A Structured Guide to Career Selection

A Structured Guide to Career Selection

by James O'Sullivan

65 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover)

ISBN 1-4120-2442-0

An amazingly simple, yet comprehensive, approach to assessing career options. This is a workbook where the student is led to a step-by-step exploration their preferred choices in a structured manner.


This workbook employs a revolutionary approach to assisting students in selecting a career or college course. Using the structured thinking methodology of Dr. Edward de Bono, this workbook will lead the student in a simple, yet comprehensive, step-by-step exploration of all their choices. The main objective of the work is that the student themselves look at all their options and make selections based on personal goals and interests.

The workbook exercises are divided into 7 simple steps:


1. Personal goals and ambitions are listed.
2. Factors which affect careers are explored
3. Alternatives are then selected (a suggested list of over 200 is given)
4. Facts about each of the 20 choices must then be assembled.
5. Having assembled the facts on each career the student is then directed in a simple assessment of the choices. This is done with an emphasis on objectivity. Pros and cons will be explored equally.
6. Based on the data assembled in step 4, and the assessment of options in step 5, the picture should now be much clearer. The student should now be in a position to make their choices based on knowledge and objective assessment.
7. The final step is to plan a simple strategy. This will involve planning the steps required to achieve the career of their choice.

The work can be done by the student working alone but would benefit more by being completed in a classroom context where processes are discussed under guidance. It is not suggested that this manual should replace, but rather complement, the standard procedures of career guidance.

About the Author

James O'Sullivan is a retired school principal with thirty years' teaching experience. Much of this teaching involved private tuition dealing with pupils from ages four to university level on a daily basis. He also specialises in the teaching of constructive and creative thinking - giving seminars on the topic to teachers and business management. It is a combination of this experience with the Edward de Bono foundation and his work with students all levels that have provided the basis for this workbook.

His website www.teaching-thinking.com is a synopsis of the development of thinking and an exploration of thinking styles.

Excerpts

Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Decision Making
3. Guide to completing the exercises
4. Aims Focus - long term aims / short term aims
5. Brainstorm Focus - Factors involved
6. Alternative Focus - what choices do I have
7. Fact Focus - assembling Facts about selected Careers.
8. Assessment of Choices *Plus Focus & Minus Focus - looking at the Pros and Cons equally.
9. Refinement - shortlisting the choices after objective assessment
10. Short term aims - laying out a strategy to achieve our goals.

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