Choices Career & Education Magazine | Find the Right Career For You

CHOICES CHOICES – VOL XV. No 1 – March 2011

CREDITSEditor/Publisher – Angela deFreitasContributors – Joye Fodderingham; Peter WrightCover design – Rory JamesDesign & Layout - Peter WrightAdvertising Sales – Jaimelee Wisdom; HeatherThompson-Brooks

PUBLISHED BY CHOICESAll information is included by the publishers in goodfaith and is believed to be correct at the time of goingto press. No responsibility can be accepted for errorsand/or omissions.

ADVERTISEMENTSAcceptance of advertisements for CHOICES does notimply a recommendation by the publishers for theproduct or service advertised.

WANT TO CONTACT US?E-mail <[email protected]>Twitter <www.twitter.com/choicescareer>Website <www.choicesonlinejm.com>Blog <www.choosingtherightcareer.blogspot.com>Tel: (876) 924-7473 or (876) 969-5741Tel/Fax: (876) 925-0804 or (954) 323-6217Cell: (876) 782-1644

Our Page

On February 9, 2011, Jamaica’sMinister of Education, The Hon.Andrew Holness, made a landmark

announcement launching careerawareness programmes in an initialnumber of 70 secondary and primaryschools.

We at CHOICES Career Advice say, “HipHip Hooray! We’re fully on board. Wesupport this initiative 100%. We hope itbecomes viral, quickly spreads to allschools and that a Caribbean breeze willblow the concept throughout the regionalso.

It’s the way to go and what CHOICESCareer Advice has recommended in thenear 15 years or three cohorts ofsecondary students since beginning toprovide career and education advice andinformation in the Caribbean.

However, the battle will not have been wonuntil:

• Career education is naturallyincorporated into the curriculum at alllevels of the system

• Every student does a self-assessmentsuch as The career Key (CaribbeanEdition) at some time during theirsecondary schooling, preferably beforechoosing the subjects which they will sit atCSEC level

• That every single student receives one-on-one career counseling before leavingsecondary level.

• For our part and in our continuing effortto assist as many people as possible inchoosing the right career, we devote spacein this to how to “Find the Right Career ForYou”, an age old question which hasboggled people’s minds for a long time.

Read carefully also and understand justhow using a tried, tested and provenmethod of self assessment such as “TheCareer Key (Caribbean Edition)” andchoosing the right subjects all go hand-in-hand in ensuring that you will have smoothpassage though secondary, to tertiary, outto the working world and into the careermost suited to you.

Remember that “I” in the middle of thatword “CHOICES” as you make anyimportant decision whether relating to yourcareer choice, educational path or anyother aspect of life. It’s about YOU andwhat is best suited to your values,aptitude, interests, personality and skills.�

SOMETHINGPOSITIVEFORALLSTUDENTS

Campion College Student and Photography ClubPresident, Steven Smith, receives his gifts as firstprize winner in the CHOICES Picture PerfectPhotography Contest from Angela deFreitas,General Manager of CHOICES Career Advice.

CHOICES

Making a decision about your careerpath is arguably the mostimportant you will have to make at

this stage in your life. In a world wherecareers, and by extension jobs, are nolonger forever, it is a given that this typeof critically important decision is one thatany person today may have to face morethan once in their lifetime. As such, theimportance of understanding how tomake a good career choice cannot beoveremphasised.

Before you even start to think aboutcareer choices, do the math: Firstly,recognise that in your working life youwill spend at least three quarters of aminimum of five days a week, andprobably more, at work. Should youchoose to work in an essential service -include here not just the police, firebrigade or medical services, but alsosectors like hospitality, plumbing,farming, or the retail food trade - thepercentage is way higher. Secondly,from a health perspective, spendingsuch a large percentage of your wakinglifetime time doing something you don’tlike, are not all that interested in or donot have the skills, attributes andpersonality for, is a sure recipe for illhealth of some sort, whether you believethis or not.

Finally, while many make choices basedsolely on potential income to be earned,it should never be the sole orpredominant criterion. Money shouldalways be viewed as what it really is: ameans to an end, not an end in itself.So let’s move on to some other factors.

KNOW THYSELF: In order to makesound career decisions you mustidentify, clarify and evaluate exactlywhat your abilities, talents, values,needs and interests are, and what kindof lifestyle you want to have. Begin bytaking a self-assessment test.

