COUN A104: Career & Life Planning: A Holistic Approach
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Curriculum Committee Approval Date | 10/21/2020 |
| Top Code | 080100 - Education, General |
| Units | 3 Total Units |
| Hours | 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54) |
| Total Outside of Class Hours | 0 |
| Course Credit Status | Credit: Degree Applicable (D) |
| Material Fee | Yes |
| Basic Skills | Not Basic Skills (N) |
| Repeatable | No |
| Grading Policy | Standard Letter (S),
|
| Associate Arts Local General Education (GE) |
|
| California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth) |
|
Course Description
In depth career and life planning: Designed primarily for students uncertain about educational-occupational plans. Standardized tests of interests, personality characteristics, and values are utilized to develop a systemic approach to career and life development. This course emphasizes the importance of taking personal responsibility for one’s educational, career and personal decisions to achieve satisfaction through work and life balance. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC: Credit Limitation: COUN A104, COUN A105, COUN A107 and COUN A107H combined: maximum credit, 3 units.
Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)
- Apply career inventory results to determine interests, personality traits, skills and possible career choices.
- Prepare a goal-setting plan applying occupational research and personal values.
- Examine and explain how specific job acquisition skills can be utilized to obtain employment.
- Assess personal characteristics such as values, skills, interests, life roles and personality and explain how this information may integrate toward effective career and life decisions.
Course Objectives
- 1. Examine psychological, sociological and physiological theories as they relate to career and life planning.
- 2. Examine and describe the influence of family, ethnicity, culture, and gender on values formation and their influence on career and life decisions.
- 3. Complete interest, personality and occupational inventories and analyze their relationship to work environments, communication styles and lifestyle preferences.
- 4. Assess and analyze current skills, identify desired skills and develop a plan for skill development
- 5. Assess decision-making process and apply principles of decision-making to personal, academic and career goals
- 6. Identify how changing workplace and labor market trends affect career choice and development
- 7. Outline goal setting techniques for reaching short-, mid-, and long-range goals.
- 8. Develop a resume and cover letter tailored to goals and objectives
- 9. Develop a written career action plan
Lecture Content
Foundations of Career Development Terminology related to career research Historical view of careers Theoretical foundations of career exploration Current and emerging career theories Introduction to the Career Planning Process World of Work – Understanding the World of Work Integration of Self and the World of Work Developing a Plan Based on Knowledge Planning Requires Hard Work and Discipline Understanding the difference between a Job and Career Foundations of human behavior Needs Personality and adjustment Motivation Making Decisions Types of Decisions Decision Making Strategies The Decision Making Process – Steps to Making Sound Decisions Factors adversely affecting decsions/ harmful decisions Personal Assessments Interest Inventories Personality Inventories Aptitudes and Skills Analysis Organizing the World of Work Labor market research classifications Holland Work Environments Dictionary of Occupational Titles Worker Trait Groups Social and workplace roles, diversity and stereotypes Global issues related to workforce and industry Economic trends and industry impacts information technoligy Communication skills in the workforce Global economy and shifting occupational landscape Occupational Research What You Need to Know Work Environment Nature of the work Duties and Responsibilities Working Conditions and Hours Salary and Benefits Educational/ Training Requirements Opportunities for Adv ancement National and Regional Trends Licensure, certification factors Finding reputable occupational information sources Informational interviews Interests and Occupational Choice Interests and Their Relationship to Career Choice and work environments Results and self assessment the Interest Inventories Linking occupations to Interests Personality Traits and Occupational Choice Personality Traits and Their Relationship to Career Choice Results of Personality Inventories Occupations Related to Your Personality Traits Aptitudes and Skills and Occupational Choice Hard skills, soft skills/ transferable skills Ways of Measuring Relative Importance Aptitude and Skill Assessment Skill development Occupations related to skills Values and Occupational Choice Personal and occupational values clarification Values and their relationship to career choice Exploring majors Student education planning Selecting colleges Liberal Arts majors and occupational choice Financial resources Financial goals saving money/ budgeting credit worthiness alignment of lifestyle