Chapter 1
Lesson 1: Personal Identity and Role Models
| Objectives By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
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| Introduction Welcome to the first lesson of Career Exploration. The start of your career may seem unimaginably far off, or it may feel terrifyingly (or tantalizingly) close. Whatever feelings you have about leaving school and entering the world of work, the truth is that you have been preparing for a career for many years now. This preparation has not been limited to just classes and schoolwork. Nearly every accomplishment and activity you have done so far in your life has taught you something: a specific skill, perhaps, or maybe something deeper about your own character, interests, and talents. The purpose of this course is first to help you learn about yourself, and then to help you find a career that matches your interests, aptitudes, personality, and goals. Along the way, the course will also teach you a number of specific skills that will help you both find and succeed in a job. Before Proceeding, Please Read Carefully: You will need to maintain a notebook for your personal notes and reminders about what you have learned and also to record your responses to the exercises that will appear throughout each lesson of this course. Much of the information from these exercises will be used in the accompanying submissions. Always consult your teacher to see if you should turn in the notebook itself for grading or if you should be prepared to type the necessary information from the exercises into the appropriate textboxes in the submission. If you are turning in the notebook, you will simply type a sentence to that effect in the answer boxes. If your teacher asks you to record your answers in the textboxes, be prepared to type the information from your notebook. As an alternative, you might want to ask your teacher if you can type your responses onto a floppy disk in advance so that you can save time when you do the submission by copying and pasting the answers into the spaces provided. Other People's Expectations vs. Your Own Goals Most young people, at some time in their lives, have been told something like, "Oh, you're so good at _____. You should be a _____." Some people grow up hearing the same refrain--from parents, teachers, friends, and others--that they should be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a businessperson. Such advice can be useful, but often it has the effect of limiting young people's imaginations and confining them to career paths that may not reflect their actual interests and talents. One of the main goals of this course is to expose you to the broadest range of possible careers and to help you distinguish between what other people expect your career to be and what you actually want to do with your life. Only when you can distinguish between your career expectations and what others expect of you can you make an informed and healthy decision regarding your future career. | ||
| Role Models and Mentors Not all outside expectations and advice are harmful--far from it. Without other people to provide examples of how to live our lives, we would have no conception of the innumerable options that life presents to us. We can learn a great deal from other people's experiences, including both their successes and their failures. It is extremely important for people to have positive role models in their lives. A role model is a person who serves as an example of positive behavior that others, especially younger people, can imitate. A role model need not be someone exactly the same as you, only someone who you admire and would like to imitate in some respect. At the same time, many people find that the most effective role models are people with whom they can identify in some fundamental way. If your role models are from the same neighborhood as you, have the same ethnic background, or share some other characteristic, it is likely that they will have had to overcome similar obstacles on their path to success. Mentors
Although your role model does not need to be someone you know, many people do get to know their role models very well. In such cases, a role model can become something more: a mentor. No person in this world achieves anything without help from others. Nearly every successful person has been helped by a mentor, usually someone older and more experienced who can offer both assistance and advice. The word mentor comes from the ancient Greek epic The Odyssey, in which the main character, Odysseus, asks his friend Mentoring was common in Ancient Greece and other pre-modern societies. In fact, until recently, mentoring relationships were the primary way that younger people learned from their elders. In order to learn a skilled trade, for instance, a young person would become an apprentice to a master craftsman, who would pass down his knowledge. The same system prevailed in academics: For example, Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, learned philosophy from Plato, who himself had been taught by Socrates. A mentor may help you in several ways. Mentors can provide you with valuable opportunities, such as introducing you to potential employers or arranging an interview with a college admissions officer. Being older and more experienced, they can also offer advice about how they dealt with the same situations that you are facing now. Moreover, since mentors have faced difficult situations and successfully dealt with them, they provide assurance that there are solutions to the obstacles