Getting on Track
Written by: Lilly Walker, David Ness,
Paula Battle, Kathy Biehl
University of Manitoba Counselling Service
Getting on Track |
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Discovering my competitive edge... Discovering my competitive EDGE... Your competitive edge consists of the following four components:
Education (about myself, about post-secondary options, about courses, about careers)
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In this career planner you will develop an awareness of how these four aspects of your competitive edge will provide you the basis for getting on the right educational track. Discovering your competitive edge begins with an an openness to look honestly at yourself, to identify information you currently know about yourself, about post-secondary education, about courses and about careers. This career planner will assist you in learning information which will be useful to you in your decision-making, it will assist you in exploring areas which may be unfamiliar and in developing an awareness of your own unique assets, aspirations, and abilities. It will involve you in a process of analysis, information gathering and decision-making. The exercises provided here are designed to help you reflect about yourself, your dreams, and your direction in life.
At the end of this career planner you will design a plan for developing your Competitive EDGE. This plan will help you figure out future possibilities, find your gifts, and focus your thinking so that you can select the courses that fit you.
Education is a process of learning about yourself and your future. It is a process of figuring out how you can utilize your education at university most effectively. Education also involves learning more about post-secondary education itself, the courses that are offered, the expectations, the responsibilities and the opportunities. As you begin this session take some time to assess your current knowledge base. Use the following self-rating scale to quickly evaluate your current level of awareness. (A rating of 0 means you have no knowledge of that area, a rating of 5 means you have an average awareness about the area, and a rating of 10 means you are an expert in the area and could use your knowledge to advise others.)
*Self-Rating:
| My knowledge about careers | (0 - 10) | My knowledge about post-secondary education | (0 - 10) | My knowledge and awareness of myself | (0 - 10) |
*Questions to get you thinking: (Complete these sentences)
| What can't I not do | Friends and family have always told me that I would be good at. | When I think about my ideal day what am I doing? | How do I think university (or any other post-secondary school) is different than high school? |
*List two learning goals for this session:
| What would I like to learn from this career planner? |
Your identification of two personal learning goals will assist you as you complete this career planner.
If you don't know where you are going, how do you know if you have gotten there? One of the initial challenges of choosing a track which fits you is discovering the direction you wish to go. The direction you choose evolves from what you have done, where you are now, and some ideas of possibilities and alternatives you would like to consider. The following two part exercise will help you creatively discover the second component of your competitive edge, your personal direction.
Part I: Highlights of my life:
In the space provided, write your responses to the two titles "highlights of my life according to me" and "highlights of my life according to others". Highlights can be special moments of accomplishment, first experiences, times of celebration. When you think about others' views of your highlights, these could be moments that parents, siblings and friends have valued.
| Highlights of my life according to Me | Highlights of my life according to Others |
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After you have identified the highlights of your life, reflect briefly about what you have written. Were the highlights the same or different in the two groups? What does that tell you?
One of the goals of this exercise is to assist you in beginning to live the life you appreciate and desire. This next phase of this exercise will focus you on identifying your personal dreams and hopes, gathering your dreams together and grabbing the dreams that are really yours.
Part II: My Dream History*
Write the dreams you have had throughout your life.
| Example: | At age three I dreamed of having my own room. At age six I dreamed of being a royal queen (even for a day). At age nine I dreamed of becoming a famous mystery writer like Nancy Drew. At age ten I dreamed of marrying the boy across the street. At age thirteen I dreamed of being elected the outstanding, most admired student. At fifteen I dreamed of moving to an exotic island. At age sixteen I dreamed of being a famous, wealthy, independent career person returning home to a dinner in my honor. At age seventeen I dreamed of a major role in the school musical. At age twenty I dreamed of owning a beautiful home on a golf course. At age twenty one I dreamed I would one day be recognized publicly by having a feature story in a major news magazine. |
At age three I dreamed of
At age five I dreamed of
At age seven I dreamed of
At age ten I dreamed of
At age twelve I dreamed of
At age fourteen I dreamed of
At age sixteen I dreamed of
At age seventeen I dreamed of
At age eighteen I dreamed of
* Shier, Barbara (1998) It's only too late, if you don't start now: How to create your second life after 40. Delacorte Pres: NY.
What have I forgotten?
Places I long to see, careers I thought of having and lifestyles that are appealing:
How will post-secondary education help me achieve my dreams?
