Manufacturing Engineering Career Exploration Jobs Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. 1

Bell Work Activity Directions - Please take out a sheet of paper and answer the following: A.Identify five goals that you would like to achieve by the time you are 25 years old. B.From the five goals, identify the top two goals that are most important to you and write at least three sentences for each one and explain why. 2 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

A. There are several important terms and definitions students need to know. B. Students will now complete the Career Exploration Jobs Matching Definitions handout. Students may work in groups. Warm-Up Activity Career Exploration Jobs 3 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Terms-

Evaluating Your Personal and Career Goals A goal can be defined as a desired outcome that you are willing to work toward. Goal setting: Where do you start? Before setting a goal, it is important to understand and prioritize your values. When you understand your values, you will be better equipped to set goals that are important to you and more motivated to work toward achieving them. 4 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

Evaluating Your Personal and Career Goals (Continued) Goal Setting: Where do you start? Be willing to make sacrifices to achieve your goals. Ensure that you are capable of achieving your goals by developing a strong skill set and giving your best effort. Have positive motivations and intentions, understanding that money should not be your only motivation. 5 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

Evaluating Your Personal and Career Goals (Continued) Passion is important because When you love what you do, you do not look at it as “work.” It is important to set goals that are meaningful to you. If you set meaningful goals, your perspective can help you endure difficult work tasks as you work toward accomplishing your goals. 6 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

Evaluating Your Personal and Career Goals (Continued) How will you measure success? Write down your goals. It is important to set attainable goals that are within your reach. Find a mentor. A mentor is someone who is experienced and can give you practical advice on setting new and more challenging goals. Periodically, look back and evaluate your progress. How do your goals fit into the big picture? Are you growing and improving your skills to help you achieve more challenging goals in the future? 7 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

Preparing for Postsecondary Education Transitioning into a postsecondary education program- It is very important for high school students to develop the skills required to speak for themselves and navigate through postsecondary education programs. Possessing strong academic and non-academic skills will give each student a greater chance of success. 8 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

Preparing for Postsecondary Education (Continued) The benefits of completing a postsecondary education program- Our global economy will require a skilled, technologically informed labor force for the foreseeable future. Graduates entering this new, competitive economy will need to have strong skills in math, critical thinking, language, and project management. A shortage of skilled workers is projected in the coming years due to the annual retirement of many Baby Boomers. 9 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

Preparing for Postsecondary Education (Continued) The benefits of completing a postsecondary education program- Future graduates of postsecondary programs will have a distinct competitive advantage in employment opportunities over non-graduates. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified data that shows the specific advantages of postsecondary education in terms of lower unemployment rates and higher weekly earnings ( see chart on slide 11). 10 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

2011 Earnings vs. Education Data 11 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

2011 Education vs. Unemployment Data 12 Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.