Essay must be in APA format and be 5 pages double spaced. I HAVE ATTACHED AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

CREP - EXAMPLE # 1

An Exploration of Two Prospective Careers

Researching prospective career options isn't just a useful way to learn about various careers, it's

also a great way to learn about one's self and to determine one's strengths and weaknesses in pursuits of a

long term investment in the job stratosphere. There are many career guidance applications available that

measure individual’s personalities, skill aptitudes and weaknesses and interests, in order to pair individuals

with careers suited to one's basic personality type. The two careers that I've chosen to explore fit with in

my basic personality type indicator. These careers are photography and cultural anthropology. According

the Holland Code's aptitude assessment, I'm strongly suited for artistic, investigative, realistic and social

endeavors. I'm least suited for conventional jobs (i.e. office jobs, retail, investment banking, etc…). I used

the career code assessment as a tool to determine which professional careers I wanted to explore.

Becoming a professional photographer has interested me since I was a child. Photographers mix

art and science to create emotional images. Photography is an extremely competitive and ever-changing

field. The rapid advancements of photographic technology demand that professional photographers learn

the new technologies and find ways to make their work stand out from the rest. Photography education

is available from workshops to degree programs. Many colleges, universities and vocation schools offer

two- and four-year photography degrees. Many photographers continue training by assisting other

photographers. Becoming a photography assistant can reinforce and further technical training as well

provide an opportunity to learn the business aspect of the profession.

The United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics warns that falling prices of professional

photography equipment and the popularity of the medium has increased the competition dramatically.

Many companies purchase less expensive images from amateur photographers or opt to make their own

images for advertising. News photography is also affected by amateur shutterbugs. The rise of amateur

street photography and non-copyright images means that news publications that still exist, don’t have to

pay for images if they don’t want to. The estimated median income of photographers as of May 2008 is

$29,440. It seems that this number will go down as digital camera prices fall and magazines become obsolete.

On the other hand, anthropologists are expected to be in demand in the coming years and the

average earnings are much higher than photographers’ wages. Anthropology is a social science that

studies the origins, behavior and brain of humans. Cultural anthropologists are interested in customs and

cultures of people. People in this field spend years studying groups of people, collecting data and writing

the findings to better understand what it is that makes us human. Anthropologists must be methodical,

investigative and patient. This profession demands education. Anthropologists working in the field often

have no less than a Master’s degree in social science, although a bachelor’s degree will suffice teaching

jobs. The extensive academic training seems to be great preparation for the determination and patience of

a professional anthropologist working in the field.

As the global community grows closer, the demand for cultural anthropologists as advisors to

governmental and corporate institutions grows. The median earnings of a professional anthropologist in

May of 2008 was $53, 910 and is expected to increase. The customs and people that cultural

anthropologists explore fascinate me, but the slow and laborious research is not something that I think I’m

capable of following through on. The prospect of higher earnings doesn’t compel me enough to

investigate this career further. Although I’m interested in the concepts of the profession, it does not

provide me with a rapidly changing environment that suits my personality.

My current internship with a documentary photographer has provided me with great insight into

the profession. I’m aware that the demand and pay for documentary photographers is low, but I’m moved

to continue in the tradition of great photographers like Mary Ellen Mark, Susan Meiselas, and Henri

Cartie-Bresson whose images are markers of a certain time and place and transcend those moments. It’s

my hope that I can find a way through my photography to be true to my desires and make enough money

to live and travel. After researching careers, I’m even more certain that a profession in the photographic

field is right for me. I may pair it with something in social sciences, but it is ultimately what I want and

its manifestations are more valuable to me than a higher income.

