UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE
The Market Driven Student
Learning Objectives
Reading
Assignment
Written Lecture:
 CSU Resources
 The Market Driven
Student
 Prepare to Land Your
Dream Job
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate ability to create a Degree Action Plan (DAP) with
Academic Advisor.
2. Locate CSU resources via CSU website and myCSU Student
Portal.
3. Demonstrate ability to locate, evaluate, and retrieve
information from websites.
Written Lecture
Resources
Self-Assessment
Library:
 Am I Likely to Become
An Entrepreneur?
 What’s My Job’s
Motivating Potential?
 Do I Want an Enriched
Job?
 What’s the Right
Organizational Culture
for Me?
 How Motivated Am I to
Manage?
 Am I Well-Suited for a
Career as a Global
Manager?
Writing Resources:
 APA Resource
 Essay Writing
 Success Center
Key Terms
1. Academic Advisor
2. Bureau of Labor
Statistics
3. Course extension
request
4. Degree Action Plan
(DAP)
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“Education has always been important to me and I enjoy learning. Education
gives you the keys to success by making it easy to not just find the right job, but
make the right decision in life along the way. If you stay focused then nothing is
impossible. My Grandparents taught me that hard work always pays off so I put
100% in everything I do, and I have found that I get back more than put in.”
~ Julie Campbell, CSU Student
CSU Resources
Part of the responsibility of a university student is to be extremely
familiar with the resources available to help you succeed. Unit I of our
course introduced you to the hub of CSU information: myCSU Student
Portal. We introduced you to the Student Services department, the
CSU Online Library, and the Success Center. In addition to the
general services that we discussed during Unit I, there are specific
elements of Student Services and the Success Center departments
that every CSU student needs to be aware.
These elements include understanding the policy and procedure for
requesting a course extension, applying for extra credit, or establishing
an approved final exam proctor. Additionally, knowing how to contact
the CSU Library staff or Writing Center Specialists to assist you in
finalizing your research project is imperative. Remember that the
Success Center also offers general tutoring services—so regardless of
the course that you are taking—remember that there are academics, in
addition to your course professor, who are available to assist you with
your course content.
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5. Department of Labor
Relations
6. Extra Credit
application
7. Final exam proctor
8. Math Center
9. myCSU Student Portal
10. O*NET
11. Occupational Outlook
Handbook
12. Student Services
13. Success Center
14. Tutoring services
15. USAJOBS
16. Writing Center
“The main thing that motivates me in the pursuit of my educational goals is the
fact that I have always been a person who is willing to sacrifice while trying to
obtain a goal…I understood even at an early age that the pursuit of educational
goals would pay enormous dividends later on in life…A prospective employer is
seeking a person who not only has the credentials but is also willing to compete
and excel at any assigned task. This competition comes not only on the job but
in the form of increased educational horizons that need to be acquired.”
~Billy Rayford, CSU Student
The Market Driven Student
For every student, there is a core reason why they are pursuing a
college degree. For many, it is for personal reasons....a personal goal,
to demonstrate a great accomplishment to your children or your
spouse, etc. For others, it is for professional reasons…to be eligible for
your dream job, to be eligible for a promotion with your current
employer, to have the option to explore the opportunities in industry.
As you move forward towards your goal earning your degree,
understanding the highly uncertain career market is vital. It is possible
to choose a career and find that before you are fully trained for that
career, the job you were hoping to land has been outsourced, has had
the qualifications upgraded, or no longer exists. Knowing how to
assess and navigate the career landscape will help you find the most
direct route to your career goal.
The information gathering phase of the career decision-making process
will bring about valuable information and perhaps a few surprises. You
will continually use research and critical thinking skills as you examine
the job market and continue to grow in your career.
Having entered a university environment, your expectations for success
are naturally raised. With your earned degree, you envision a higherpaying, high-level job that matches your academic skills. Being
committed to achieving your career goal is commendable, but knowing
what lies before you is essential.
When connecting your current degree plan to your career goals, take
the time to look at more than just the information related to a specific
position. It is also important to be informed on the current labor market.
Be aware of the national and local social, political and economic
trends—as these elements continually impact the labor market. Your
understanding of how trends in our society will affect your career is
essential to your success and satisfaction in that field.
Trends within the fields of technology and global economics will have a
lasting impact on our world—both professionally and personally.
Modifications and advancements within these fields will continually
touch our lives, and as a result, it is imperative that we all keep abreast
of these changes. However, these two fields are not alone in the global
impact. You may find that the rapid rate of change is continually
shifting the shape of the career that you have chosen. As a result,
there are five factors that have a strong influence on the success that
college students achieve upon graduating.
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Your success will be determined in large part by:

Your area of study: Research the field in which you are
currently working towards your degree. Certain areas of
concentration will continue to grow—as the industry
determines—where others will slow down.
o
Trends within the fields of technology and global
economics will have a lasting impact on our world—both
professionally and personally. Modifications and
advancements within these fields will continually touch
our lives, and as a result, it is imperative that we all keep
abreast of these changes.

