Is interested in science ________________________________
Likes to tinker with anything mechanical ________________
Enjoys working with animals _____________________________
Is interested in aviation _______________________________
Likes performing in public ______________________________
Seems to be able to teach others ________________________
Has artistic ability ____________________________________
Enjoys helping others ___________________________________
Is interested in math ___________________________________
Reads and writes well ___________________________________
Likes constructing or building things ___________________
Likes or would like to travel ___________________________
Likes to debate issues __________________________________
Likes to sing ___________________________________________
Enjoys working with money _______________________________
Likes working with computers ____________________________
Types well ______________________________________________
Is good at growing plants _______________________________
Is a good salesperson ___________________________________
Likes talking to people _________________________________
Gets along well with others _____________________________
Likes to organize things ________________________________
Wants to go to college/trade school _____________________
Wants to join the military service ______________________
Would like to be on TV or radio _________________________
Likes history ___________________________________________
Prefers the out-of-doors ________________________________
Enjoys working alone ____________________________________
Likes talking on the telephone __________________________
Enjoys personal grooming and clothing ___________________
Is concerned about the environment ______________________
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org