Ex # 2 Career Research and Exploration Paper

Law plays a huge role in maintaining order in society, and, therefore, lawyers inherently

play a crucial role in life. Lawyers are responsible to become both advocates and advisors to

other members of a society. As advocates, lawyers must represent clients in either criminal or

civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in the courtroom. As advisors, lawyers counsel

their clients outside the courtroom regarding their legal rights and the various ways in which they

should pursue matters in either business or private life. Of course, all lawyers must research the

intent of law in society in order to carefully apply it to the various circumstances they face

regardless if they act as advocates or as advisors.

The more specific aspects of a lawyer’s tasks and responsibilities depend upon his or her

field of specialization in law. For instance, while all lawyers are trained to represent clients in

court, some are required to appear in court more frequently than others are. Those who are

generally required to appear the most frequently are lawyers who are specialized in trial work.

Because trial lawyers must be able to represent their clients in front of a judge and jury, they

must have the skills and abilities to think fast and speak with clarity and passion. Nevertheless,

even trial lawyers do not spend most of their time inside the courtroom. On the contrary, they

spend the majority of time outside the courtroom doing various tasks such as research and

interviewing clients and witnesses.

Besides in trial work, those who are aspiring to become lawyers may have the option of

specializing in other various areas, such as in bankruptcy, probate, international, or elder law.

The range of possible fields in which lawyers can find themselves is quite large, and it is not too

uncommon to find some working for environmental interest groups, waste disposal companies,

or construction firms in their dealings with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, while

others working to help protect clients’ claims to copyrights, artwork under contract, product

designs, or computer programs. Many of these lawyers work in private practices and represent

individuals who are looking for assistance in litigation, wills, trusts, contracts, mortgages, titles,

or leases. Still, a significant number of lawyers work for a specific employer. Most of these

lawyers work for either a corporation or the government. Lawyers who work for the latter are

employed at all levels of the government. Those who work at the State level usually play key

roles in the criminal justice system, while those who work at the Federal level help investigate

cases for the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies.

Because of their positions of great responsibility, lawyers must have a very strong

background in academics. Applicants of lawyers are usually required to undergo seven years of

full time study after school — four years at an undergraduate college or university, followed by 3

years of law school. Admissions into law school is quite competitive, and, therefore, prospective

lawyers are highly encouraged to develop strong proficiency in writing, speaking, reading,

researching, analyzing — skills that are critical not only in law school, but also in their careers.

Regardless of the major one decides to pursue in his or her undergraduate college or university, a

multidisciplinary background is highly recommended. For this reason, those pursuing a career in

law should take as many courses as possible in the following disciplines: English, foreign

languages, public speaking, government, philosophy, history, economics, mathematics, and

computer science.

The biggest factor in one’s admissions into law school is the LSAT, and, therefore,

preparing for the exam should be one of my biggest concerns during my years as an

undergraduate student. According to Princeton Review, the LSAT heavily emphasizes logic in

their questions. An applicant to law school should have the ability to perform the following tasks

with the utmost proficiency: (1) determine main points of arguments; (2) apply logic to abstract

concepts; (3) find relevant information within a text; and (4) analyze and evaluate arguments.

For this reason, I should spend my next few years as an undergraduate student taking full

advantage of a liberal arts education. I have already taken courses that range from those of

Composition and Shakespeare to those of Calculus and Linear Algebra. Once I transfer into a

four-year college, I fully intend on maintaining the same manner of studies. In addition, given

that the LSAT has sections on reading comprehension and writing, I feel that I should strongly

consider a bachelor’s degree in a major that requires extensive reading and writing — such as

history. In addition, I must make sure that I amply read materials that are unrelated school. This

preparation, however, does not appear to be much of a burden since I already spend a good

portion of my free time reading books.

