Econimic Project

SENIOR ECONOMICS CAREER RESEARCH AND SHADOW PROJECT

This is a Two-part assignment.

PART ONE: Career Selection and Research Decide on two different career paths that you're interested in pursuing. Write a 3-5 page paper that compares your choices in the areas listed below. The careers may be related to one another (e.g., Architect and Structural Engineer), but they must be distinct, and you must include enough information about each to make the differences between them clear. For example: Surgeon and ObGyn, or Software Developer and Programmer, are not sufficiently distinct from one another for this project. If you have any doubts, talk to me FIRST, before you start writing. The best sources for initial research are online: Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm Occupational Information Network O*Net Online http://online.onetcenter.org/ These sites will direct you to other resources that should be considered when writing your paper. I encourage you to use/locate and use other electronic or print sources. A minimum of three sources is required in your Works Cited/Bibliography. Your paper must by typed, using a proper heading (your name, course, etc) , and include three citations, a bibliography page, and the following information. For each career briefly discuss:

Job title and description Education and/or training necessary Salary range (beginning and experienced) Demand for workers in this field as compared to supply. Reasons why you chose each career (what abilities and interests or expectations do you

currently have that led you to this choice?). Given the information you discovered are you still likely to consider this as a career?

Why or why not? Paper must include 3 citations (MLA) and a Bibliography of three (3) items

Lastly, include the information for who you will shadow on the second part of the assignment. Write the name, job title, business, and phone number of the person you have contacted for your shadow experience. You may not shadow a parent, grandparent, or sibling; the job position you have now or have worked at in the past; your Christian Service job; or a person affiliated with Judge. Citations: You must include three citations in the text of your paper, using standard MLA format (also used for

Works Cited/Bibliography page). Format must be consistent: possible models: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/ www.easybib.com Papers must be submitted on Canvas by the due date in order to be considered for full credit. Papers will be accepted with a 10% deduction per day late. DATE DUE___________________________________________________ Grade to be included in First (Third) Quarter

PART TWO: Shadow Experience Spend a minimum of three hours of a normal workday on the job with the person you chose to shadow (from Part One). You may not skip school to complete your shadowing: there will be some days when you will be out of school to accomplish this. Observe, take notes, and ask questions. You will be required to complete a 3+ page paper on your experience. Your paper must be typed, proofread, and contain the following information: 1. General Information: Name of the person shadowed, person’s job title and place of business, date and

time shadowed. 2. Describe the nature of the business in terms of 1) product or service provided and the population

served (youth, older people, clients from all sectors, etc.); 2) type of business organization (corporation, partnership, proprietorship, franchise, non-profit, government organization, etc.); 3) Region served: is it a local, regional, national, or international business?

3. Describe your day. What did your contact, and/or you, do while you visited? 4. Compare and contrast the following information you learned from shadowing to the earlier research

you did on that career: Salary Scale/Wage Scale for the profession (SLC relative to national) Educational requirements Opportunity for advancement Outlook for job opportunity Benefits (retirement programs, pension, health insurance, etc.) and other programs to improve

worker satisfaction (day-care, flexible hours, profit sharing, tuition assistance bonuses) 5. Is the job what you expected it to be? Why or why not? 6. Give at least two examples of incentives and two examples of disincentives that would encourage or

discourage you from going into this occupation. Are you still interested in the career? 7. Express your feelings about the shadowing experience and give suggestions for its improvement. 8. Send a Thank-you card, a real, physical one. Include a copy of the card in your paper. This shows your professionalism, and your appreciation. Good handwriting; on inside right/bottom of card; not notebook paper, or an email, or a text Usual format: "thank-you", and a little something you learned/enjoyed/'took back' to school Papers must be submitted on Canvas by the due date in order to be considered for full credit. Late papers will be accepted with a 10% deduction per day late. DATE DUE __________________________________________ Grade to be included in Second (Fourth) Quarter