Career Development

Career development is an on-going, life-long process by which individuals define and refine career-related choices and outcomes. The career development process has three parts that may occur in sequence or revisited as needed:

Discovery or Assessment: This part of the process helps students answer the question, “Who am I?” by assessing or discovering their interests, values, skills, aptitudes, talents, and other characteristics via formal and informal assessments.

Career Exploration: This part of the process helps students answer the question, “Where am I going?” by exploring career and labor market information and matching careers with personal characteristics they identified in the discovery stage. Information collected in this stage includes career descriptions and research, career clusters, educational requirements, career responsibilities and skills, and salary ranges.

Action or Planning: Once students have identified a potential career path, the third stage helps them answer the question, “How do I get there?” Career planning includes identifying education and training options, potential challenges, and strategies and self-marketing activities to achieve the desired career goal. Counselors may help students identify educational, volunteer, and on-the-job training opportunities to better prepare them for their proposed career. Teachers, counselors, and family members may assist students in developing the career plan or strategy.

The career exploration process encourages students to learn about themselves, explore, dream, and reach their goals. 

[The above information was adapted from “Welcome to the career development process” presented by the Florida Department of Education Career Education and Product Distribution Office, Summer 2007].

See “Transition Assessment” in the A-Z Library of Terms and Resources for more information on formal and informal assessments. 

Resources

Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD)
http://www.apd.myflorida.com
APD supports persons with developmental disabilities in living, learning and working in their community. Contains an extensive resource manual and information on office locations throughout Florida.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
http://www.bls.gov/k12/
This comprehensive Web site that explores individual careers based on specific skills and interests. Each summary includes answers to the following questions: What is this job like? How do you get ready? How much does that job pay? How many jobs are there? What about the future? Are there other jobs like this? Where can you find more information?

The Career Cruiser
http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/publicat.asp
This career exploration publication, intended for eighth grade students, provides self-assessment activities to assist students in thinking about the relationship between personal interests and career goals. Charts display sample occupations in 16 career clusters. Occupational descriptions, average earnings, and minimum educational levels required for jobs are also listed. The site includes a manual, teacher's guide, career planning poster, and link to FL DOE products catalog. 

Career Infonet
http://www.careerinfonet.org
This Web site contains a wealth of tools and information for career exploration and career management as well as training materials. 

CareerOneStop
http://www.acinet.org/explore/View.aspx
This Web site offers a career exploration tool that matches an individual’s skills and interests in five steps: Assess Yourself, Explore Career Options, Gain Skills, Find a Job, and Manage Your Career.

Career Voyages
http://www.careervoyages.gov
A collaboration between the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education, this Web site provides information on in-demand occupations as well as the skills and education needed to attain them.

Educator’s Toolkit on Career & Education Planning
http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/ced/
This FLDOE Web page provides information on middle school career course and associated resources.

Florida CHOICES
http://www.flchoices.org 
CHOICES is Florida's career information delivery system and provides career and educational exploration and information at no charge to all Floridians. It includes assessments for interests, aptitudes, skills, and values; professional tools such as accountability reports for management of student usage; and educator and parent resource materials. Signing in is required.

Florida DOE, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
http://www.rehabworks.org
DVR has the mission of enabling individuals with disabilities to obtain and keep employment.

National Dissemination Center for People with Disabilities
http://www.nichcy.org/Pages/StateSpecificInfo.aspx?State=FL
This Web page lists contact information for Florida state-level offices providing services to persons with disabilities.