We recommend The Career Key(Caribbean edition). This version of theinternationally acclaimed test, isspecifically created for the Caribbeanregion. It will help you to know yourpersonality and also lead you to a groupof careers that are suited to yourabilities, skills, personality and

preferences.

SEEK AND BE OPEN TO ADVICE: Talkwith a professional career counsellor,friend, parents, family member or mentorwho is a good listener, and who can giveyou feedback on yourself and yourabilities.

WRITE YOUR PERSONAL MISSIONSTATEMENT: A personal missionstatement should outline your vision foryour life, describing what you want to be,what you want to accomplish in your lifeand what values or principles guide you.

SET YOUR GOALS: Write out yourgoals making them realistic, achievableand sequential, bearing in mind that theyare not written in stone and can beadjusted as you progress and grow.Goals constitute the foundation of yourplan.

MAKE A PLAN: Research, informationgathering, tests, goal setting andmission statements are worthlesswithout a realistic plan for achieving yourgoals. Your plan is your compass, andyour map for moving from where youcurrently are to where you want to be.

GET THE 411: Talk to people in thatfield; volunteer to work in the field, at acompany or institution; research thecareer on the internet; make anappointment to meet with someone inthe industry and have a list of questionsready so you can get all the answers youneed.

Create yourself a career portfolio: In thisportfolio keep your results, everythingyou know about yourself and potentialjobs you are interested in.

THE 4 D’S: Without discipline,determination, dedication and diligence,no plan or project can succeed.

FINDING THE RIGHTCAREER FOR YOU

To finish reading this story and to getmore information, get your copy fromCHOICES Career & EducationAdvice. Contact us by email [email protected] or bycalling (876) 924-7473 / (876) 969-5741 / (876) 782-1644 (cell)

CHOICES


Choosing the right occupation,career or job is a matchingprocess. You have to match your

needs, values, abilities, skills, interestsand aspirations to an occupation whichhas the potential of satisfying yourneeds in those specific areas. TheCareer Key (Caribbean edition) is aprinted test which will assist you in thisprocess and help you to find the jobsmost likely to satisfy you. It wasdeveloped by Dr. Lawrence Jones and isbased on the career theory of Dr. JohnHolland.

According to Holland’s theory, mostpeople can be classified in six

personality types – Realistic,Investigative, Artistic, Social,Enterprising and Conventional.Occupations and work environments canalso be classified by the samecategories. An easy way to understandand remember the Holland types is that“realistic” people are "doers",“investigative” people are "thinkers",“artistic” people are "creators", “social”people are "helpers", “enterprising”people are "persuaders" and“conventional” people are "organisers".

The theory goes on that people whochoose careers that match theirpersonality types are most likely to beboth satisfied and successful.

How does The Career Key succeed inthis process? The test leads you torespond to a series of statements whichdescribe the characteristics of people ineach of the personality groups. It alsoasks you to check occupations thatappeal to you from a list of 42representing the six personality types.The combination of your scoresaccording to your answers for each oftwo sections are mapped on a linegraph. Your highest scores reflect thepersonality types which match you mostclosely.

The different occupational orientationsor themes can be described in thefollowing ways:

THECAREER KEY

CAN HELP YOU

Make no mistake about it, thesecondary subjects which youchoose to study are not only an

important part of your academicdevelopment but they also determinethe career path which you will be ableto follow in the future.

Consider these subjects as thefoundation which you are laying forachieving higher level qualifications.Choosing the right subjects atsecondary will help you gain entry intojobs requiring specific educationalbackground or into institutions ofhigher learning for specific courseswhich you choose.

Choosing which subjects at thesecondary level usually happensduring 9th grade (3rd form) if you arein school. For some, however, it maynot happen until many years laterwhen they decide to get serious abouttheir careers.

So with this knowledge, how will youknow which subjects to choose?Everyone initially needs a broad baseof education on which to build beforechoosing specific areas in which tospecialise. The subjects you selectshould relate to your particularaptitudes and interests and to thecareer path you have chosen.

Your subject selection should alwaysinclude:

Mathematics and English Language:These are crucial foundation subjects.You will find it difficult to move forwardeither to the working world or to aninstitution of higher learning withoutthem.

Information Technology: Theimportance of communication andinformation technology in the 21stcentury makes this subject an absolutemust-have.