you will inevitably be confronted with over the course of your career. Of course, young people should not copy their mentors in every respect. As a young man, Carl Jung worked closely with the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud, who trained him in the art of psychoanalysis. Jung, who eventually became a famous psychologist in his own right, ultimately decided that his mentor Freud had been mistaken about important issues. Carl Jung spent much of his career arguing against Freud's theories, yet he remained deeply indebted to Freud for being his mentor early in his career. It is common for people to have multiple mentors over the course of their life and career. This enables them to learn different things from different people and to incorporate useful lessons from each into their own lives. Another thing to remember is that a mentor need not be someone rich, powerful, or famous. The best mentor is simply someone you know, respect, and from whom you would like to learn. PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 1: A Positive Role Model In your notebook, complete the following assignment: Think of a positive adult role model in your life, outside your immediate family. Who is this person? What is the person's greatest accomplishment? List three admirable skills or qualities of that person. How have these skills helped the person achieve personal and professional goals? Please write your response in an organized paragraph of five to seven sentences. |
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| Visualization One of the great difficulties associated with planning your career is how hard it is to actually imagine the future in any detail. Indeed, this is a problem when thinking about the future in general: How are you supposed to make decisions about a future if you can't even foresee what it will be like? One of the most useful things about having positive role models is that they help you to visualize a possible route to success, to take your future from theory to reality. Visualization--creating a detailed mental picture of a future event--can be an incredibly powerful psychological tool. Creating a positive image of the future in your mind makes it much more likely that you will achieve your goals. (The opposite also holds true: visualizing a negative outcome makes it less likely that you will succeed.) The purpose of the next activity is to help make the future more real in your mind and, thereby, increase your chances of success. PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 2: Visualization In your notebook, complete the following assignment: a.) Imagine your high school graduation. What is the weather like? Who among your family and friends is present? How do they look? How do you feel? Proud? Happy? Sad? Why? Describe the scene in detail in your notebook. Please write your response in an organized paragraph of seven to nine sentences. b.) Now imagine another significant event in your future life. For instance, you could choose:
In your notebook, write a detailed description of the event. Make sure to include both physical and emotional details. Please write your response in one or more organized paragraphs. | ||
| Life Goals
Psychological studies have indicated that one of the most important things that determine individual happiness is having long-term goals to work towards. Of course, as you change and experience new things, some of your goals will also change. If you get in the habit now of setting goals, it will serve you well for the remainder of your life. Goals can be as short-term as "Finish this thank-you note to Grandma in the next fifteen minutes," and as long-term as "Go my whole life without getting a parking ticket." They can also be very narrow ("Read twenty pages in my book tonight") or extremely broad ("Leave the world a better place than I found it"). In general, however, the most helpful goals are those that are specific and realistic enough for you to visualize in your head, as you did in Exercise 2. Career goals are only one type of goal. Even though your career choice is extremely important, it is only one aspect of your life. Most people would not be happy if they had a successful career but a non-existent or unfulfilling personal life. Moreover, as individuals we can only be so happy if our community, nation, or planet is evolving in directions that we dislike. Truly balanced happiness comes only when we find fulfillment and success in all aspects of our life. Just as different spheres of your life tend to overlap, so too do different types of goals. For example, you might have the goal of preserving the wilderness area near where you grew up. This community goal might lead to the personal goal of volunteering once a month to pick up trash in the wilderness area. And a career goal of yours might be to donate your legal skills as an attorney to the open space trust that cares for the protected area. This next exercise is designed to help you think about your goals in the various spheres of life. As you work on this activity, try to draw upon the first two exercises in this lesson. Think about what your role models have accomplished. Don't copy their achievements, but use them as a guide. Also, reflect on the visualization exercise in Activity 2. What sorts of goals would help you get to the important events you visualized? PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 3: Life Goals In your notebook, complete the following assignment: a) List five professional or educational goals you would like to accomplish in your lifetime. Be specific! For example:
