Career Planning

· Write a 5 page assessment in which you reflect on the results of self-assessment and self-inventory exercises, articulate your professional goals and career plans, and write an action plan for implementing those goals and plans.

There are a variety of options for making the transition from your undergraduate degree to your profession or graduate school setting. To enter one of these fields, you will need to formulate concrete plans. Planning and setting realistic, incremental goals for yourself are important steps toward realizing your long-term professional goals.

Context

The  Assessment 5 Context  document contains important information related to career planning.

Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

· Thinking back on your academic career thus far, how have your courses influenced you, and which ones stand out as important, particularly in regards to how they may influence the next phase of your life, your profession, and your future development? What coursework in particular influenced your desire to pursue a psychology major?

· What coursework and learning outcomes can you transfer to skills suited to the workplace or graduate school? For example, your research methods coursework may have influenced your decision to apply to graduate school or seek employment in a research capacity, or child psychology courses may have encouraged you to pursue occupations that involve working with or on behalf of children.

· What is your plan for transitioning from your bachelor's program to the real world: work, graduate school, or both? What action steps will you take when making the transition from college to a career or graduate school? Examples of action steps include visiting graduate schools to learn about programs, conducting informational job interviews in a specific field to obtain employment, and so forth.

Resources

Required Resources

The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

Capella Resources

The following tools are from the Capella Career Center. Each interactive exercise provides an opportunity for you to evaluate your skills or values to gain a better understanding of your personal and professional identity.

· Career Inventory Checklist .

· Work Values Card Sort .

Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Capella Resources

Click the links provided to view the following resources:

· SMART Action Plan .

The following tools are from the Capella Career Center. Each interactive exercise provides an opportunity for you to evaluate your skills, values, or goals to gain a better understanding of your personal and professional identity.

· Career Nourishers and Depleters Worksheet .

· Creating SMART Career Goals .

· Making the Graduate School Decision .

Capella Multimedia

Click the links provided below to view the following multimedia pieces:

· SMART Goals for an Action Plan  |  Transcript .

· Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals  |  Transcript .

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:

· Fritz, C., Yankelevich, M., Zarubin, A., & Barger, P. (2010).  Happy, healthy, and productive: The role of detachment from work during nonwork time . Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 977–983.

· Seibert, S. E., Kraimer, M. L., Holtom, B. C., & Pierotti, A. J. (2013).  Even the best laid plans sometimes go askew: Career self-management processes, career shocks, and the decision to pursue graduate education . Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(1), 169–182.

· London, M., Crandall, R., & Seals, G. W. (1977).  The contribution of job and leisure satisfaction to quality of life . Journal of Applied Psychology, 62(3), 328–334.

· Touré-Tillery, M., & Fishbach, A. (2012).  The end justifies the means, but only in the middle . Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(3), 570–583.

Course Library Guide

A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the  Psychology Capstone Project Library Guide  to help direct your research.

Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

· Social Psychology Network. (2014).  Online psychology career center . Retrieved from http://www.socialpsychology.org/career.htm

· American Psychological Association. (2014).  Careers in psychology . Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/careers.aspx

Bookstore Resource

The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required. Unless noted otherwise, these materials are available for purchase from the  Capella University Bookstore . When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.

· Kuther, T. L. (2016). The psychology major's handbook (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

· Assessment Instructions

To prepare for this assessment, complete the Work Values Card Sort and Career Inventory Checklist exercises linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading.

Then, write a 5 page paper in which you complete the following:

· Summarize the results of the required self-assessment and self-inventory exercises. Use critical thinking and your knowledge of psychology to analyze yourself. This summary can help guide your career direction.

· Describe your professional philosophy, including your goals and career plans.

· Demonstrate how your professional goals and career plans align with your values and life interests and describe how your values relate to professional behaviors and practices.

· Apply psychological principles and knowledge to discuss how your individual motivation and attitudes will help you overcome obstacles to reach your professional goals.

· Include an action plan for implementing your career goals. This will serve as a road map to help you take concrete steps to fulfill your goals.

5. For example, describe the steps you are planning to take to apply for a job or apply to graduate school. Discuss realistic ideas about how to implement psychological knowledge and skills in occupational pursuits that meet personal and professional goals.

5. You may conduct an Internet search to learn what should be included in an action plan, or you may also refer to the suggested media resources and the SMART Action Plan document, linked in the Resources, for more information.

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

. Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.

. APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA sixth edition style and formatting.

. Number of resources: Use a minimum of three academic resources.

. Length: Submission includes 5 typed, double-spaced pages.

. Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.