PLAnning YOuR CAREER
The FiRsT sTeP toward success is making smart
decisions about your education and career options.
Plan for
Success
W
hen I was in high school,” says Sheryl bridges.com), Career Cruising (www.careercruising.
Kovach, a senior human resources com), COIN (www.coinedu.com), and Myers-Briggs
generalist with IKON Office Solutions in (www.myersbriggs.org) tests. Terry Brock, director
Houston, “the only job that I even knew about was of the Texas Counselors’ Network, a group that
receptionist work. I didn’t aspire to be a manager helps counselors statewide advise their students on
or entrepreneur because I really didn’t know about career planning, says, “These tools give most of our
those disciplines. I was just looking forward to students some career exploration awareness by the
graduating. That was it. I really didn’t know what it time they enter eighth or ninth grade.”
was I wanted to do.” Ask your principal or counselor about the career
Sound familiar? You, too, may not have a clue assessments available at your school.
about what to do with your life.
Don’t worry, though. Help is right here in your Research Your Career Options
hands. This issue of AchieveTexas in Action is Once you’ve learned about yourself, learn more
your guide to education and career choices that about your career options. There are thousands of
can shape your future. It’s one of 16 career cluster occupations out there of which you may never have
guides published by AchieveTexas, Texas’s college heard, and others that do not yet exist because the
and career initiative (www.AchieveTexas.org). technologies have not been developed. Fortunately,
This edition is all about Transportation, there are plenty of resources (see inside back cover)
Distribution & Logistics. for you, and they are as close as the
Let’s start with some basic steps you should take nearest computer.
TransporTaTIon
to get organized, plan for the future, and start on One of the most helpful is the
represenTs nearlY
the road to success. Occupation and Skill Computer-
17 percenT
Assisted Researcher (or
Assess Your Talents and Abilities OSCAR, for short) from
of THe ToTal Texas
First, you need to figure out some things about the Texas Workforce
yourself. This step can be as simple as writing down Commission.
gross producT.
a list of your interests (like video games or rock It is a vast database
climbing), your hopes and dreams (like helping of information
others), your talents (like writing or math ability),
and your weaknesses (if you’re squeamish at the
sight of blood, for example, you might not want to
be a doctor).
Follow up on this informal exercise by taking
some formal assessments to determine your
interests and abilities. Common assessments
include the Kuder (www.kuder.com), Bridges (www.
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