Page 287 - Keys to College Success
P. 287

statusCHECK



         How Prepared Are You for Workplace Success?

         For each statement, fill in the number that best describes how often it applies to you.
            1 = never   2 = seldom   3 = sometimes   4 = often   5 = always

           1. I have thought about careers that may suit my interests and abilities.         1   2  3  4  5
           2. I have looked into majors that match up with my career interests.              1   2  3  4  5

           3. I have, or intend to get, hands-on experience through an internship, job, or volunteer work.   1  2  3  4  5
           4. I understand the value of emotional intelligence in today’s workplace.         1   2  3  4  5

           5. I am aware of unconventional options for majoring at my college.               1   2  3  4  5
           6. I am familiar with online job search, social networking, and career planning sites.   1  2  3  4  5

           7. I know how to write an effective cover letter.                                 1   2  3  4  5
           8. I have a current résumé to send out to prospective employers.                  1   2  3  4  5

           9. I am prepared to give a good impression during interviews.                     1   2  3  4  5
         10. I plan to stay open to possibilities, and will be flexible if I decide I want to change my major.   1  2  3  4  5

         Each of the topics in these statements is covered in this chapter. Note those statements for which you filled in a 3 or lower. Skim
         the chapter to see where those topics appear, and pay special attention to them as you read, learn, and apply new strategies.
         REMEMBER: NO MATTER HOW PREPARED YOU ARE TO SUCCEED IN THE WORKPLACE, YOU CAN IMPROVE WITH EFFORT AND PRACTICE.





                                   HOW CAN YOU DETERMINE
                                             your academic focus?


                                   Think for a moment about where you stand in the process of choosing a major.
                                   Are you:
                                    ■  Already certain of your major, perhaps even in the process of making it official?
                                    ■  Thinking of two or three areas of academic focus, and planning to test how you
                                      feel about them by taking particular classes over your first two years?
                                    ■  Certain only of a general academic area, such as engineering or the humanities?
                                    ■  Completely unsure of what you will choose to major in?
                                      Any of these positions is appropriate for the beginning of your college career. Fur-
                                   thermore, none of them is necessarily reliable. By the end of this term, a student deter-
                                   mined to go pre-med may have rejected it outright because of an intense dislike of a
                                   course, and become interested in art history. A student with no idea at all may have
                                   connected so strongly with a particular course that it becomes the inspiration for a
                                   major. In a way, all of you are in the same boat no matter your status, all able to benefit
                                   from the possibility of change and discovery.

         250
   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292