Ultimately, I feel that preparation for law school is mostly an academic effort. Nevertheless,

there are few indispensable skills that every lawyer should master that cannot really be learned inside

the classroom. For instance, because lawyers are constantly required to interact and communicate

with others inside and outside the courtroom, skills in speaking, active listening, and negotiation are

quite crucial. For this reason, those hoping to become lawyers should take the time to learn how to

effectively interact with other human beings. Therefore, I wish to pursue an internship that deals with

social work. I feel that working in a counseling center, for example, can tremendously help me learn

how to interact with others even if I may not be able to relate to their situations. In addition, I feel

that working with a supervisor to help special individuals in various therapy and outreach programs

will help me gain the skills as an advisor. While such an internship may not necessarily relate to law,

I am confident that the experiences I will gain in social work will help me overcome the barriers in

communication that I might have to face as a lawyer in the future.

Ex # 3 Career Research Paper

Choosing to pursue an academic career should be every high-school graduate’s number one

priority. In today’s demanding job market and dog-eat-dog style of economy, only college graduates are

given a fighting chance at financial freedom. In order to achieve this very common life goal of being able

to live a comfortable lifestyle, I opted to pursue an academic career majoring in the field of Computer

Science. This choice, I believe, will definitely enhance my chances of executing my life’s dream of

having a career in computer programming.

Making such a mandatory and big decision to go to college will affect my entire future in a very

direct and profound way. This decision should be done with careful and advised planning and

consideration. Most colleges recognize that this step in the academic and educational processes is vital

and as such have provided help to students and potential students. I have been wise enough to take full

advantage of this wonderful resource that is made freely available to us aspiring scholarly successors. In

spite of the many hindrances in my life, such as inadequate financing and lack of self control, I plan on

sticking to the challenges of this difficult college journey until the milestone of my graduation is reached.

These infamous hindrances are some of the reasons why many people’s opportunities to attend college

never come knocking. Mine didn’t either. I had to take the initiative to go seek out that opportunity and

make it mine.

The demands of my future career include being able to multitask, being able to communicate well

both orally and written. A college background is, hands down, the best aide in acquitting these invaluable

skills. Other skills include the ability to maintain professional relationships and network with colleagues

efficiently. All of these skills do involve, to some degree, written communication. If, for example, a

programmer needs to make a computer software proposal to a potential client, then a clearly and

coherently written persuasive letter will be necessary to introduce the programmer’s product to the

potential client. A solid background in written communication will also help me in the future in other

ways such as recording journals, writing books and other pieces of literature; for I do believe in the clever

catchphrase: “publish or perish”.

My destined and chosen career is a computer technician specializing in network administration,

network programming, and troubleshooting. I chose this career almost subconsciously. This certainly

doesn’t mean I haven’t given this life-determining issue serious and detailed consideration, or haven’t

been professionally advised about the requirements and rewards that this career holds. I subconsciously

chose this career field because I also have a passion for technicality, innovation, and challenges. These

are a few of the foundation concepts on which computers are operated and, likewise, they are main

components of my chosen career. Through a training course a few years ago, I was introduced to the field

of network administration and my confidence in my being a very productive network administrator

someday was greatly boosted.

The qualifications that I will need for my career in the computer science field include a

baccalaureate degree in computer science from a well recognized institution such as the one I currently

attend which is the City University of New York. In addition to a degree, I will need many short training

certifications that are not included in the degree program. These courses include the A plus (A+)

certification, the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), and the Network plus (Network +)

certification. Having a successful career in the computer sciences requires one to be very well rounded,

extremely computer savvy, and also up-to-date with the rapidly changing technology. I do believe that I

meet the interpersonal requirements of this career. By the end of my academic career I will meet all the

educational requirements for the job. In essence when I go for a job interview some time in the future I

hope to be able to bring a lot to the bargaining table. I want to have a lot of volunteering experience under

my belt. I want to also have a wonderful academic record of punctuality, good grades, and extra curricular

activities thus providing me with precious qualities that support any demand I may have. I can achieve the

possession of all these things by continuing to volunteer for good charitable causes and non-profit

organizations, attend all my classes early, executing the discipline to study more and manage my time

more efficiently to have enough time for extra curricular activities and my present college institution.

