Transcript Looking Forward to the World of Work Text: Chapter 3

Looking Forward to the
World of Work
Text: Chapter 3
Making Decisions
By
David Agnew and Jim Wendell
Arkansas State University
Objectives
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Define “New Career Terms”
Explain why decision making can be difficult
Explain the importance or career decision making
List and describe the seven steps in the decisionmaking process
• Give an example of how someone can use the
decision-making process to make career
decisions
• List and describe seven hints for making wise
decisions
New Career Terms
• Decision - choosing between two or more
possibilities
• Decision-Making Process - steps that can
be taken to help you make the best
decision
• Needs - things you must have to survive
• Resource - any skill or advantage you have
• Wants - things you would like to have, but
don’t have to have - luxuries
New Career Terms (Cont.)
• Evaluate - to look at closely and judge
• Plan - the method or course you decide to
take after going through the decisionmaking process
• Tentative - the best decision you can
decide on at a certain time, which can be
changed later as you learn more
Decisions
• Nothing more than making a choice between two or more
options.
• Life is full of decisions - you make hundreds during the
course of a day !
• Most are simple to decide and require very little time or
effort to complete.
• Others are important and may require selecting from
many choices.
• Choosing will usually take more time and thought on your
part because every time you make a decision you are
saying “NO” to all the other options.
Ways to Decide
• Do you fear making the wrong decision ?
Supposed you have only enough money for one
item, but you would like to get many other items
also:
• Do you close your eyes and point ?
• Do you ask a friend which they would choose ?
• Do you choose the least expensive or most
expensive item ?
• Do you become frustrated and leave without
making any choice at all ?
Why Make Decisions?
• What would you do if you had to drive to
Alaska without a road map and weren’t
allowed to look at any signs for help ?
• You would be lost most of the time
• You may or may not even reach Alaska
• For the majority of your trip, you would feel
confused, unhappy, and frustrated
• You would never know if you were making
progress towards your goal
Why Make Decisions? (Cont.)
• Most people would laugh at the idea of starting a journey
to Alaska under these conditions.
• Yet, many people use this same planning technique with a
much more important journey - THEIR CAREER JOURNEY.
This is the main reason why so many people are unhappy
with the way their lives turned out.
• The decisions you make now concerning your career
choice is like pushing over the first domino in a long line.
As each domino falls, it knocks down the next in a chain
reaction. So it is with career decisions. Each one impacts
the next throughout your life and for many years to come.
Decision Making Process
• Decide what you need or want.
• Look carefully at your resources.
• Identify your choices by writing down:
the decision you are making
the time frame allotted for completion
every option you know about
places to learn of other choices
• Gather information on all your options.
• Evaluate and compare your options.
• Make an educated decision.
• Develop an action plan.
Making Career Decisions
• Never to early to make a tentative career decision
• This is not your final choice, but the best choice
for you at the present time
• Make an educational plan for your decision:
Is a four year college degree or more needed ?
Two year degree or Vo-Tech training needed ?
Is high school training adequate ?
What high school courses are needed as a
foundation ?
7 Tips for Career Decisions
• Even though they want to be helpful, family and
friends may try to pressure you to do what THEY
want you to do.
• Don’t be afraid of failure.
• Pay attention to all everyday decisions.
• Decisions can have both good and bad outcomes.
• Accept all outcomes.
• Don’t depend on luck.
• If you are unsatisfied with any outcome, you can
change a decision.
In Summary
• Life is full of decisions.
• Some large, some small, some important,
and some unimportant.
• Most have several choices which
complicates the decision making process.
• An organized method of approaching
decision making can help to make difficult
choices easier to complete.
The End