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Use mathematics to calculate the number of hours a person typically spends in a career. This activity highlights the importance of finding a career that interests the individual.
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Interest Approach Use the following mathematics example to illustrate the number of hours a person typically spends in a career during his or her work life. Ask students to calculate the number of hours a person would spend at work following a schedule of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and 40 years of working. First, have them calculate the number of hours worked per week (8 × 5 = 40). Next, have them calculate the number of hours worked per year (40 × 52 = 2,080). Last, have them calculate the number of hours worked in a 40- year work life (2,080 × 40 = 83,200). This activity can be carried further by having students subtract for holidays, vacation time, etc. Conclude the interest approach by summarizing that people spend a tremendous portion of their lives working, and they need to have careers that interest them. (Note: Caution students that even a career a person likes might have some undesirable aspects, such as a manager’s firing an employee.)
Student Learning Objectives Student Learning Objectives. Instruction in this lesson should result in students achieving the following objectives: 1 . Describe the importance of interests in selecting an agriculture/horticulture career. 2 . Explain how interests are determined. 3. Describe how identified interests are used in making career choices.
Terms. The following terms are presented in this lesson (shown in bold italics): • aptitude • Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery • interest • interest inventory • rating scale
Objective 1: Describe the importance of interests in selecting an agriculture/horticulture career. Anticipated Problem: How are interests important in selecting an agriculture/horticulture career? I. Two things that are important in making career choices are interests and aptitudes. A. An interestis a state of curiosity or concern about something. People enjoy things in which they have interest, and they are motivated to learn more about these things and to do a good job of performing tasks related to them.
1. Interests vary among individuals. No two people are interested in exactly the same things. Interests are learned. Interests result from experiences in our lives. Often children like activities in which their parents are involved. A person must have experienced something to know if it is an interest to him or her. Supervised experience, job shadowing, laboratory activities, and other approaches are used to help students gain experiences that may allow them to acquire new interests. 2. Interests are important in a career because they influence the likelihood of a person being successful. People are happier if their careers are interesting to them. People have higher levels of job performance in careers that interest them. They have more enthusiasm for their work if their careers are interesting. They are absent from work fewer days because of illness, vacation, and other reasons. People are more likely to have a positive attitude in the work environment if they are interested in their careers. Happiness, productivity, and a good attitude lead to promotions and higher pay.
B. Aptitudes are closely related to interests. An aptitudeis a natural ability or talent. It may also be described as a capacity for learning. A person with an aptitude in a certain area can perform an activity successfully. 1. Aptitudes vary. Some people have aptitudes for art, such as associated with a landscape designer. Others have aptitudes for the use of numbers, such as required by an agribusiness accountant. Still others have aptitudes for the manipulation of mechanical devices, such as needed by an agricultural mechanic. 2. A person must be able to perform the competencies in an occupation; thus, having the necessary aptitude is important.
Objective 2: Explain how interests are determined. Anticipated Problem: How are interests determined? II. Interest identification is a personal matter. Each individual has to assess openly and honestly what he or she likes to do. Experience helps people more accurately identify and assess their interests. Determining interests can be difficult. However, several approaches can help individuals identify their interests. A. Interest inventories are used in assessing interests.
An interest inventory is a test-like device on paper or computer that allows an individual to identify areas that reflect interests. 2. An interest inventory is not a test taken for a grade. There are no right or wrong answers—only honest answers that reflect an individual’s feelings or opinions. 3. School counselors have inventories that can be used to assess interests.
B. Interests can also be assessed in other ways. 1. Simple rating scales or checklists can be used to help identify interests. A rating scaleis a written or computer-based questionnaire that allows an individual to express the degree of his or her feelings about particular activities. The responses are assessed to identify potential areas of interest. 2. Writing paragraphs that describe feelings helps identify interests. 3. Oral discussions with teachers, counselors, individuals in occupations, and other qualified people can help point out interests. 4. Individuals can reflect on what they enjoy doing or participate in activities that introduce new areas to determine if interests exist or to cultivate new interests. Individuals can ask themselves, “Do I like doing this?” or “What do I like the best?”
C. Various devices are available to assist in identifying aptitudes. Some involve responding to questions on paper or computer, while others may involve performing manipulative activities, such as sorting, matching, or assembling objects. 1. Many students take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). This inventory was developed by the U.S. military for use in assessing interests in areas of careers based on the general nature of the duties an individual might perform at work. It is widely used in nonmilitary ways. Students often take the ASVAB in high school. Copies of the results may become part of the students’ permanent records in the school office. 2. Manipulative tests may involve a wide range of tasks, such as placing nuts on bolts, placing pegs in holes, and sorting bolts, nuts, and washers. D. Any device used to assess interests should be properly interpreted. Many devices require the assistance of trained individuals.
Objective 3: Describe how identified interestsare used in making career choices. Anticipated Problem: How are identified interests used in making career choices? III. Information about an individual’s interests is important in making career choices and preparing for entry into a career. A. Careers related to previously determined interests can be identified by using the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, the Chronicle Agricultural Occupations Guidebook, and other publications.
B. Education and training needed for a career based on identified interests can be determined by: 1. Reviewing university or community college catalogs 2. Reviewing proprietary school brochures 3. Interviewing admissions officers 4. Touring a college campus 5. Interviewing people in careers that require interests similar to those identified 6. Reviewing publications on careers
C. The availability of a prospective occupation/career in the location where the individual wants to live must be determined. Also, trends should be assessed to see if the area is expanding or declining in opportunity. D. The individual must determine what is reasonable for him or her. The person must consider his or her situation as related to the occupation/career by asking: “Is the opportunity where I will relocate?” “Am I willing to get the needed education and training?” “Do I have the financial resources to get the education and training?” “Am I willing to delay career entry to get the needed preparation?” E. The requirements for admission to a school that provides the needed education and training must be determined.
1. Potential career interests should be discussed with the school counselor, the agriculture teacher, the individual’s parents, or other qualified people, such as those in careers that require interests similar to the ones identified. 2. Schools should be contacted that appear to have areas related to the individual’s career interests, and admission information requested. The telephone, mail, campus visits, and/or the Internet can be used to gather information. 3. Whether the individual can presently meet the requirements for admission must be assessed, and if he or she cannot, what the person can do to meet the requirements in the future should be determined. F. Tentative career choices should be explored through supervised agricultural experience, job shadowing, part-time jobs, and other means.
REVIEW • How are interests important in selecting an agriculture/horticulture career? 2. How are interests determined? • How are identified interests used in making career choices?
