Psychology in Your Life and Career

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Psychology in Your Life and Career

Psychology and Career Exploration Worksheet

**This assignment contains two parts. Part I consists of completing the research necessary to complete the assignment and Part II designed for career exploration. **

Part I: Research

Background

Conducting research can be overwhelming! Throughout this course and throughout your entire academic career, you will be asked to read, evaluate, synthesize, and present information to demonstrate your understanding of the content, justify your answers, and to speak authoritatively on issues that may differ from your personal beliefs. The study of psychology requires the ability to maintain neutrality and uphold the ethics and standards set forth for interacting and learning within an academic setting.

Goal: 

To support the development of research skills and the application of research strategies, the scientific method, and critical thinking skills in preparation to complete assignments using formal academic writing, including APA formatting and citations. 

Directions:

Identify and explore different career paths for a specific profession.

 Step 1:

Begin this activity by visiting the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Explore varying disciplines and jobs within them.

  • You can also use the resources available in your Topic 1 resources: Home: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and org
  • If you are unsure where to start, look at the alphabetical listing of all professions on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website. To get the list of careers alphabetically go to Occupational Outlook Handbook: A-Z Index listed in the Topic 1 resources.
    • Scan quickly and see what your subconscious may notice.

Step 2:

Click on areas of interest to you and see if you may have alignment in that career.

Step 3:

Find an article that directly relates to the career of your choice. The article should be current (within the last 5 years) and should provide you with information on the needed qualifications, working conditions, the outlook of the career, and similar occupations.

Step 4:

Fill in the information below, so you can use this resource as a reference.

Please refer to the Topic 1 resource Library Guides, for APA examples.

Gather the below information 

Article Title  

Authors

  

Year Published

  

Publisher/Journal Name
Copy and Paste APA Reference:

 

 

Answer the questions below using solid academic writing. Each question should have a detailed response.

  1. What is the in-text citation that you would use when giving credit to information learned in this article?
  2. In 100-200 words, summarize what the article was about. Include a direct quote from the article and the properly formatted in-text citation using APA formatting.

Part II: Career Path

Background:

Psychology is the study of human behavior and mental processes. As such, career and work are key areas influenced by psychology and are the focus of industrial organizational psychology. Part of critical thinking is testing hypothesis and gathering reliable information.

Goal:

In this assignment you will be testing your own beliefs about your career trajectory, exploring avenues you may not have considered and reverse engineering from successful career attainment to your position today. In the event that you are where you plan to remain career wise, complete this activity on another career you may have considered.

Directions:

Identify and explore a career path by filling in the below information.

Step 2:

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected. Each of the following questions should be answered in detail. The word count for questions 1 – 9 should be approximately 200 words, total.

  1. Name of the career:
  2. Education or certification required:
  3. Will your education upon graduation allow you entry into the field? If the answer is no, what additional education, licensure or certification will you need? What school or program can help you achieve your goal?
  4. What is the median income that will support your current lifestyle or lifestyle you seek?
  5. What is the job outlook for this career? (mynextmove.org – browse career by industry or key word)
  6. What are the working conditions? (e.g., on your feet all day, behind a desk for 8 hours)
  7. What are similar occupations you may want to consider?
  8. What are the steps you need to complete to be eligible as a candidate for the position you seek?
  9. Given what you have learned, what steps will you be taking this year to begin positioning yourself for your career?