Using PLAN Results for Career Exploration
This page of the web site is for students who took the PLAN test and want to further explore your results on the career interest inventory, which was part of the PLAN. This career interest inventory asked about activities that interest you.
The theory behind career interest inventories is that we all have different personalities and interests and that people are happier if they are in a career that matches their personalities and interests. Career interest inventories help you identify your interests and help you find a career that will be a good match.
Your results are reported in the bottom right hand corner of Side 1 of your PLAN STUDENT REPORT and on all of Side 2 of the report.
The "Map Regions" of greatest interest to you are shaded on the World-of-Work Map on Side 2 of the report.
In the Career Clusters and Career Areas chart on Side 2, the "Career Areas" of greatest interest to you are shaded.
You can use this information to identify specific jobs to learn more about. The booklet Using Your PLAN Results has information about the education and training needed for different jobs. The Career Exploration part of the booklet begins on page 13.
By working through the Career Exploration and Planning Steps in the booklet, you will see how PLAN results can be practically applied and how your high school coursework and future educational plans are related to the world of work.
In addition to the booklet, you can also use the information below to explore your areas of interest as reported on your PLAN Student Report. By following these directions you can use this web site and links to other sites on the web to explore careers.
Here's how . . .
STEP ONE -
First, look at the box on the bottom right hand corner of Side 1 of your PLAN STUDENT REPORT that says "CAREER AREA THAT YOU PREFERRED." (Example below)
In this box you will see your "Preferred Career Area." "Career Areas" are groups of similar jobs. There are 26 Career Areas that are distributed throughout the 12 Map Regions on the World-of-Work Map. The box on Side 1 of your Student Report also has the Map Region that your Preferred Career Area is located in.
Note both your Preferred Career Area and the number of the Map Region in which it is located.
(Under "COUNSELING INFORMATION," you will see the words "Interest Stanines" with a series of letters or numbers. We will come back to these later, so ignore them for now.)
STEP TWO -
Now turn your Student Report over to Side 2. (Example Below)
On the World-of-Work Map and the Career Clusters and Career Areas table next to it -
There are 6 Career Clusters (Administration and Sales, Business Operations, Technical, Science and Technology, Arts, and Social Service).
There are 12 Map Regions (1 - 12).
There are 26 Career Areas (A - Z).
There are 4 Work Tasks (People-Data-Things-Ideas).
The Career Clusters are not represented on the World-of-Work Map on your Student Report, but they are represented on the table next to the Map and below on the multi-colored World-of Work Map below and in the chart below the graphic.
Note the Career Cluster in which your Preferred Career Area is located.
STEP THREE -
You can use the interactive features of the The World of Work Map web site to explore careers in six career custers and 26 career areas. At this site, you will see a multi-colored World-of Work Map like the one above. Place your pointer on the dark blue outer ring of the circular Map outside the Map Region containing your Preferred Career Area. Click on this part of the outer ring and 2 Map Regions (yours and one next to it) will pop up. You can click on your Career Area or any other Career Area in those Map Regions for more information. You can also click on the dark blue
arrows next to the highlighted Map Region to explore Career Areas in adjacent Map Regions. Now click here to go to The World of Work Map web site.
STEP FOUR -
Click on the Career Cluster names below for more information and more examples of jobs in that cluster -
Why do we use interest inventories and not ability or "aptitude" tests? When thinking about careers, think about what you like to do, not just what you're good at. Abilities can be developed through education, training, and other experiences. If you are interested in something you can become good at it. "Polished efforts can become abilities."
After you have explored your interest areas, it is helpful to evaluate your abilities to see how they match with the abilities needed in careers of interest to you. Then you can assess types of education, training, and experiences you need to enter these careers. Research has shown that we are just as good at self-reporting our abilities as tests are at telling us what we are good at.
Work values are qualities of a job that one feels are important and desirable, they are the qualities that create career satisfaction for the individual. It is also helpful to evaluate your work values to see how well the careers of interest to you will satisfy these work values.
Career Exploration Worksheets- print out these Career Exploration Worksheets to help you keep track of what you learn about your interests (pages 1 and 2), abilities (page 3), values (page 4), and careers to further explore (page 5). Print them out and write down thoughts and ideas as you engage in various career exploration activities -
DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY: Although every effort is made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in documents available from this web page, neither Newton North High School, nor Newton Public Schools, nor any of its employees, makes any guarantee, express or implied, regarding the accuracy of information or fitness for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, or process disclosed, and is not responsible for the contents of any off site pages referenced.
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