b) List 10 things you would like to accomplish in your personal and family life over the course of your lifetime. For example:
c) List five global, national, or community goals. In other words, list five things you would like to change or preserve about your planet, your country, or your community. For example:
d) Out of the 20 goals you came up with in parts a, b, and c, select the five most important to you. How many of the goals you chose are from each list (educational/professional, personal/family, and global/nation/community)? Why are the five goals you chose the most important to you? Please write your response in an organized paragraph of seven to nine sentences. | ||
| Outside Expectations Our perceptions about ourselves are heavily influenced by the expectations and attitudes of others. If the people around us believe we can do something, then it is much more likely that we will succeed. The reverse is equally true. Other people's expectations can limit us just as much as they can encourage us. Sometimes negative expectations come from people we know well, even people we love and who love us. Some people may not even be aware that they hold such negative expectations. In many cases, their attitudes are manifestations of stereotypes held by society at large. A stereotype is a biased and oversimplified generalization about a group or type of person. Everyone holds stereotypes; they are a natural consequence of the human mind's desire to reduce the complexity of life into clear and easy-to-understand categories. Although it is impossible to avoid stereotypes entirely, it is possible to minimize their negative impact. The most important thing to do is to recognize when you or someone else is relying on stereotypes instead of evaluating a person as a unique individual. Stereotypes need not be strictly negative; stereotypes exist that say that all women can cook, that all Asians are good at math, and that all gay men dress well. Although these stereotypes may seem like compliments, in reality they can be just as harmful as negative stereotypes. Whether consciously or subconsciously, both negative and "positive" stereotypes can hurt the people they describe. Don't let stereotypes limit your own horizons. PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 4: Stereotypes Complete the following exercise in your notebook. Each of the following five scenarios deals with a different type of stereotype or false perception. Read all five scenarios and choose the one that most interests you. Respond to the questions that follow the scenario you choose. Write your response in an organized paragraph of seven to nine sentences. Scenario 1 Miriam and George are fraternal twins. Not only are they sister and brother, they are both talented basketball players. Both play basketball on their high school varsity teams. Miriam and George have participated in basketball training camps since they were young, and both are star players on their teams. Miriam and George also regularly play competitive basketball games against each other in their spare time at home. When asked about their abilities, Miriam and George give credit to their sibling for constantly challenging and improving their own skills. Both hope to play basketball in college. Often, their games are on the same night of the week. The boys' and girls' varsity basketball teams at Miriam and George’s high school are coached by two different individuals. The boys' basketball coach is employed full-time, while the girls' basketball coach is employed part-time. The coach for the boys team regularly invites talent scouts from regional universities to observe potential recruits. One evening, after matches against the rival team from a neighboring town, a local news reporter interviewed some of the players. The reporter interviewed both Miriam and George. After asking both siblings to reflect on the games and their teams’ performances, he turned to George, and said, “I saw a few college recruiters in the stands tonight. I’ll bet you have a few scholarship offers by the end of the season. Good luck George!" Questions: What bias or stereotype is present in this scenario? What expectations are placed on Miriam and George? Who is imposing expectations on Miriam and George? How are expectations placed on Miriam and George? Are the expectations the same or different? If you were in Miriam’s position, how would you feel? If you were in George’s position, how would you feel? Imagine the next few moments of the ending scene…what should George say to the reporter? What should Miriam say to the reporter? What would you say to the reporter? Scenario 2 April is a student in the eleventh grade. She is a very conscientious student and has maintained a grade point average of 3.85 throughout her high school career. April is also active in her high school debate club and writes articles for her school newspaper. She hopes to attend an Ivy League university on a financial aid scholarship and eventually become a doctor of psychology. April’s family has had to struggle to make ends meet. Her mother passed away when April was very little. Her father was disabled in an accident at his construction job, and although he collects disability money, he is unable to work. With an older brother and two younger siblings to provide for in addition to April, her father has very little money left over for family vacations, new clothes, or college tuition. Consequently, April and her older brother help the family by working at a local restaurant. Both