Your effort level: Having a degree might assist you in getting
the interview; however, it is what you have learned during your
studies and your ability to demonstrate that knowledge that will
help you win the job! Besides, why spend all of that time and
energy in school if you are planning on forgetting it once you
graduate? Give it 100% and KEEP the knowledge after you
worked to gain it!!

Your developed skills: Your ability to demonstrate your
knowledge and skills to your employer (or future employer) after
graduation is key.

Your hands-on experience: Get active in your industry and
community! Any opportunity to get involved with your industry
will only help to build your credibility. It doesn’t matter if you are
volunteering in your community or participating in an
internship—any experience is a learning experience. Discover
what your lessons are from these experiences and LEARN from
them. Take that new knowledge and apply it to your industry!

Your ability to be flexible: The more you are able to adjust to
the changing demands of the career marketplace, the more you
will find your career adventure taking you where you want to
go…even if the route might not be the one you expected.
Tools to get you started:
O*NET
The O*NET (http://online.onetcenter.org/) is one of many government
provide databases that offers detailed descriptions of thousands of
occupations, highlighting aspects such as tasks, knowledge, skills,
abilities, work activities, and context, and cross references to the
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT).
Occupational Outlook Handbook
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is updated every two years.
While this resource can be found in print form at your local library, it is
more commonly accessed at the Department of Labor/Bureau of Labor
Statistics website: http://www.bls.gov under the Publications. It profiles
over 330 occupations and millions of jobs found within those
occupations.
USAJOBS
USAJOBS (http://www.usajobs.gov/) is the “one-stop source for Federal
jobs and employment information.”
Here, this user-friendly format allows you to browse through all posted
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Federal jobs by a simple keyword search. Want to work internationally?
Make certain that you select the International Search button.
Prepare to Land Your Dream Job
Now that you have explored and reviewed your dream career, it is time
to consider ways to move toward your dream job. In some career fields
a college degree alone will open the door for the desired job. In other
cases, the degree helps to get your foot in the door. It will be necessary
for you to demonstrate competence and work skills to secure
employment or be promoted.
In addition to a college degree and work skills, it is essential to determine
avenues to promote oneself.
Earning a college degree requires hard work. Obtaining your college
degree is only the first step in successful entry or advancement in the job
market. Equally important is finding ways to secure challenging and
appropriate career opportunities. Linking to professional individuals and
organizations active in your chosen field and networking for continuing
education are also important steps in the work world. Networking is
critical in today's job market. One distinct advantage of the world wide
web is the ability to connect to individuals, organizations and interest
groups from all parts of the world. Membership in professional and active
trade groups is one path to new ideas, networking opportunities and
advancements in your career area.
As you complete courses leading to your college degree take the steps
to prepare to promote and market yourself.
Assess Your Skills
To start your assessment focus on three common types of skills:
adaptive, transferable and job content skills. Adaptive skills or “good
worker traits” are skills that apply to any career area. These skills relate
to getting along with others, attitudes, willingness to accept new
responsibilities and being a team player. In a job interview, employers
are looking for clues to your ability to fit into the organization.
Transferable skills are general skills that are needed in a variety of jobs.
They include communication and organizational skills, problems solving
and critical thinking skills, all vital in day to day work. The good news is
college will help to hone these skills as you work toward your degree.
The final common type of skill is job content skills or specific information
and expertise in a field of study. This is the one people think is the most
important to securing a job. Actually all three types of skills work
together. Keep a running list of your skills in the three areas. This will
build self-confidence whether you are hoping to land a job in a new
career or advance in your current field (Farr, 1997).
Research Companies
Research companies and organizations that operate in your chosen
career. Use the research skills from Unit VI to find professional
organizations that lead the way in your field. These types of groups offer
conferences, blogs, online learning and the opportunity to interact with
others. National organizations often have contact information and links to
regional and local affiliates.
Many professional journals are published by recognized reputable
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professional organizations. Also consider organizations that focus on
advocacy and public policy for insights into current challenges and
trends in your field of interest.
Find a Mentor
One way to find a mentor is to make a conscious effort to develop
relationships with professors and other students in your career field. Talk
to family, friends and co-workers about your work interests. You may be
surprised to learn of the resources that are available in your local circle
and community. Don't be afraid to make connections or email individuals
to ask questions or share comments. Look for a mentor! This person
can be a resource to bounce off ideas, offer suggestions on personal
development and skill building tips, as well as help you to connect to
opportunities in the future. Mentoring relationships can last for short
focused periods or for years to come. They provide valuable feedback
and links to others in the world of work.
Stay Up-To-Date
Read up-to-date articles in your field. Use your online research skills to
locate articles and/or use the CSU Online Library as a research vehicle.
This keeps you abreast of new trends and also supports the information
you are learning as you progress in your college program. Keep your eye
on the big picture to assess how job markets, skills and focused areas
are changing. It may also be a way to impress your employer with your
content skills.
Working toward a college degree is one step toward developing skills
and expertise for career and personal opportunities. Take the challenge
to prepare for the future and build personal and academic skills for future
employment. Prepare now as you move toward graduation. Be ready to
market yourself!
Resources
Farr, J.M.(1997). The right job for you: An interactive career planning
guide. St. Paul: Jist.
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