College and Career Readiness—Semester B
Hold onto your briefcases.
- Course Length: 18 weeks
- Course Type: Basic
- Category:
- Business and Career Preparation
- College Prep
- Life Skills
- High School
Schools and Districts: We offer customized programs that won't break the bank. Get a quote.
Shmoop's College and Career Readiness course has been granted a-g certification, which means it has met the rigorous iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Courses and will now be honored as part of the requirements for admission into the University of California system.
The future is important.
"Okay," you're thinking, "duh."
The thing is, though, whether or not you're planning on going to college, pretty much everyone ends up picking a career at some point during their lives. Some people's careers just sort of happen to them, while other people enter their career with focus, determination, and a collection of cool stress balls to line up neatly on their desk.
But those little foam orbs aren't the only thing standing between you and stress. Shmoop's here to help on that front, too. In this semester-long course aligned to ACSA standards, we'll show you how to choose and enter your career with all the readiness you can wrap your head around.
And by "readiness," we mean "all the tools you'll need to become a profesh success." We'll teach you how to avoid every workplace faux pas, how to present yourself to future employers, and how to decide which job opportunity will best suit your goals. You won't just learn how to snag a job. You'll learn how to snag a job you really love, and watch that job blossom into a sweet career.
And the thing about careers is, they're not always set in stone. We'll teach you how to adjust your goals as your life takes its turns. More importantly, though? We'll teach you to enjoy those turns.
There's no unit about office pranks, though. You're on your own when it comes to freezing your cubiclemate's stapler in a solid block of Jell-O.
Unit Breakdown
6 College and Career Readiness—Semester B - From Strengths to Skillz
We've taught you the essentials of college preparation. Now, we're going to switch gears and talk about preparing for a career. We're going to teach you how your personal interests, skills, and goals interact to make you the ideal candidate for your perfect job. We're also going to show you how to craft those goals into perfect masterpieces of short and long term planning.
Oh, and remember those handy SMART goals from Unit 2? They're baaaack.
7 College and Career Readiness—Semester B - Is It Careally for Me?
Job hunting can be really stressful. That's a duh, but this unit's going to deconstruct exactly how much your emotions can affect the decision-making process. We're going to help you employ the powers of logic by creating decision-making models. With everything in the clear, you should be able to analyze, organize, and identify job opportunities like a pro.
8 College and Career Readiness—Semester B - Occupation, Meet Education
We're sure it comes as no surprise to you that you need to meet certain requirements to qualify for certain jobs. This unit will dissect the qualifications, certifications, and educational tracks that your future boss might be looking for. We'll talk about the ways in which you can bring yourself to meet those standards, and recommend the right educational path for you, depending on what you want to do for a living.
9 College and Career Readiness—Semester B - Résumés and Cover Letters
We helped you through the college app process; now's the time to do the same for jobs. We're going to show you the most effective ways to write personal mission statements, personal development plans, résumés, and cover letters. We'll help you organize an effective portfolio and search for jobs based on the information you've gathered about—well, you. When it comes to job hunting, it's seriously important to know thyself. Shmoop can help you there.
10 College and Career Readiness—Semester B - Etiquette and Ethics
Does the thought of a job interview terrify you? Well, you're not alone there—but in this unit, Shmoop's going to take fear out of the equation and give you interviewing how-to's. We'll show you exactly how to conduct yourself in an interview, and how to conduct yourself professionally and politely in the office once you've snagged the job. Consider us the Miss Manners of career etiquette.
11 College and Career Readiness—Semester B - Personal Finance 101
This unit's all about the Benjamins—and Hamiltons, and Washingtons, and…you get the idea. We're talking money, here, and we'll teach you how to manage it now that you're raking in the cash at your new job. You'll learn fancy terms like APR and simple interest. You'll figure out the difference between good and bad debt, and you'll learn how and when to use a credit card (hint: the answer isn't "on that life-size Millennium Falcon you saw on eBay").