GIFTS (Self-knowledge, self-awareness, self-confidence)
You have unique talents or traits that are related to your current success and your future aspirations. Because these gifts are so much a part of you, you may take them for granted or not realize that you possess them. They are however the third critical component of your competitive edge. The following exercise encourages you to think creatively about yourself and your unique and special gifts.
Exercise: The Television Show
Begin this exercise by selecting from the following list the type of television show you would like to be a part of.
| Sit-Com | Drama | |
| Action Adventure | Soap Opera | |
| Sports | Talk Show | |
| Game Show | Cartoon |
Next, identify the character you would like to be in that production. Describe the character. Identify the activities that this character loves to do. Create a scene that demonstrates a special moment, an insight, a happening. What are three characteristics others appreciate in this character? What are 2-3 skills this character possesses that makes them successful?
What are your wishes and how can you make them come true?
Finally, describe how the talents, capabilities and interests of this character reflect your own personal gifts.
The fourth critical component of your competitive edge is your energy. Your energy is that creative source within you that drives you and keeps you going. Each of us has learned how to refresh and motivate ourselves. Knowing how you motivate yourself and how you help yourself continue in spite of obstacles and barriers are all part of that special quality about you: your energy.
Go and do an activity that gives you energy. Then, take time to answer the following questions:
Think about a typical day in your life. You are getting up in the morning ready for school or work... what makes the difference between a day you anticipate and one that you'd like to avoid?
What excites and motivates me?
What do I feel passionate about?
What helps me keep going when I feel discouraged or uncertain?
Chances are that most of you thought about fun activities or "play" when you were asked to consider ways to re-energize yourselves. It is doubtful that any of you would have chosen to “work” as a means to feel renewed. Why is this? It seems that people in our society do not view work and play as synonymous. Can work be fun? Take a few moments to write down some characteristics about work and play and then compare and contrast work and play.
| Work is: | Play is: |
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The difference(s) between work and play is (are)...
If you are like most people considering post-secondary education, the primary reason you are doing so is to get a job or improve your job status. You may or may not be clear about specific career directions, but you are aware of the value of post-secondary education for your future. One of the ingredients in maintaining your competitive edge is matching your abilities and interests to the marketplace. You can most effectively succeed in this matching by learning more about the world of work, expanding your awareness of the broad diversity of career options and determining career alternatives that would be personally fulfilling.
Career Values
Career values are the needs and/or rewards that we want from our work. They can be thought of as our personal reasons for being motivated to work or as our unique preferences for job satisfaction. When we examine what would be personally fulfilling work or what would be a "good" job for you, we are examining career values. Knowing your career values will help you identify and choose between career alternatives. Knowing your career values will also help ensure that you end up working in a job that is energizing, interesting and rewarding. Take a few moments to read the definitions of the career values listed below and then select the five that are most important to you.
Independence: A career that will allow you to set your own schedule, work at your own pace and make your own decisions.
Leadership: A career where you will have the opportunity to lead and direct other people.
Risk: A career where you will have adventures by taking personal or financial risks.
Achievement: A career where you will be challenged to continually achieve at a high level.
Competition: A career where you will be compared with and tested against others.
Lifestyle: A career that allows you a great deal of control over your lifestyle.
Security: A career that allow you to feel that you will always be employed or that you can always find employment.
Helping Others: A career where you are educating, curing, helping, developing, or supporting others.
Variety: A career where the work is frequently changing and different.
Intellectual Stimulation: A career that requires a great deal of mental activity/thinking.
Social Recognition/Prestige: A career where you will get respect, approval, status and recognition from others.
Creativity: A career where you will have the opportunity to be innovative, original, expressive, imaginative or artistic.
My five top career values are...
(You are not restricted to using the career values listed
on the previous page - add any that you think of.)
If you are like most individuals you would like all of your career values met by your career. Unfortunately, this does not always occur. Sometimes only three or four of our career values are satisfied by any one career area. Take a moment to rank order your career values from most important to least important. Consider which, if any, you would be willing to sacrifice should you only be able to have three satisfied. Your top 1 - 3 career values are likely those that you would absolutely be unwilling to sacrifice. You can use your career values to evaluate careers to discover which would be most rewarding.