For my good service, and, like everyone, I expect to be properly compensated when I start my

career. The current introductory salary for a network administrator is between $49,000 and $65, 000 per

year. Hopefully my qualifications will be persuasive enough to land myself a little more than that as my

starting pay. Over time I will gain priceless experience that will most definitely increase my “worth” to a

network administrator capacity. Therefore, I plan to climb the corporate ladder of success by using my

increasing expertise as my stronghold throughout the duration of my career. I will set a target salary for

myself because I believe declared goals are the most often reached objectives. So I hereby announce that

my target salary is $145,000 per year reachable within the next ten years. I believe it’s both reasonable

and realistic. Most importantly of all I believe I will reach it.

EX # 4 Career Research Paper

The world is on a constant search for a way to make a greener and healthier planet for all

its inhabitants. Being an environmental scientist seems to be the career to choose. These scientists

have the opportunity to protect the environment by identifying problems and finding solutions

that can minimize hazards to the health of our planet. To me, it’s a very self-fulfilling job because

one can gain a better understanding of the issues we face and can attempt to solve it. This career

can allow me to find solutions to human health problems and improve the natural environment.

The tough part about the job might be the finding funding part and the potential fear of

having their funding taken away from you without advance notice. One must be able to submit

grant proposals to obtain funding for the projects. Therefore, environmental scientists must be

able to write and speak in a clear manner in order to explain their research to potential supporters.

They have to write risk assessments, describing the likely affect of environmental changes, and

give presentations to managers or regulators. On top of that, there are usually deadlines and

solutions must be found within a certain period of time. Long work hours may be inevitable if

pressured to meet deadlines.

A bachelor’s degree in environmental biology or earth science is adequate for entry level

positions. However, most companies prefer to hire one with a master’s degree in environmental

science or related natural science. Computer skills are an essential for this career field. One must

be a team player and be able to write reports and proposals that can clearly communicate their

research results or ideas to anyone from regulators to the public. Strong oral and written

communication skills are essential.

Another career I am extremely interested in is working as an editor. This job requires a

college degree in journalism or English. It is needless to say that to be an editor, one must

demonstrate good writing skills. They must be able to express ideas clearly and logically and

should enjoy writing. Creativity, curiosity, broad knowledge, self-motivation are valuable traits

for this career. These people aid in developing content using any type of multimedia format that

can be read, listened to, or viewed on screen. Since online publications and services are growing,

there is a demand for editors with multimedia experience. Now that is the hard part. Where can

you ever find the experience?

Editors review, rewrite, and edit the work of writers. They could also have an input in the

original writing. The responsibility of an editor varies with the employer and the level of the

editorial position. Their duties may include planning the content of books, magazines, journals

and so on. Editors also review story ideas which were proposed to them by writers and they will

make the final decision to see if it can appeal to readers. They review and edit drafts of books

and articles, offer their input and comments to improve the work, and may also suggest possible

titles. If the editor works for a book-publishing industry, their responsibility is to review

proposals for books and decide whether or not to buy the publication rights from the author.

I am well aware that one normally starts from the bottom and work their way up. Most

editors begin their career as writers. As electronic communications have advanced, laptops and

wireless communications technology allow editors to work from home or on the road. This gives

editors much flexibility in where and how they will complete each assignment. Editors’

schedules are determined by the production schedule and the type of editorial position they are

in. They normally work in offices and have to deal with deadlines pressure and the pressure of

ensuring that the information they publish is accurate.

Both career choices are so different but yet very similar at the same time. Strong writing,

clear communication, and the readiness to meet deadlines are all need for either career choice. I

can communicate in a clear precise manner, I work the best under pressure, and I believe my

writing skills are decent but there is always room to improve in that area. After writing this

paper, I am leaning towards the editorial career since I have such a joy for reading. Plus, my

internship is teaching me natural leadership and I can definitely use my leadership ability to

guide and encourage others in the work as an editor.