choices and values to occupatonal selection and career development Targeting your job search Analysis and Integration of Your Personal Data Mapping the Future – Developing a Plan of Action Goal setting SMART goal setting strategies Goal setting Asessing and re-assessing goals and progress toward goal attainment Diversity in the Workplace Identification of societal and cultural influenc es on career choice Identification of personal beliefs and assumptions that will affect career choice Diversity, equity and inclusion definitions and applications to the workplace Recognition of cultural differences in the workplace Evaluation of age, gender, ethnicity, ablility in the workforce Valuing diversity in the global economy Networking: contact development and maintenance Networking benefits Network expansion techniques Professional organizations Campus clubs and organizations related to major and/or career Internships and job shadowing Resume and Cover letter Types and uses Targeting to individual goals and specific position Digiital resume posting Successful interviewing Interview preparation Stress management and reduction before and during the interview Inerview structures, stages Mock interviews, handling behavioral/situational interviews Stress and time management: critical life-management skills Physiological, psychological, and behavioral aspects of positive and negative stress Sources of stress Stress reductionk, mindfulness and relaxation strategies Assertiveness training Explore and apply the use of technology Examine Internet vocabulary and functions: URLs, browsers, search engines. Evaluate web sources Understanding and utilizing job search engines and career-focused social media platforms Privacy and security of personal information Ongoing Career development Professional relationship development Sustaining lifelong career development Calibrating work life balance through the lifespan
Method(s) of Instruction
- Lecture (02)
- DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
- DE Online Lecture (02X)
Instructional Techniques
Instruction is designed to support the diverse learning styles of students. Methodologies include lectures, interactive lectures, power point and multimedia presentations, large and small group discussions, group projects, individual exercises and assessment, video, guest speakers, readings, special handouts, and directed assignments.
Reading Assignments
Students will spend approximately two hours per week reading from assigned textbook, handouts and online resources.
Writing Assignments
Students will spend approximately one to two hours per week on writing assignments. Students will reflect critical thinking skills in written assignments which may include, written reports, guided journal entries reflecting on discovery and intention statements, and short answer exercises and exams.
Out-of-class Assignments
Students will spend approximately one to two hours per week completing out of class assignments. Assignments will include a variety of reflections, worksheets, self assessments, resume, cover letter and chapter exercises related to weekly class content.
Demonstration of Critical Thinking
Analysis of personal value system and influence on carrer and academic choice. Evaluate results of personality and interest inventories. Write career research paper that integrates self-awareness, decision-making and occupational research Application of job search competencies (resume, cover leter, intereviewing)
Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration
Students are required to write a paper summarizing and analyzing information related to career planning, conduct mock interviews, and complete peer and instructor reviewed resume and cover letter. Students will reflect critical thinking skills in guided jounal entries or discussion boards, short answer exercises and visual thinking exercises. Class discussion will ask students to synthesize career assessment results and to identify potential career/ life satisfaction barriers and identify techniques and resources that can be used to solve these issues.
Eligible Disciplines
Counseling: Masters degree in counseling, rehabilitation counseling, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, guidance counseling, educational counseling, social work, or career development, marriage and family therapy, or marriage, family and child counseling, OR the equivalent. (NOTE: A bachelors degree in one of the above listed degrees and a license as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) is an alternative qualification for this discipline.) Masters degree required. Title 5, section 53410.1
Textbooks Resources
1. Required Bendat, William, Raufman, Lisa, Sukiennik, Diane. The Career Fitness Program: Exercising Your Options, latest ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 2016 Rationale: Bendat, William, Raufman, Lisa, Sukiennik, Diane. The Career Fitness Program: Exercising Your Options, 8th Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
Other Resources
1. Selections from primary sources (Open Education Resources) 2. Orange Coast College Catalog- https://catalog.cccd.edu/orange-coast/ 3. Orange Coast College Career Centers digital/ print resources