Knowing your competitive EDGE gives you the greatest opportunity for success in post-secondary education Your competitive EDGE will help you to select a career track and courses that will excite and motivate you. This, in turn, will ultimately lead to career and academic success. Before we proceed to the next step of identifying and selecting possible career tracks and courses, take a few moments to briefly summarize what you have learned thus far. Return to each of the exercises we have completed and copy what you have learned about yourself into the appropriate area below.
| Education (Open-ended questions)
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Direction (Highlights and Dreams)
| Gifts (Television Show)
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Energy (Energize Exercise and Work & Play)
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| Career Values | |
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__________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ |
__________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ |
Identifying interest areas and/or possible career alternatives is a preliminary step to determining which courses or programs you may want to enroll in for the upcoming year. Knowing which career track you wish to be on makes course decisions very easy. How can you use the information you have just summarized? The interest areas and/or possible career alternatives you identified are a great starting point for career exploration. Review your list above and identify two or three interest areas or career alternatives that you would like to learn more about. Then, proceed to research these career options by first using the career links indicated at the end of this career planner (you can, of course, use various search engines as well, including "Ask Jeeves") and/or by visiting the Counselling Service's Career Resource Centre. The holdings of the Career Resource Centre are discussed later in this career planner and include information on over 250 different careers. It is critically important to know all that you can about the careers you are considering prior to making your decision. Having as complete knowledge as possible will make decision making easier and will raise your level of confidence in your career decision. In addition, you will discover many career options within specific career fields once you begin investigating just one career alternative.
Your courses are the track to your future. As a first year university student your goal is to select courses that reflect your aspirations and abilities. They will be courses that allow you to keep as many paths open as possible. They will be courses that reflect your awareness of career alternatives and the realities of the current marketplace. They will be courses that reflect your competitive edge.
Now that you have determined your competitive edge and learned about possible career opportunities you must focus yourself on the career direction you wish to pursue. In five years, having completed your university undergraduate degree, what would you like to be doing? Working backwards from that idea, what can you do now as a first step.
My first step:
What are your priorities for this year? If this is a year of exploration and discovery, what do you want to explore? If this is a year of ensuring that your decision to pursue a particular career path is really right for you, how will you achieve this? If this is a year of proving to yourself university will open new doors for you, how will you know that you have succeeded? Your priorities are the learning and accomplishments you would like to achieve.
My Priorities for this year:
My Priorities for the next five years:
Take some time to write three START goals for the upcoming year. Remember to keep the goals specific, testable, attainable, realistic and time-limited.
Example 1: I am interested in a career that involves helping people overcome psychological difficulties. Therefore I plan to enroll in Introductoy Psychology for September and pass this course with an A. I also plan to become a volunteer in a helping agency such as Child and Family Services by the beginning of January. My goal is to volunteer for three hours a week each week during the second term of this, my first year at university.
Example 2: I want to work in computers and I therefore plan to enroll in courses that would allow me to enter the department of Computer Science after my first year at university. My goal is to obtain a 3.5 G.P.A. during my first year in university. I also plan to construct my own web page by the end of March and research careers in computers in the Career Resource Centre during the first term. Finally, I want to utilize the Career Mentor Program during second term to meet with computer professionals working in at least three different areas.
Goal 1:
Goal 2:
Goal 3:
It will soon be time to make a career decision. Review the information you have learned about yourself and about different careers and look for the best match. You best chance of success and enjoyment is obtained by selecting a program that matches your competitive edge. This may be the most difficult part of this career planner. Do not rush your decision! Talk to others as much as possible and make sure you make use of all available resources. The remaining sections of this career planner are designed more to meet the needs of University of Manitoba students, especially first year students; however, most people can benefit from continuing on with this planner. Good Luck!
| Course Load 1 | Course Load 2 | Benefits:
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Costs:
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Take care when constructing your course load to ensure stability.
Your first year of any post-secondary education is bound to be full of new challenges and experiences, and you may feel overwhelmed at times. It can be easy to lose sight of where you want to be in 5 years when you can barely see past midterm exams. You will find it helpful to break large, distant goals up into smaller, more manageable tasks and then set realistic deadlines for them. Whatever your goals are, keep asking yourself: "What am I doing at this moment in time that will help me reach my goals?"
You may decide that your first task will be acing that Psychology test or introducing yourself to the person sitting next to you in Physics. Your next task may be going to the Career Resource Centre before the end of first term and researching a career that interests you, or using one of the other career services available to you through the Counselling Service. Investing time and energy along the way will allow you to reap great rewards in the end. Finally and perhaps most importantly, we have asked you to think about options for a reason. The track you are on now is not necessarily the one you will remain on for the rest of your life, or even for the rest of your university career. An essential component of self-discovery and awareness is the recognition that things change. The more you know about yourself, the more equipped you will be to deal with change and to make it work for you. Hold on tight to your newly acquired knowledge, never lose sight of your dreams, and get ready for the ride of your life!
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