Suggested Syllabus for Career Exploration
- Some of our teens completed the Career Exploration Bundle in half a semester (earning them 1/4 credit).
- Some of our teens went more in-depth and completed the the Career Exploration Bundle with some extra activities for a full semester (1/2 credit).
- Some of our teens then added apprenticeships. These varied according to the student, earning them an additional 1/2 credit-full credit.
Start out your Career Exploration experience by reading this post in our Authoritative Guide series: Authoritative Guide to Career Exploration.
Many homeschooling families do 7Sisters Financial Literacy, Career Exploration and Apologetics. Did you know you can save a lot of money when you purchase together in the Curriculum Bundle to Prepare for Independence?
BTW- When your teens are ready to take a Career Exploration course, 7Sisters also has a:
Class Title: Career Exploration and Job Preparation
Goals: Give teens a solid Career Exploration experience so that they:
- Come to know themselves better
- Gain a sense of God’s callings, gifts and purposes for them
- Build experiences that help them gain confidence
- Build experiences that help them eliminate career choices or explore career choices (each is good)
- Are better prepared for life
Optional Week 1: Career Exploration in the Bible (Note: If you do this week, you will have to rearrange the numbering of the remaining weeks.)
In class: Discuss the short workbook, Career Exploration in the Bible.
- Answer the questions together.
Homework: None, we are starting in easy!
Optional Week 2: Role Models (Note: If you do this week, you will have to rearrange the numbering of the remaining weeks.)
In class: Discuss the role of role models in Career Exploration.
- Students complete the Career Exploration Questionnaire in the Career Exploration Bundle zip file.
Homework: Write a one-page reflection paper or create a 5-slide Powerpoint about important role models in your life.
Week 1 – Finding the Will of God (Extra: Career Exploration in the Bible, just for fun)
In class: Class discussion on the Introduction (How to Use this Book) and Part 1: Finding the Will of God.
- Teens may discuss any of the five ways they have seen God work in their lives.
- For inspiration, watch a couple of videos on unusual careers, not for job suggestion but for starting teens thinking about the many kinds of careers are out there.
- Check out a couple of videos from this site, for instance: Dialect Coach. Watch this short video about a dialect coach from Great Big Story.
- Show some practical videos from CareerOneStop.org.
Homework: Read over Part 1, answer the questions.
Week 2 – Describing Yourself
In class: Discuss Part 2: Describing Yourself
Students fill out workbook as they go through the discussion.
Homework: Download Personal Discovery Links freebie from Vicki Tillman Coaching, do the first test (Jung Typology Test) to class, along with the description of your results (4 letters) that from Keirsey.com (type keirsey.com and your 4 letters into Google).
- Do 2-5 of the other personality tests from the Personal Discovery Links. Bring results to class.
- Write a one-page reflection paper about your personality or create a 5-slide Powerpoint about your personality.
Week 3 – What is Important to Me
In class: Discuss Part 3: What is Important to Me (Values)
- Start by reading to the students this short post on Values in Career Exploration.
- Discuss what values mean.
- Work through the questions in the workbook together.
Homework: Write a one-page reflection paper or create a 5-slide Powerpoint about your personality about your values.
Week 4 – Talents and Strengths
In class: Discuss Part 4: Talents and Strengths
Work together on:
- Listing things you are good at
- Academic review (what you are good and not good academically)
- Strengths and weaknesses circle-off chart
- Make a talent list and a *nobody’s perfect list*.
Homework: Briefly interview teachers and other adults, family members and friends. You can do this by email or text.
Week 5 – Investigate Some Careers
In class: Discuss Part 5: Investigate Some Careers
- Discuss career searching and exploring. One of the most important parts of Career Exploration is simply exploring. Even if you do not think you will like a career that you look at, the time is not wasted. It adds to your understanding of careers and opportunities.
- Work together in class to fill out the chart on 3 different careers.
Homework: Do career searches, fill out the chart for 3 more careers. You can use CareerOneStop.org for ease of career searching.
Week 6 – Create an Experiential Resume
In class: Discuss Part 6: Create Experiential Resume
- Discuss the hows and whys of experiential resumes. Use the guide in the Career Exploration Bundle zip file. Begin work on them together in class.
Homework: Finish your experiential resume.
Week 7 – Write a Basic Cover Letter
In class: Discuss Part 7: Write a Basic Cover Letter
- Discuss cover letters and their uses. Note that cover letters must be adjusted to each job setting. Help teens begin to create a basic cover letter for themselves.
Homework: Finish your basic cover letter.
Week 8 – Learn and Practice Interview Skills
In class: Discuss Part 8: Learn and Practice Interview Skills
- Listen to this episode of Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Preparing for Your First Interview.
- Practice in class by having teens ask each other interview questions.
Homework: Prepare answers for basic interview questions. Research a favorite company’s website and have something interesting to share about it in an interview.
Week 9 – Try On Some Hats – Apprenticeships
In class: Discuss Part 6: Try on Some Hats – Apprenticeships
- Discuss the concept of apprenticeships. Read this quick post about apprenticeships.
- Brainstorm a list of apprenticeship possibilities for each student.
Homework: Use the sample letter form in the Career Exploration Workbook, write a letter to three different apprenticeship possibilities.
Week 10 – Planning Your High School Curriculum
In class: Discuss Part 7: Planning Your High School Curriculum
- Listen to this episode of Homeschool Highschool Podcast about planning curriculum towards a college major in Psychology.
- Read this post that explains using Language Arts as Career Exploration.
- Discuss ways to develop your career interests by courses, apprenticeships, volunteer work or extracurriculars. Write a list of ideas to discuss with your parents.
Homework: Share your ideas with your parents.
Optional Week 11 – More interview skills
Discuss in class: confidence skills that can help in interviews
- Download Confidence Building Skill for Meeting New People from VickiTillmanCoaching.com
- Have students practice showing these skills to each other
Homework: Prepare a 10-slide presentation on your favorite Career Exploration skills.
Optional Week 12 – Celebration and Presentations
In class: Show presentations and eat cookies!
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Hi Chandi! Great question. Using this curriculum (or any of our titles in a co-op) requires a copy for each student in your group in order to honor copyright. We offer a 33% discount on those student copies for co-ops to make this more affordable. Just email info@7sistershomeschool.com and request a co-op discount. We’ll set up a discount code for you to share with your students’ families.
Another bonus: if your group has siblings in it, they only need to purchase one copy of the curriculum for their family. Our copyright always allows for more than one copy WITHIN YOUR OWN HOMESCHOOL so that siblings and parents can each have easy access to curriculum in use that year.
If I do this for a co-op, do I buy the bundle and the workbook pdf and that’s it? Then I print the workbook for each of my students? I will have a mixed class of junior highers and high schoolers.