A language: Learning a foreignlanguage opens the door to manycareer and training opportunities foryou globally.

The Caribbean Examinations Council(CXC) offers over 30 subjects at thesecondary education level. Thesesubjects are usually taught intensivelyin secondary schools over a three-yearperiod, from 9th grade to 11th grade.At the end of this time, students sit theCXC’s Caribbean SecondaryEducation Certificate (CSEC) exam.

The CXC also offers subjects andadministers exams for students whowish to further their studies beyond theCSEC level. These exams are theCaribbean Advanced ProficiencyExaminations (CAPE) and are usuallytaught in 6th form and communitycollege. CAPE subjects preparestudents to enter the world of work, orto continue their education at thetertiary level.

The subjects offered under the CSECand CAPE programme cover a widerange of areas and most of them canbe categorised under four headings:

CHOICES


CHOOSING

YOURSUBJECTS

CHOICES


It’s the run up to exam season,whether you’re facing end of term,CXC, GCE CAPE, A Levels or end of

semester exams. So by now youshould have a workable timetable thatincludes some sport or extra curricularphysical activity, time for R&R, and allthe notes, books, research and othermaterial necessary for successincluding the “CHOICES Get ReadyFor Exams & Beyond DVD”. Which isall good.

However, have you eliminated or atleast severely restricted yourlistenership to carnival/dancehall/rapmusic and sessions? No? Hmmmmm.

And of course you’ve all been payingclose and particular attention to yourhealth and nutrition – your vitaminsand the type of food and drink that youare consuming. Right? No? I have totell you, one out of three is not leadingdown the road to outright success. Ofcourse it’s all well and good to bephysically prepared and it is importantto have the notes etc but withoutproper and optimal nutritional supportand the creation and inducement of apositive and receptive mental attitude,it will be like that girl on TVJ’s SchoolsChallenge Quiz vox pop so aptly put it:success will be ‘not a fight, not abattle, but a war’ that you may not bevictorious in..QQQ..Qbecause you’renot fully and appropriately armed.

Don’t even think about steups-ing andputting down this article. Knowing ishalf the battle and knowledge is power!Even if you feel you ‘have it lock’ andyou ‘cyar study without Addie in thebackground’ or that your R&R mustinclude some maaad sessions andCarnival, that doesn’t mean that youcouldn’t up the ante and do a whole lotbetter by utilising tried and provenmethodologies to maximize yourpotential success. It’s not likeanyone’s trying to deprive you of theGully God and fêteing for life. Solisten up and pay attention. Thisadvice is pro bono.

MUSIC MATTERSNo one can deny that music matters.You don’t have to be a rocket scientistto know that you can’t rock a sessionwith Chopin, Mozart, Bethoven orBach. And by the same token you willno doubt acknowledge that to get themost out of a study session you’re notgonna blast an Aidonia or a Bounty –unless you’re not serious aboutcompletely absorbing your work, or aretotally distracted by every kind ofmusic.

OONN YYOOUURRMMAARRKKSS......FFOORRMMUUSSIICC,, FFOOOODD,,WWAATTEERR &&EEXXAAMMSSby Joye Foderingham

CHOICES


In today’s 21st century society,community colleges represent asmart, safe and viable option for

students and other persons who want toadvance and develop themselveseducationally and occupationally. In theCaribbean it’s an option very oftenpursued as in many cases “commcees”are the main deliverers of 6th formprogrammes and tertiary education inareas such as teaching, nursing,business, CAPE level courses and manyothers.

In fact, as time goes by, communitycolleges are becoming more important,as people realise the many benefits theycan get from going to a communitycollege. Also, as the world undergoesone of the most devastating financialrecessions it has ever experienced,more people are beginning to seecommunity colleges as perfectalternatives that can help them remaincurrent, qualified and employed.

So, why are community collegessuddenly such an attractive alternativeto other tertiary education institutions?There are five basic types ofeducation/training that they provide.

1. Transfer education: For studentswho will move from community collegeand go directly to university.

2. Career education: For those who willgraduate and seek jobs right away.

3. Development education: For peoplewho are not ready to tackle tertiary-leveleducation, community colleges provideintermediate and remedial courses thathelp them to bridge the gap.

4. Continuing education: For personswho enter community colleges directlyfrom secondary schools.

5. Industry training: To provide trainingfor specific jobs for companies that maygive community colleges contracts toeducate their employees.Here are some additional benefits ofcommunity colleges.

