Career+Research+Paper

Goals and Dreams:
What did you want to do when you were younger? If you can, describe a moment from your childhood when you “played” at a job. How did your dreams change over the years?

What did your personality test reveal about you? Do you think these results are accurate? How do you think these personality traits will help you in a job? Give examples.

Why did you choose the career you did for your project? What is the most interesting to you about your career? What are your short term goals for your career? (up until college) What are your long term goals?College, training and job) Why do you think this career is a good fit for you?

What do you see yourself doing in five years? Ten? What will make you feel like you have succeeded in your career?

Background and History
What is the purpose of this job? In general terms, rather than “day in the life” detail, what does a person with this job do? When in history did this career begin? How has the job evolved or changed over time? (For example, the growth of various technologies, the changing needs of consumers, or shifting government regulations might all impact what the job is like now compared to what it was like in the past.)

Salary, Demand, Growth and Opportunities
(Paragraph 1) What kind of salary are you likely to earn on average when you START this career? What is the salary after you have been in your career for several years? How about after 10 years of experience? How much would you make in Maine? Other areas of the country? (Paragraph 2) What do you know about the future of this career? How many jobs are in personal training across the country right now ? In the state you are interested? How many jobs will be available in 2018?

(Paragraph 3) What types of jobs are available in your field? Where can you find these jobs?

(Paragraph 4) How might this job be different in the future, based on things like changes in technology, demand, and regulations?

Education, Training and Personality
(Paragraph 1) What would you need to do to become qualified to do this job? Are there specific schools or programs that you learned about that are worth discussing here? (Paragraph 2) Do different levels of education give you different opportunities? (For example, some you might be able to start on right out of high school, but a Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree or certificate might let you earn more and/or take on more responsibility.) (Paragraph 3) What personality traits best match this career?

Day in the Life
What does a typical work day look like for a person in this career? What activities and responsibilities might he or she have? In what ways might that person use technology, writing, or interactions with people? In this section, go ahead and describe as well as you are able what a person’s day would look like and include. This is a great place to use the information from your interview.

= Conclusion = This is the section of your paper in which you summarize the most interesting/relevant parts of your research, and reflect on their relevance to yourself. What factors that you wrote about make this career a good match for you? What factors might make it a bad match? If you pursue this career, what might your life be like in 10-20 years? Now that you know what you know, what do you hope to accomplish in this field, if anything?

Research tools:
Final draft rubric: Outline for career research paper:

Sample paper:

Here is a document for recording your sources in MLA format. Remember you need three reliable sources in addition to your interview: Here is a template for note taking:

Daily on task grade:
Each day, you will have clear tasks to complete. I expect you to be on task and complete these goals. If you do not complete the day's assignment, distract others, or engage in off task behavior, this will impact your grade. Each week, this grade will equate to a test grade in addition to the deadlines below.

Career Project Overview

The career project is designed to do several things. First, it is an opportunity for you to explore a career that you want to know more about. Second, it is an opportunity to hone your research skills through reading nonfiction and conducting at least one interview. Last, it is an opportunity to put all of this thinking into a **five-seven page research paper** that demonstrates good writing, thinking and research. We shall conduct this project in five separate stages:


 * 1) **Selecting a career**: You will determine some careers that are of interest to you. You can talk with parents, teachers or guardians and determine which career or job is one you would like to use for your project. **Due date: Tuesday, February 1st**


 * 1) **Gathering information:** Once you have decided which career you would like to research, you will need to find three print sources AND record where you found them. (We’ll be creating a bibliography later). In addition to these three print sources, you will need to set up and conduct an interview or job shadow/internship with someone knowledgeable in your field. **Due date: Tuesday, February 9th**

* Ten extra points on your paper for completing this job shadow. See me for paperwork.
 * 1) **Interview:** You should have your 15-20 questions typed up and ready to go by **Friday, February 4th**. You may consider a *job shadow during February Vacation. Your interview must be completed by **Monday, February 28th.**


 * 1) **Reading and Research**: Once you have all your information, you will need to take notes and record the appropriate heading (1. Background, salary, and growth, 2. Education and training, 3. Day in the life) on each notecard. **Notecards due end of class Monday, February 14th.**


 * 1) **Rough draft**: see deadlines below


 * __ Writing and Citation: __** The paper will properly cite your research and include a works cited page. You will write a rough draft and revise before turning in your final draft.


 * Each paper will include the following sections (each section must be one page minimum, double spaced):**
 * 1) Goals and Dreams: Tuesday, **due Block day, February 16th/17th**
 * 2) Background and History of Career, **due block day March 2nd or 3rd**
 * 3) Demand, Growth and Opportunities (including salary) of Career, **due Friday, March 4th**
 * 4) Education, Training and Personality needed for Career, **due Tuesday, March 8th**
 * 5) A Day in the Life of…, **due Friday, March 11th**
 * 6) Conclusion, **due Tuesday, March 15th**


 * IMPORTANT: Final draft for career projects due Friday, March 18th**
 * Career Project Presentations: Week of March 21st**


 * Organization**: I’ll give you more information on each stage of the process as we begin work on it. You will be keeping your research materials, except for whatever you might need to complete a single night’s homework, in the classroom in your research folder. I’ll be checking this folder at times for a graded organization check. Stages of the process will also receive graded completion checks. This is to help you stay motivated about deadlines, so that you don’t fall behind in the process.

If you lose the original copy, you may download a copy of the checklist here: