Week 2: Discussion Student Response

Establishing Career Goals

Prepare: Last week you explored three potential careers in journalism or media. This week we will focus more on creating career goals for one of those careers. Developing a career goal is a great way to take charge of planning your career and a useful tool to manage your career effectively. Explore job industries by conducting research on the type of careers that use your interests and skillset. O*Net OnLine (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , the Occupational Outlook Handbook (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , and Bureau of Labor Statistics (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. are great web resources for career exploration, job analysis, and education requirements.

Ask a professional in your career field of interest for an informational interview. Informational interviews allow you to gather information from a direct contact about his or her role. There are various ways to pursue an informational interview. For example, company websites, social networking sites, newspaper ads, and professional associations are avenues a job seeker can take.

Reflect: Consider your current lifestyle and where you would like to be in the future.

· Does the career you want pay a salary that meets your needs?

· Will it offer you opportunities to advance?

· Are you comfortable sitting at a desk all day, or do you prefer to travel?

· Is the career you are considering likely to exist when you are ready for a job?

· What are three things you must have for your future career?

· What are three things that you do not want?

Write: Write a 250- to 300-word post about your experience exploring these areas and that includes your career goals. An example of a career goal is below.

I would like to become a project manager within a large organization (5000+ employees) utilizing my organizational skills, education in organizational development, my ability to strategically plan, and my detail-oriented nature. Since I have a family, I must have a salary of $50,000 or more, work within 25 miles of Houston, Texas, and work a 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. traditional work schedule.

Respond to Peers: After you have written your post, read the posts of your peers and post a comment to at least two other posters about their potential careers. Your comments should address them by name, be between 50 and 75 words in length, and must include your name at the end of each response.