Welcome! Academic Strategies Unit 9 Seminar

General Questions & Weekly News Please share your weekly news… and general questions.

Improvement Goal If you could change or IMPROVE one thing about yourself (as a student) for next term, what would it be and why? How will you make this improvement or change?

Weekly Reminders & Announcements Announcements Unit 7 & Unit 8 Grades Late Assignments Final Project Due: Tuesday, April 6th Unit 9 & Unit 10 Reminders

Unit 9 Assignments Complete the Unit 9 Reading Reading: Career Action Planning Attend the Unit 9 Discussion Complete the Unit 9 Assignment Final Project: Interview & Career Action Plan

Unit 9 Template Career Action Plan UNIT 9 DROPBOX: Submit template (Unit 9) to the Unit 9 Dropbox!

Questions?

Career Action Planning STEP I: My Present Self-Assessment: Where am I right now? STEP II: My Future Goal Setting: Where do I want to be in the future? STEP III: My Path Evaluation: How will I get there? STEP IV: My Actions Follow Through: What specific task must I complete?

Why do YOU think these four steps/questions are so important for you to consider as you continue planning and preparing for your career?

Key Factors in Successful Career Planning Have a clear idea of your career goals Understand your own career values –what motivates you & why are your goals important to you Critically evaluate your strengths & weaknesses Focus on ACTIONS that will help you to achieve your goals

The Case of Wanda Wanda is in the last weeks of her first quarter at Kaplan University. She has learned a lot about herself and her career interests. She now has a clearer idea of where she is headed and is looking forward to her next term at Kaplan. With her Career Action Plan in hand, she is ready to call her Advisor so that she can sign up for her new courses and discuss her future plans.

How is Wanda setting herself up for success? List at least one or two smart ACTIONS she’s taking!

One CRITICAL element in a Career Action Plan is the "Follow Through" element: “What specific task must I complete?” The ACTION step!!! Why do you think this step is critical as Wanda considers her plans for next term?

One excellent ACTION Wanda is taking is talking with her Advisor. What kinds of questions might Wanda have for her Advisor?

Critical Thinking Connections Think Analyze Examine Question Research Explore All Options Evaluate All Variables Carefully Carefully Weigh the Pros & Cons

WHY might YOU want to “explore all options” as you continue to plan and prepare for your future careers?

WHY should YOU “carefully weigh the pros and cons” as you consider different career options?

We make better decisions when we take time to think, evaluate, research and weigh the pro’s and cons! That is why we are taking time to focus exclusively on Career Action Planning this week: It's IMPORTANT!!!

Final Course Comments HOLISTIC: "relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.” ~Webster’s 9th Up until this point in the course we have been looking at the PARTS, not the whole, so it is actually fitting that during our last seminar we take time to carefully piece all these parts together.

Course Topics: The Parts You Can Do It! Reading & Note-taking Critical Thinking & Research Time Management Career Connections Learning Styles Writing Effectively Goals & Planning Career Action Planning Stress Management

When we put all of these "parts" together, what do you think they add up to?

SUCCESS!

The Successful Student Together, these topics add up to a SUCCESSFUL STUDENT!! All these “parts” need to work together to accomplish the goal of SUCCESS! It’s kind of like all the little gears in a watch—if one isn’t working, the whole system is going to be off track. As you move forward, continue to work with all of these items in order to be successful students. It is an ongoing process, a process you must continue to refine and build and THINK about! Do not stop now!!

Take Charge! Take time to see your strengths and your weaknesses. Take time to examine yourself and your motivations-- question yourself: (How am I doing?), understanding yourself (Why do I feel this way?), improving yourself (How can I effectively deal with this situation?)! In order to make progress, you must take part in this kind of thinking on a regular basis. The more you understand yourself--your motivations, your strengths, your weaknesses--the more you can adapt, change and meet the demands of each new situation or obstacle you encounter.

Final Thoughts… "Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." ~Henry David Thoreau (from Walden)

Build Firm Foundations Set your goals high, but be realistic. Work towards them one step at a time. Build FIRM FOUNDATIONS! This is what you’ve been doing here all term. Keep going! Remember, you can aim as high as you want, but you must use your own common sense and intelligence as you go along. You have got to find practical ways to make progress and you must … BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

It is most certainly an uphill climb, but you now have a few more skills than you did eight weeks ago! Keep on climbing! Thanks so much for attending…

Final Questions