Project purpose and overview:

This assignment is intended to help you synthesize and apply course material on career exploration, develop your research and writing skills, and deepen your self-insight and knowledge about careers related to psychology.  You will explore your own skills and abilities, research a particular career related to psychology, and develop a specific plan for you to enter the career you've described.

Knowing yourself:

• Interviews: Ask a close friend, a family member, AND one of your Dordt professors to give you feedback on the important employment qualities (see either Table 7.1 on page 128 of Kuther or p. 132 of the Landrum & Harrold article).  This may feel awkward, but it's quite important for gaining self-insight.  You may want to warn your interviewees a few days in advance so they have a chance to reflect on your questions.

• Career interest inventory:  In addition to your interviews, take a test either online (http://www.careerkey.org/asp/your_personality/take_test.asp) - for about $10) or go to Dordt's Career Services Office to take a career inventory for free.  Remember to answer questions as you ARE, not as who you wish you were!

• Transcript: get a copy of your current transcript from the Registrar's office (an unofficial copy is free but it takes a few days to process).

Learning about careers: Choose a career that is related to psychology and do some research on it; use a wide variety of sources (e.g, no more than a few web resources).  See the Content section below for specific information to look for; here are some sources that you should consult:

• Web: Use at least 2 different web sites to find information on a specific career related to psychology or ways to enter such a career.  These may include the American Psychological Association, Salary Expert, Occupational Outlook Handbook, or the Occupational Information Network or others.

• Books: Use at least 2 different books related to specific careers, career exploration, or careers in psychology.  Don't forget about the books on Psychology Department library reserve and books in the Career Services Office in Student Services.

• Professional Journal articles: A search of PsycInfo may reveal some articles on your career.

• Course materials: Don't neglect information from class - use the text and/or career-related articles we've read.

• Interview: You may wish to conduct an informational interview with someone in your chosen career (this could include professors).  Make sure that you send a thank-you note to any professionals that you interviewed.

Note: papers that use fewer than 12 appropriate references will receive significantly reduced grades; personal interviews may count for no more than 4 sources.

Format:

• Limit your paper (excluding title page, abstract, reference page, and appendices) to about 7 double-spaced, typed pages (1" margins, 11 or 12-point font)
• Papers must follow APA-style format.  For the self-insight and plan sections, you may use 1st person to a limited extent (but 2nd person is never appropriate); avoid direct quotes (except perhaps some brief phrases from your interviews) and use proper referencing throughout your paper.
• You will need to include several Appendices; label each one separately (e.g., Appendix B) and refer to them as such in your paper (see p. 205 in your APA Manual).
• If you want Dr. Lantinga to return your graded paper, please include a self-addressed envelope with appropriate postage; a copy of your paper may go into your psychology department advising file (it's handy for later reference letters).

Content:

Career Description: Describe in detail one specific career related to psychology.  Include at least: a description of the job, responsibilities/duties, typical work settings, salary, and entry educational/experience requirements.  Synthesize your information from various references (do not summarize reference after reference) and properly reference your sources.

Self-Insight: Discuss your own gifts/interests and weaknesses as revealed in your interviews and career inventories, etc.  Also reflect on what your transcript may say about you to a prospective employer (attach your transcript as an Appendix).

The Plan:  Develop a very detailed plan for entering the career you've described, beginning now.  Describe this plan in your paper, but use Appendices to give the specific details.  Here are some things to include:

• Your current college GPA and your graduation GPA goal (what is needed for this career?)
• Concrete steps to improve your weaknesses as they relate to this career (e.g., communication skills, technology)
• College courses appropriate for this career, either at Dordt or elsewhere (e.g., your updated four-year plan)
• Experiences that would strengthen your entry into this career (e.g., internships, independent studies projects, research experience, summer jobs)
• Kinds of relationships to develop and why (e.g., with profs, internship supervisors, alumni)
• Information about or a timeline for any tests (e.g., GRE, LSAT), training, or certification/licensing requirements for this career
• Your updated resume and a cover letter tailored to a position in this career (you don't have to find an advertisement for this)

Conclusion: In a final paragraph or two, reflect on how your own interests and abilities fit with this career (is this something you are likely to pursue) and your sense of what in your plan will be especially challenging for you.

Papers are worth 100 points (see evaluation rubric here). The best papers will:

• demonstrate good understanding of a particular career and the requirements for entering that career based on a variety of information sources
• show depth of self-insight and an understanding of how the career would fit one's strengths and weaknesses
• demonstrate the ability to develop a comprehensive, specific plan for enhancing one's ability to pursue a particular career
• demonstrate strong writing ability
• meet all format and APA-style requirements

Note: papers that use fewer than 12 appropriate references will receive significantly reduced grades; personal interviews may count for no more than 4 sources.

Near the end of the semester, you will give a 3-4 minute class presentation about the career on which you wrote a paper; focus on information from the Career Description section of your paper.  If more than one student has researched the same career, you may present together (each presenting some of the information). 

Your speech (worth 10 points; see evaluation rubric here) will be evaluated on the basis of your verbal and non-verbal communication skills and degree to which the main aspects of the career are clearly covered.

page revised May 2006