JA It’s My Future!®
JA It’s My Future offers practical information about preparing for the working world. Students explore potential careers, discover the four factors to consider in choosing a career, and recognize basic job-hunting tools. JA It’s My Future consists of six 45 minute volunteer led sessions.
Following participation in the program, students will be able to explore potential careers, discover how to plan for a job and learn how to keep one, and develop personal-branding and job-hunting tools for earning a job.
Session One: My Brand
Through interviews, self-reflection, and creation of a personal logo, students explore the importance of building a positive personal brand for the future, starting in middle school.
Students will be able to:
- Recognize that the choices they make in middle school can have a direct impact now and in the future.
- Identify corporate and personal brands that represent positive reputations.
- Design a logo as part of expressing a personal brand.
Session Two: Career Clusters
Students explore career clusters and identify jobs for additional research. They also recognize the value of and need for all jobs.
Students will be able to:
- Examine career clusters and the jobs in each cluster that they would like to further explore.
- Understand the interconnectivity and value of all types of jobs.
Session Three: High-Growth Careers
Students learn the four factors to consider in choosing a job, and they take a close look at some high-growth career fields.
Students will be able to:
- Recognize the four factors to consider in choosing a job.
- Describe industries that are forecasted to have high growth.
Session Four: Career Mapping
Students explore how to use life experiences to develop work skills and how to map a path to employment goals.
Students will be able to:
- Identify work skills already developed from experiences and activities.
- Plan significant markers they need to reach to earn a particular job.
Session Five: On the Hunt
Students are introduced to the basic aspects of job hunting through a scavenger hunt. They are given an organizing tool to keep all their vital job-hunting information in one place.
Students will be able to:
- Recognize basic job-hunting tools, including applications, resumes, recommendations, and interviewing.
- Analyze where to look for a job.
- Understand the importance of keeping a record of vital information.
Session Six: How to Keep (or Lose) a Job
Students learn the difference between technical and soft skills, and they recognize the impact that their personal behavior has on their ability to succeed in a job.
Students will be able to:
- Differentiate between technical skills and soft skills.
- Describe specific soft skills they already possess and those they need to practice.