SHPE Jr. Module 3
Exploring Your Career Options
(Social Skills Focus: Diversity and Cross-Cultural Interaction)
Description
Students will learn more about career options and explore ways to choose the best
career for them. This session will include a focus on STEM careers. Participants will
learn more about diversity and cross-cultural interactions. They will also learn about the
importance of diversity and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
 Explore career options available to them after high school graduation
 Identify high demand jobs and rapidly growing job opportunities
 Learn about the benefits of pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering
and math (STEM)
 Understand the dimensions of diversity
 Explore the connection between innovation and high-performing teams
Workshop Length
60 minutes
Materials/Supplies Needed
LCD projector and computer for workshop presentation
Diversity Bingo handout
Pen or pencil for each student
Additional Resources
 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (online)
 National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Engineering Awareness
Materials (online)
SHPE Jr. Module 3
Workshop Outline
The facilitator should review the workshop presentation prior to the session. The
facilitator will cover each slide in the presentation and personalize the information by
adding from your related personal experiences.
1. Welcome/Introductions/Icebreaker (5 minutes)
Slides 1-3: The facilitator should welcome the students and introduce volunteers who
will be helping with the workshop. The facilitator should also cover the agenda for
today’s session. Please share the focus of today’s workshop with the participants.
Next, the facilitator should conduct a brief icebreaker to allow students to meet each
other and to learn more about the participants. Students will be asked to participate
throughout the workshop. The icebreaker will allow for students to establish group
rapport.
2. Exploring Your Career Options (25 minutes)
Slide 5: Ask the students to respond to the following question:
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What do you want to study in college?
What are your career plans after college graduation?
Students should share as much as they are comfortable sharing. Some students will
have very clear plans for their future and others will be undecided. You should assure
students that they still have time to identify potential career paths and college majors.
The focus of today’s session will be to learn more about the diverse career options
students can choose after graduating from high school with a special emphasis on
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.
Facilitators are encouraged to share their experiences to serve as professional role
models for the students.
Slide 6: There are many career options students can pursue after high school
graduation and often students will change their minds one or more times in the future.
Slides 7: There are many ways to explore your career options and research potential
college majors and work pathways. Here are a few tips to help students to explore their
options.
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SHPE Jr. Module 3
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Focus on your favorite subjects
o Students may spend 40 or more years in their chosen career path. This is
why it is important to choose a path that you enjoy. One way to narrow
down your options is to think about the subjects you enjoy.
Ask adults around you about their careers
o Identify adults, teachers, community members or others who have
graduated from college and are working in careers that interest you. Use
these adults as mentors to guide you and give you advice.
Volunteer or intern for an organization that interests you
o One way to explore career options is to volunteer or apply for internships
at an organization that may be of interest to you. Practical experiences like
volunteering or interning will provide you with first-hand knowledge of
various career options.
Research your dream and job postings
o There are many websites with job descriptions, salary information, and
useful information on potential career opportunities. Use reliable sources
to learn more about potential careers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Outlook Handbook has a wealth of information about
careers.
Take a skills assessment or career inventory assessment
o Your school may provide you access to a career assessment (or exam)
that will suggest potential career options based on your skills, talents, and
interests. These are not always perfect, but can help you consider areas
you never explored.
Participate in summer camps at a college or university
o Summer programs can provide you with hands-on experiences to explore
careers or new subjects.
Allow for students to add other career exploration activities. The facilitator can also
provide personal experiences in this section.
Slide 8-9: One growth area in the economy are careers in STEM. Nearly 20 percent of
jobs in the United States now require some STEM knowledge. The fastest growing
occupations with the highest salaries from 2012 to 2022 will be primarily in STEM.
There will be an increasing need for people in the healthcare field as the Baby Boomer
Generation ages.
Slide 10-11: Review the reasons why STEM careers are a good option. In particular,
slide 11 shows that engineering job opportunities will grow twice as fast other jobs.
There are many career options in STEM. The facilitator may want to explore various
types of engineering. There are many online resources that describe each type of
engineering (i.e. electrical, biomedical, civil). One reliable source are the engineering
awareness materials provided by the National Action Council for Minorities in
Engineering (nacme.org).
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SHPE Jr. Module 3
Slide 12: The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is a major supporter of the
SHPE Jr. Program. NAVSEA designs, builds, delivers and maintains ships and systems
for the U.S. Navy. There are many STEM opportunities available at NAVSEA. This slide
provides information about career opportunities with NAVSEA.
3. Exploring Diversity (25 minutes)
Slide 13-14: This month’s soft skills focus is on cross-cultural interactions and diversity.
Today’s economy is truly global and the face of today’s workforce is becoming
increasingly diverse. In many industries, the next generation of college graduates will be
interacting with clients and work teams that are extremely diverse. For this reason, it is
important for us to explore the dimensions of diversity, and improve cultural
competency.
In this section, the students will participate in an activity where they share information
about their background. It is important to share some ground rules for participating.
Here are some examples of ground rules.
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Confidentiality – What is said here stays here
Respect – Listen even though we may not feel the same way
Agree to disagree – We are listening and learning from each other not forcing
others to change their minds
Avoid interrupting - One person speaks at a time
Share as much as you choose – Nobody is required to share things that may be
uncomfortable
Have fun
Our activity is called the Diversity Bingo. The purpose of this activity is to identify
various dimensions of diversity that exist.
The facilitator should distribute a copy of the Diversity Bingo handout to each
participant. Facilitators are encouraged to participate also. The participants should be
given approximately 10 minutes to find others to sign their bingo card. Each box on the
bingo card represents an area of diversity. If another participant identifies with that box,
they should sign their name or place their initials. Each individual can only sign up to
two boxes per card.
After the allotted time has expired, ask the participants to return to their seats.
Slide 15-16: Here are some discussion questions to review after the activity (remind
participants about the ground rules):
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Are we a diverse group?
Are there similarities, differences in the group that surprised you?
What is the definition of diversity?
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SHPE Jr. Module 3
Please make the following points after discussing the first two questions.
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Although our participants may share many obvious common traits (such as
gender or race/ethnicity), there are many ways that we are diverse.
Each aspect of diversity influences your decisions, interests, life perspectives,
and approaches to challenges.
Slide 16 provides a definition of diversity. Allow students to provide other opinions about
diversity.
Slide 17: There are many dimensions of diversity. Here are some examples of ways
that we can be diverse. Some of the dimensions are very obvious because we can
physically see a difference (i.e. race/ethnicity, gender, disability). Others are internal
and less obvious (i.e. political affiliation, socioeconomic status). Each of these
differences however make us unique.
Slide 18: The dimensions of diversity are important to understand because we may
interact with people from many difference backgrounds. By being culturally competent,
we can respect others’ differences and improve our interactions. To wrap-up, let’s
discuss why diversity matters.
Diversity and cross-cultural interactions matter for the following reasons:
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Increased diversity is destiny
o Latinos and Asians are the fastest growing minority groups. As the
demographics of our country, state, and region change, cultural
competency will be increasingly important.
Teams look at challenges differently
Better brainstorming
Increased innovation to find solutions
o Businesses value diversity because it helps the bottom line. There is
research that shows that diverse work teams can identify better solutions
to problems and improve innovation. Every person brings a unique
perspective to the table and this diversity of thought can make work teams
more effective.
We feel good when we feel welcomed, included
o Culturally competent teams create an environment that is productive and
effective because everyone feels welcome and respected.
4. Summary and Wrap-up (5 minutes)
Slide 19-20: Review the highlights from today’s session. Thank the students for
attending and allow time for questions from the students. Provide the students with any
important announcements.
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