assist their father by contributing their income to meals and rent payments. Recently, April met with her high school guidance counselor. While formulating a schedule of classes for her senior year, the counselor asked April what her plans were after graduating high school. April told her that her goal was to attend Questions: What bias or stereotype is present in this scenario? What expectations are placed on April? Who is imposing expectations on April? How are expectations placed on April? If you were in April’s position, how would you feel? If you were in April’s position, how would you respond to the counselor? Scenario 3 William, known to his friends as Will, is a sophomore in college studying electronic journalism. After college, Will hopes to obtain work as a news anchor for a major news network. To sharpen his skills and prepare for his career goals, Will works for the student-run university television station. He is also a member of the local Toastmaster’s Organization, an organization dedicated to improving the public speaking skills of its members. Will has been overweight since childhood. Even though he has tried modifying his diet and walks several miles each day on his college campus, he is still nearly sixty pounds overweight. Recently, Will met with his academic advisor, Dr. Fisher, to ask for a recommendation for a summer internship at the local television station. Dr. Fisher responded by telling Will that while he believed Will had the skills to be a good news anchor, he should really consider working behind the camera because no television station would hire an overweight news anchor. Questions: What bias or stereotype is present in this scenario? What expectations are placed on Will? Who is imposing expectations on Will? How are expectations placed on Will? If you were in Will’s position, how would you feel? If you were in Will’s position, how would you respond to Dr. Fisher? Scenario 4 Terrance is a student in the ninth grade. He is interested in motorcycles, hip hop music, and girls. He joined the freshman wrestling team, and his favorite class is small engines because he is fixing up an old motorcycle he hopes to drive when he obtains his license. Terrance was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was in elementary school. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which the brain occasionally releases abnormal electrical impulses. Individuals with epilepsy experience seizures in varying degrees and frequency. The seizures Terrance experiences are not severe but they do interrupt his routine when they occur. Typically, his body becomes stiff and he stares into space for several seconds. When the seizure is over, Terrance is confused and unaware of what has transpired. The seizures Terrance experiences do not cause him to fall down or have jerking motions. Most of his classmates are unaware of his medical condition. One day over the lunch break, Terrance and his buddy Rich were discussing what they considered to be an ideal career. Terrance referred to his love of motorcycles saying he would love to race them. Rich was surprised and said, “Dude, you’ve got epilepsy, no way is the state going to let you drive! You’d be better off owning a bike shop, though of course who’s going to buy a bike from a guy who can’t drive?” Questions: What bias or stereotype is present in this scenario? What expectations are placed on Terrance? Who is imposing expectations on Terrance? How are expectations placed on Terrance? If you were in Terrance’s position, how would you feel? If you were in Terrance’s position, how would you respond to Rich? Scenario 5 Yolanda is of Native American heritage and a citizen of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. She was born and raised in During Yolanda’s first week of classes at college, the instructor of the class, Introduction to Nursing, had the students introduce themselves and share a little information about their background. When it was Yolanda’s turn, she introduced herself and told the class she was a Menominee tribal citizen from Questions: What bias or stereotype is present in this scenario? What expectations are placed on Yolanda? Who is imposing expectations on Yolanda? How are expectations placed on Yolanda? If you were in Yolanda’s position, how would you feel? If you were in Yolanda’s position, how would you respond to the instructor? In Closing By now you have had a chance to reflect on how important it is to identify role models and to seek out mentors to help you reach your goals. You have also spent time considering what those goals are. Another important issue in this lesson is how stereotypes affect our perceptions of ourselves and others. All of these should help you in your effort to learn more about yourself. As explained at the top of the lesson, some of the information in the exercises found in this lesson will be used in the accompanying submission. Confer with your teacher to determine if you are to turn in your notebook for grading or if you should be prepared to copy your responses into textboxes in the submission. If you turn in your notebook, you will simply indicate this in the appropriate boxes in the submission. If your teacher requests that you record your answers in the submission, and if your computer accepts floppy disks, you may wish to transfer your responses to a disk prior to beginning the submission. By copying and pasting information from your disk, you will save time in completing the submission. | ||
| Submission 1 |
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