Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to review real jobs in your potential future career fields. By doing this you can identify the hard and soft skills required so that you can practice and cultivate them in an academic setting prior to applying for jobs. Developing a growth mindset (part of lifelong learning) is good to nurture now. It's also good to recognize that learning is a process that we will continue even after school, and the growth mindset will help us on the job as well.

Instructions

This assignment requires you to prepare three main components, as noted below. You may find it helpful to copy and paste the instructions below into a Word or Google doc to help you be sure to capture and address each component and question detailed below. When you have prepared your answers for Parts 1-3, either submit your document or copy and paste your answers back into the assignment textbox.

Part 1 -Research

It's time to use what we have learned in searching on the web to locate jobs in your future career field. Find 3 actual, active, real job listings that match up with the career that you are considering. If you haven't decided on a career yet, use this as a chance to do some research on a career you have considered. Suggested resources for finding this information are Ivy Tech's own job board called Hire Ivy or a public platform such as Indeed Links to an external site...

For the three job listings you find, write down or copy the company name, job title and top skills required. If you want further explanation of Hard and Soft Skills, watch this video Links to an external site. again, or look back to chapter 1 of On Course and specifically the "Soft Skills at Work" section there.

List Job Title/Company Name #1 here: - List 3-5 of the top Hard Skills required: - List 3-5 of the top Soft Skills required: List Job Title/Company Name #2 here: - List 3-5 of the top Hard Skills required: - List 3-5 of the top Soft Skills required: List Job Title/Company Name #3 here: - List 3-5 of the top Hard Skills required: - List 3-5 of the top Soft Skills required:

Part 2 - Reflection

1. Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: please explain--what is the difference between hard and soft skills? What are common hard skills required to work in the field of your interest? What are common soft skills within the field of your interest? How do these commonly requested skills of this career "fit" your personality, talents and skills?
2. Growth Mindset:Now is the time to be honing these skills as school is a safe place to practice both hard and soft skills to build confidence in the areas we choose to strengthen. In On Course, there are four ways to develop a growth mindset listed under the Chapter 7 heading of "How to Develop a Growth Mindset." Describe how you will applyoneof those ways of developing a growth mindset at work OR school to address a hard or soft skill you feel you need now and/or will need in the future.
3. Skills Application:How might meeting with a career coach help you (a practice of interdependence) serve as a resource for you? Hint: visit the Ivy+ Career Link page. For example, might they be able to address gaps in your skills and help you find ways to address these? Or, help you with your resume and cover letter to highlight the skills you have in connection to your career field? Review the "Lifelong Learning at Work" section in chapter 7 of On Courseto identify areas of resume preparation.

Part 3 - Career Goal and Timeline

Develop a career goal that includes all five parts of the DAPPS rule, explained in Chapter 3 of On Course. (If you haven't decided on a career yet, write a DAPPS goal about how you will make that decision.)

• My long-term Career (school) DAPPS goal:

Once you have your long-term career goal, identify the next 5 steps needed to get there. Break this long-term goal down into short-term goals (can be accomplished in weeks to months) to create a career planning timeline. Think of this as a "to do" list of career-related items you can be completing now for your future career. Include the future dates (not past ones) that these five short term goals will be accomplished by and how you plan to achieve this.

These steps can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• • • meet with your Career Coach
    • Make a Career Development Portfolio (CDP)
    • set up a LinkedIn Links to an external site. Profile (or boosting an existing one)
    • get familiar with Hire Ivy
    • Make a resume.
    • develop an elevator pitch.
    • take career assessments like Indiana Career Explorer or Ivy Career Strong (check out the Ivy+ Career Link page linked above)
    • research more of what a career in this field looks like. For example, what do they do: responsibilities, salary range, work environment? How do you become one: required education and or certifications, work experience needed? What does the future look like in terms of job outlook and growth? A suggested resource for finding this type of information is ONetLinks to an external site..

In your timeline, include the goal description,futuredue date, and how you plan to accomplish this goal for each:

Number	Goal description	Future due date	How you plan to accomplish this goal
1
2
3
4
5

If you would like to meet one-on-one with an Ivy Tech Career Coach, schedule online within MyIvy: Choose the "Schedule an Appointment with Advisor" icon under Quick Links. Select: Your Services - Career Coaching - Choose a Coach and make an appointment for yourself on the coach's calendar.