I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Career Planning
2. Course Prefix & Number:
CCST 1520
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 2
Lecture Hours: 2
Lab Hours: 0
4. Course Description:
This course provides a comprehensive approach to career planning, educational planning, and decision making. The course begins with a self-exploration process in which students examine their values, personality characteristics, interests, strengths, skills, and goal setting. Current trends, occupational information, job seeking skills, and other resources will be explored to evaluate career options and educational goals.
5. Placement Tests Required:
| Accuplacer (specify test): |
Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level |
Score: |
|
6. Prerequisite Courses:
CCST 1520 - Career Planning
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
CCST 1520 - Career Planning
There are no corequisites for this course.
II. Transfer and Articulation
1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:
Anoka-Ramsey Community College, CAOR 1102 Career Development, 2 credits
Minnesota State Community & Technical College, FYST 1010 Career Planning, 2 credits
Century College, CRRS 1005 Career Exploration and Planning, 1 credit
Fond du Lac, CAOR 1005 Career Explorations, 1 credit
III. Course Purpose
1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):
3. Other - If this course does NOT meet criteria for #1 or #2 above, it may be used for the purpose(s) selected below:
- Liberal Arts Elective
- Non-Transferrable General Education Course
- AA Degree Student Success Course
- Technical Elective
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
| College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
| Demonstrate written communication skills |
Prepare a written narrative of their assessments, experiences, and reflections based on the topic areas of the course. |
| Analyze and follow a sequence of operations |
Establish goals and an action plan. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
- Demonstrate understanding of self through exploration of values, personality, strengths, skills, interests and experiences;
- Research and synthesize information about career and educational options;
- Develop a written personal plan integrating knowledge of self and the career exploration process including the completion of an academic plan;
- Efficiently navigate the internet and other career planning software to seek information on career options;
- Complete reality check or similar budgeting/financial survey to project future wage needs; and
- Conduct an informational interview to explore future career options.
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Career planning overview
- Students will gain a general knowledge of career planning and the career exploration process.
- Values
- Students will explore their personal, career, and cultural values and what careers may fit best with their values.
- Personality
- Students will explore their personality styles and what careers may fit best with their personality.
- Interests
- Students will explore their interests and what careers may fit best with their interest areas.
- Strengths
- Students will explore their personal strengths and how to apply them to various life arenas.
- Information integration
- Students will begin to integrate the self-assessment information to form a list of possible career options to further research.
- Goal setting
- Students will learn how to set career, education, and life goals.
- Skills
- Students will explore their skill areas that they excel in and that they need to work on. This will also explore how these skills will relate to possible career choices.
- Job seeking skills
- Students will write resumes and/or conduct interviews (informational interview(s) and/or interview stream).
- Researching
- Students will research several careers, while keeping in mind their values, priorities, interests, personality and skills.
- Looking to the future and making decisions
- Students will create an action plan and determine what steps they need to complete yet. Students will also assess alternative career plans.
- Wrapping it up
- Students will create a culminating project/reflection of the assessments and activities compiled over the course of the semester.