1. LESS MONEY. This has to be thenumber-one reason that many studentsare now deferring the universityexperience and opting for communitycolleges instead. As times get difficultand money becomes scarce, more

students are choosing the cheaper routeto tertiary qualification.

2. LESS TIME. Although times arechanging, and some community collegesnow offer first degrees, most still stickwith the traditional associate degree andcertificate programmes, which usuallytake a shorter time to complete thanuniversity courses. This allows studentsto go through the tertiary educationprocess and to enter the working worldmore quickly.

3. JOB DEMANDS. A look at Jamaica’s2009 Labour Force Survey shows thatalmost 80% of the labour force has nocertification. This is one of the mainreasons for the high level ofunemployment in the country. Since theeconomic recession, companies havebeen forced to make employeesredundant, lay some off, or cut jobs forothers. This means that only those whoare most educated and qualified will getto keep their jobs. This forcesemployees to turn to quick, affordableavenues to keep themselves relevantand qualified in the shaky 21st-centuryjob environment.

4. EVER-INCREASING UNIVERSITYCOSTS. Another negative implication ofthe economic recession is that the mostpopular tertiary-education option,university, has now become tooexpensive for many to afford. Faced withthe growing demands of a limited fiscalbudget, the Government has cutsubsidies to education, which meansuniversities have had to raise theirprices in order to meet their ownindividual budgetary needs. In thiscircumstance, community collegesprovide an attractive option

5. SMALLER CLASS SIZES. Sincecommunity colleges cater to a smallernumber of students than universities,they afford students the opportunity tohave greater consultation with theirteachers and instructors, receive moreattention, and get more guidance andhands-on help with their courseworkassignments.

“Let’s go to Community College!”A WORKABLE 21ST CENTURY OPTION

CHOICES


A year ago at this very time, I wrote aletter of resignation from my corporatejob. I must have appeared insane tomany people then as I am sure I stilldo. I took a huge leap of faith,seemingly leaving a secure position fornothing. I was frustrated with this 9-to-5 job and had a deep urge to pursuemusic, my lifelong interest and hobby.

You would probably be pleased to readthat after leaving my job to follow mypassion, I am now a successfulmusician. The truth is, I am not.However, that depends purely on howyou measure success.

There are no road maps for an up-and-coming artiste in the music business.Some artistes may get an easy ‘buss’but often, there is much hard work andsuffering that is unseen by the fansprior to their rise. This is the stage atwhich I find myself but I must say thatthe journey thus far has been veryrewarding. After all, you cannot reachthe destination without the journey.

When I left my job, I put a lot of timeand energy into honing and exposingmy talent in order to manifest myvision of independently releasing adebut album to a worldwide audience.Although I have not seen my dreamfully come to life, I have come a longway since that first day of waking upwith the freedom to do as I please.

I have been fortunate to recognize mygift and my passion. Daily routines inan office for a pay cheque did not bringme happiness, but saying words on abeat for people to repeat surely does.I have come to know that this is mycalling and my journey so far hasconstantly reminded me along the way,especially at the most difficult times.

Possessing this unique talent andperspective always had me wonderingduring mycorporate workingexperience. I oftenfound myselfstaring at peoplein boring meetingsand ponderingabout what it isthat made themtick. “Who arethey, really? Andwhat do they reallywant to do withtheir life?” I askedmyself. At somepoint, they wouldstare back, andwonder why I wasnot payingattention, notrealising I wastrying to tap intotheir mind. Surely,they weren’t thatinterested in the meeting, I wouldthink.

The current generation sees itscareers as running parallel to itslifestyles. Creativity is the order of theday and innovation provides greatopportunities. This is the spirit of thetimes. We are following our passions,in hope of income which will come, butmost importantly, we are searching forour success amidst contentment,happiness and peace.

YYÉÉÄÄÄÄÉÉãã llÉÉââÜÜccttáááá||ÉÉÇÇ ;;ccààAAEE<<

To Happiness, Fulfillment & Peaceby Peter Wright

Five Steez inperformance at theManifesto|JamaicaFestival of ART’icalEmpowerment inOctober 2010 at theEdna Manley College

Choices Career & Education Magazine | Find the Right Career For You

Documents

Transcript of Choices Career & Education Magazine | Find the Right Career For You