Looking Forward to the World of Work

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Looking Forward to the World of Work

• Text Chapter 3

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Making Decisions

• By
• David Agnew and Jim Wendell
• Arkansas State University

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Objectives

• Define New Career Terms
• Explain why decision making can be difficult
• Explain the importance or career decision making
• List and describe the seven steps in the
  decision-making process
• Give an example of how someone can use the
  decision-making process to make career decisions
• List and describe seven hints for making wise
  decisions

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New Career Terms

• Decision - choosing between two or more
  possibilities
• Decision-Making Process - steps that can be taken
  to help you make the best decision
• Needs - things you must have to survive
• Resource - any skill or advantage you have
• Wants - things you would like to have, but dont
  have to have - luxuries

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New Career Terms (Cont.)

• Evaluate - to look at closely and judge
• Plan - the method or course you decide to take
  after going through the decision-making process
• Tentative - the best decision you can decide on
  at a certain time, which can be changed later as
  you learn more

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Decisions

• Nothing more than making a choice between two or
  more options.
• Life is full of decisions - you make hundreds
  during the course of a day !
• Most are simple to decide and require very little
  time or effort to complete.
• Others are important and may require selecting
  from many choices.
• Choosing will usually take more time and thought
  on your part because every time you make a
  decision you are saying NO to all the other
  options.

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Ways to Decide

• Do you fear making the wrong decision ? Supposed
  you have only enough money for one item, but you
  would like to get many other items also
• Do you close your eyes and point ?
• Do you ask a friend which they would choose ?
• Do you choose the least expensive or most
  expensive item ?
• Do you become frustrated and leave without making
  any choice at all ?

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Why Make Decisions?

• What would you do if you had to drive to Alaska
  without a road map and werent allowed to look at
  any signs for help ?
• You would be lost most of the time
• You may or may not even reach Alaska
• For the majority of your trip, you would feel
  confused, unhappy, and frustrated
• You would never know if you were making progress
  towards your goal

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Why Make Decisions? (Cont.)

• Most people would laugh at the idea of starting a
  journey to Alaska under these conditions.
• Yet, many people use this same planning technique
  with a much more important journey - THEIR CAREER
  JOURNEY. This is the main reason why so many
  people are unhappy with the way their lives
  turned out.
• The decisions you make now concerning your career
  choice is like pushing over the first domino in a
  long line. As each domino falls, it knocks down
  the next in a chain reaction. So it is with
  career decisions. Each one impacts the next
  throughout your life and for many years to come.

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Decision Making Process

• Decide what you need or want.
• Look carefully at your resources.
• Identify your choices by writing down
  the decision you are
  making
  the time frame allotted for
  completion
  every option you know about
  places to
  learn of other choices
• Gather information on all your options.
• Evaluate and compare your options.
• Make an educated decision.
• Develop an action plan.

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Making Career Decisions

• Never to early to make a tentative career
  decision
• This is not your final choice, but the best
  choice for you at the present time
• Make an educational plan for your decision
  Is a four year college degree or more needed
  ? Two year degree or Vo-Tech training needed ?
  Is high school training adequate ?
  What high school courses
  are needed as a foundation ?

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7 Tips for Career Decisions

• Even though they want to be helpful, family and
  friends may try to pressure you to do what THEY
  want you to do.
• Dont be afraid of failure.
• Pay attention to all everyday decisions.
• Decisions can have both good and bad outcomes.
• Accept all outcomes.
• Dont depend on luck.
• If you are unsatisfied with any outcome, you can
  change a decision.

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In Summary

• Life is full of decisions.
• Some large, some small, some important, and some
  unimportant.
• Most have several choices which complicates the
  decision making process.
• An organized method of approaching decision
  making can help to make difficult choices easier
  to complete.

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The End