I wouldn’t blame you if you read the word “economy” in the title to this post and wondered if you could handle any more depressing economy news at this point; thanks for reading on. I’m actually referring to the makeup of your local economy. What industries keep your area afloat? Another way to ask the question is who are the largest employers in your area? They might be the food processing plant, the hospital, lumber yard, grain co-op, insurance agency or university. Whatever, or whoever they are, it’s worth knowing for at least three good reasons.

1. Many of your students’ parents probably are employed by them.
2. These are the jobs currently available to students who stay in the community.
3. These are the jobs available to you in the area should you leave your current profession.

Let’s assume number three isn’t relevant at this point. Look at the first two as your ticket to relevant examples to draw from. When we connect and apply concepts to students in their world, we make learning more impactful. Next time you prep to teach a new skill or concept, do a little homework and provide examples of the careers in your area that apply it regularly. You can begin setting up a chart of your local examples similar to Relevant Classroom’s Making the Connection Charts provided in the My Career Kit user’s guides. Challenge yourself to provide at least two local, applied examples in your current units.

Career Development Tip for January 15, 2009

Developing and maintaining a professional portfolio is a useful experience for students as they begin their careers.

A career exploration portfolio is a “beginning” version of the student’s professional portfolio. A career exploration portfolio should help students actively reflect upon their career exploration as it unfolds throughout middle and high school. In addition, a career exploration portfolio should help students practice the same skills associated with the creation and use of a professional portfolio. Here are four easy steps to help you guide students in setting up a career exploration portfolio:

Step 1: Outline the criteria for a career exploration portfolio. Some criteria we suggest:
1. Store your artifacts in a common location. Some places to call "home" include:

• A file folder
• An electronic file folder on the student’s school workspace
• A Web page created by the student to host the files
• A three-ring binder with sheet protectors and dividers

• …your current career interests and,
• …relevant skills you have that will help you be successful in a career.

• What is the item?
• Why did you select the item for your portfolio?
• How did you improve the item before including it in the portfolio?

• Personal Mission Statement
• Presentation about a Career Cluster that interests you
• 6-8 year career and education plan
• Results from a career interest inventory
• A journal entry or reflection on career interest inventory results
• A self-rating sheet showing how you rate yourself on career skills with a paragraph reflecting on how you have grown since you completed the self-rating sheet.
• Picture or map of the local community showing where the 16 career clusters are found locally
• Summary of an interview with an individual who has a career that interests you