12 College and Career Readiness—Semester B - Inspiring Yourself and Others in the Workplace
We're going to wrap up the course with a unit about managing work stress, identifying counterproductive work behaviors, and making yourself the most productive employee you can be—without working yourself ragged. We'll teach you a little something about workplace philanthropy (a.k.a. being nice). The takeaway of this unit? Your career's a journey, not a destination, and you should defs enjoy the ride.
Sample Lesson - Introduction
Lesson 10.07: You've Got the Job; Now What?
Good news, Shmooper. All of your research, interview practice, and that killer thank-you note paid off. You are the proud new owner of a cubicle under a bank of fluorescent lights in a 50-person office. Go you.
Ways you shouldn't celebrate:
- By bringing a really odiferous tuna sandwich to work on your first day and eating it at your desk.
- By calling your slightly deaf great-grandmother from work to yell into the phone at her about how excited you are that you got a job.
- By putting the wrong-sized cup under that cool single-serve coffeemaker in the break room, causing coffee to splash everywhere—then leaving it for the office manager to clean up, because that's their job, right?
Doing any of those things is likely to make you the person least likely to be invited to Friday after-work hang-out sessions.
Workplace etiquette is one of those things you shouldn't learn on the job. Prepare yourself for your first day by getting the scoop in advance.
Sample Lesson - Reading
Reading 10.10.07: Workplace Etiquette 101
Workplace etiquette is such a big deal that whole businesses—like the Protocol School of Washington—have sprung up around it. And they've declared a "Bring Your Manners to Work" Day; it's the first Friday in September, in case you were wondering. In honor of that day, they bring you this list of Dos and Don'ts in the workplace.
Here's the longer list in handy printable PDF form.
Sample Lesson - Activity
Activity 10.07: Misters and Misses Manners
For nearly 30 years, Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners, has written a weekly syndicated advice column around matters of etiquette. She literally wrote the book on workplace manners.
Martin insists she's a perfect human being who's never done anything wrong—ahem. The rest of humanity, however, is bound to make a few minor gaffes in the workplace. If you ever have a personal or professional etiquette question, you might even write in to Miss Manners yourself.
Step One
Martin points out a common theme from readers: "People are upset by the other people with whom they work, and their chief problem seems to be that there is a confusion between the personal life and the work life." Check out this interview with the great Miss Manners herself. Listen to the audio or read the transcript, and consider the following questions as you go:
- What's the difference between personal and professional etiquette?
- What's the distinction between a personal and professional identity?
- How do you plan for social activities with coworkers?
- How do you set reasonable boundaries with your coworkers or company?
Step Two
In 250 – 300 words, write a response to Martin's interview that considers these questions:
- Why does Martin stress the distinction between personal and professional lives?
- Does she suggest the two identities can coexist?
- How's it possible to draw boundaries between your personal and professional lives?
- Do you agree or disagree with her conclusions?
Be sure to include at least one quote from the interview to respond to or to support your ideas. Here's an example of what we're looking for:
Judith Martin claims there's an erosion of the boundaries between personal and professional lives. She says there's been a reversal wherein people are using "social manners at business, and business manners in their social lives." She explains that when there's little distinction between the public and the private, people can behave badly because they're not acting appropriately in the context of the situation.
I agree with Martin that when there's less of a division between work and play, etiquette can be breached. For example, if Mary invites everyone in the office but you to her wedding, it's a bummer. Maybe Mary can't afford to invite everyone from her office, but does that mean everyone has to hear her prattle on about it for 18 months? If there were a clearer line between work and play, Mary wouldn't have to spend a year and a half with her foot in her mouth.
Creative Written Representation Rubric - 50 Points
- Course Length: 18 weeks
- Course Type: Basic
- Category:
- Business and Career Preparation
- College Prep
- Life Skills
- High School
Schools and Districts: We offer customized programs that won't break the bank. Get a quote.