Turning Points: Your Career Decision-Making Guide (2nd Edition)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Career decisions are among the most important choices you will ever make. Work plays an important part in shaping your lifestyle and contributes significantly to your overall life satisfaction. To engage in career planning is to concentrate on some of life's biggest questions: "What do I want to do?" "Who do I want to become?" "How will I earn my living?" There are no ready-made, one-size-fits-all answers to these questions. Career planning is a creative endeavor. Each of you has a different set of concerns and a unique life situation, and each of you possesses a distinctive combination of values, interests, personality, and skills. This second edition of Turning Points is designed to respond to your individual needs and introduce you to career-planning techniques that will have lifelong advantages. CAREER DILEMMAS You want to choose wisely, because your choices will have very important consequences for your life. Yet there are so many issues to consider that it is natural to feel some uncertainty. Read over the list of questions below, and check the ones that are similar to questions you may have. Which career options really suit me the best? How can I balance my desire to advance my career with my family needs? Should I change direction or stay with what I have selected? Am I too much of a dreamer, never settling on any one direction? Is it a good idea to continue my education? Now or later? Full-time or part-time? Where can I get the time and money to go on with my education? What are the best career opportunities in the global marketplace? Which fields hold the most promise in the years ahead? What kinds of skills do employers want? Now add any other questions that came to mind. In this book I call such questions and concerns "career dilemmas" because they often involve difficult and perplexing issues they are like puzzles. This book will help you define your own personal career dilemmas and provide you with a method for resolving them. You can become more confident about your future. You have made a substantial investment in higher education. Learning practical career-planning techniques helps to ensure that one major benefit of your efforts will be a selection of rewarding career options. OVERVIEW OF THE CONTENTS The scope of this book is comprehensive. Its 13 chapters encompass three major topics: (1) searching for information, (2) setting your career direction, and (3) making your experience count. Each of these topics corresponds to one of the three essential tasks exploration, specification, and implementation described by Donald Super in his pioneering work on career development. Part I: Search for Information This unit, consisting of Chapters 1-5, focuses on exploration tasks. You'll cover the kind of information you need to make good career choices and see whether an advanced degree or additional training is right for you. The purpose of these chapters is to help you conduct a self-assessment, gather information, and identify suitable career and educational options. Part II: Set Your Direction In this unit, I introduce a practical model of career decision making. You are encouraged to "Listen to Your Heart" and "Use Your Head." This balanced approach helps you consider your personal dreams, life circumstances, and economic goals. It also highlights the need to ponder external factors, such as workplace opportunities. This unit, consisting of Chapters 6-10, engages you in setting your career direction. It addresses three important choices: selecting a college major, choosing a work setting, and making a job choice. It also teaches you effective job search tactics and vital job search skills, such as resume writing and interviewing. Part III: Make Your Experience Count Chapters 11-13 are devoted to strategies to advance your career while you are still in college. You'll learn how to test your career choices and increase your earning potential through internships, college jobs, and extracurricular activities. You'll become aware of the skills demanded by the workplace of the twenty-first century and the need for networking. This unit gives you a leg up in acquiring valuable career management skills before you graduate. ACTIVITIES Throughout the book you will find lots of hands-on activities to help you conduct a thorough self-assessment, conduct a job search, and 'father information to make informed choices. Most of the research activities use a handy four-step "ASAP" (Ask-Search-Analyze-Plan) format to structure your information search. You'll be introduced to the best career-planning resources for college students, including Web sites, books, and magazines. You'll also discover shorter exercises within chapters that will help you understand the major points, clarify your thoughts and ideas, and get you ready for the lengthier research and in-depth appraisal activities found at the ends of the chapters. BENEFITS Here is a sampling of some benefits that students have reported as a result of reading this book and completing the activities. I found out how my career field fits my values and my goals .... I also had an opportunity to check if the major I chose was the right decision. I learned how to gather information about further education, . . . scholarships, and job opportunities. I was able to focus more on my dilemmas and act upon them much more quickly. I learned new information abort myself, my career field and educational opportunities . . . I learned I would like to be my own boss someday. I want to open my own business and earn money for myself. One dilemma was what to study. I thought of changing my major to accounting or computer science .... I found out about the profession of operations research analyst .... I can use my knowledge of computers, accounting, and economics all at the same time. I learned that . . . it is very important to establish a network . . . or expand the one you already have. The larger the network, the better your chances of getting a job. I found the ASAP Ask-Search-Analyze-Plan approach to be very useful in solving a dilemma. If I face a dilemma in the future, I will come up with a question, search for information, analyze my findings, and plan my next step. All the assignments . . . made us think about and analyze our feelings. INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL An Instructor's Manual is available to help instructors and counselors adapt the book's topics and activities to their needs. Suggestions are provided for using the activities in the book in various settings: credit and noncredit courses, seminars, workshops, independent projects, and one-on-one counseling.
From the Back Cover
Turning Points is a comprehensive, practical resource that covers self-assessment, career exploration, job search, and success in the workplace. Student profiles illustrate each topic along the way.
Students and instructors who used the first edition praise the following features:
With every chapter updated, the second edition provides additional features, including:
Visit our Student Success Supersite at www.prenhall.com/success
Features include:
Turning Points: Your Career Decision-Making Guide (2nd Edition),Diane Ducat,Prentice Hall,0130421901,Business & Economics,Career/Job,Careers - General,Careers - Job Hunting,Careers / Job Opportunities,College students,Development - Business Development,Education,Employment,Reference - General,United States,Vocational guidance,Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management
English Books:
Recommended Books