Honors Internship
Career Research Project
Goal: Students will research a career or careers of interest and synthesize their knowledge into a
series of products that demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of various aspects of the career.
Research Resources:
1. Internship Wikispace – assignment and lifestyles of a career list
2. http://www.azcis.intocareers.org
3. http://kuder.com
4. http://www.metedu.org/rcac/
5. http://degreedirectory.org/index.html
6. http://www.bls.gov/
7. http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/Company-Industry-Research/2009-hiringoutlook/article.aspx
8. http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/
9. http://www.pima.edu/library/online-distance/study-guides/CareersAndCollegeMajors.shtml
10. http://helpguide.org/life/finding_career.htm
11. http://www.ted.com/
12. http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/
13. Google
14. Other student identified resources
Part A. Read about an eminent person in the field that you are researching. Write a one to two page
discussion of this person’s life and contributions.
What obstacles did the person encounter? What caused the person to become eminent? What made them
successful? What career path did they follow? What personal traits contributed to their success? Why was
their contribution significant? What caused the person to become interested in their career? What motivating
factors pushed them to become successful? Where did they begin? What was the impact of the historical
period they lived in on their lives and success? What schools did they go to and training did they receive?
 Graded on the critical thinking rubric listed below.
Part B. Lifestyle of the career chart – see sample below.
This chart should list an aspect of the career that you researched in the first column and the
information you discovered in the second column. Use the list of lifestyle aspects to identify the
areas you need to research about the career. The areas listed below are required topics for your
chart. Each student will select a minimum of 10 additional topics from the lifestyle of a career list
based on their career needs.
Insert a header with your name, and school period. Insert a footer on your paper that lists and
numbers your sources and put the numbers for your sources after the information.
Topic
Required training
Colleges that have
degree programs in
this field
Salary potential
Employment outlook
Research results
Degree in _____, X number of years as an intern, etc.
Colleges – comparisons of several colleges that have a degree
program including cost, campus, location, other aspects of college
that you consider important.
In at least three locations
Use several sources including AZCIS and http://www.bls.gov/
Reality check -
Synopsis of the results of your reality check
AZCIS
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle topic
Lifestyle Elements of Careers
Attire and personal appearance
o Diet
o Health standards
Location
o Where you can live in the world
o Place that you work
o Global – cultural considerations
Schedule
o Family considerations
o Travel requirements
o Vacation and leisure time
Level of stress
o Danger
o Degree of competition
o Emotional demands and pressure
o Privacy
o Expectations and demands
o Health risks
o Level of criticism
Skills
o Interpersonal skills needed
o Level of education and training
o Level of intelligence
o Pre-requisites
o Technology
o Team work
Conditions
o Characteristics of co-workers
o Political views
o Level of structure
o Office environment
o Legal requirements
o Physical requirements
o Security clearance required?
o Customers
o Boss
o Large or small business
o Variety
Work-load
o Extended work beyond the work day
Job security/stability
o Predictability
Thinking and degree of challenge
o Degree of creativity
o Level of freedom
o Level of thinking required
Ethical standards
o Ethical dilemmas
o Religious affiliation requirements?
Rewards
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Personal values and goals
Impact on society
Social status
Community respect
Salary, benefits and retirement
Fame privacy
Advancement opportunities
Part C. Write a 1 – 2 page conclusion
 What have you discovered that is important to your decision making about your future?
Graded on the critical thinking rubric listed below:
Critical Thinking Rubric - Expanded
Level 6 Paper or product is written at a level that challenges and advances the knowledge or thinking of the instructor. –
Publishable.
Level 5 Paper or product shows depth (understanding complexities of the issue or topic) or breadth (seeing things from
multiple points of view or connecting to parallel issue or topic). Paper has lots of supporting detail. The conclusion is
global and generalizable. Ideas flow logically and show insight.
Level 4 Paper or product is logically ordered and supported. Paper may show insight but there is not enough discussed to
be considered an in-depth work. Paper lacks strong conclusion.
Level 3 Paper or product is clear, accurate, and precise. Lots of points are discussed but the flow of ideas is not logical.
Paper lacks strong conclusion
Level 2 Paper or product demonstrates a general understanding or is a summary of the topic. This paper is really a list of
words discussed in class made into sentences with little or no elaboration. Writing skills prevent ideas from being clear and
logical. Limited conclusion.
Level 1 Paper or product is a factual reiteration of information relevant to the topic. This paper is very short with not much
detail. This paper is really a list of some words discussed in class made into sentences with little or no elaboration. Writing
skills prevent ideas from being clear and logical. Lacks conclusion.
Level 0 Paper or product contradicts what is known to be true about the topic without supporting evidence or is irrelevant.
This paper is very short with not much detail. It is confusing and has many inaccurate/illogical statements. Lacks
conclusion.
This rubric is an expanded more descriptive version of the original critical thinking rubric.
Conclusions:
Each essay must have a conclusion – not a summary and restatement of the thesis. Conclusions need to synthesize data into logically
supportable assumptions. Conclusions should also demonstrate the ability to make connections and generalizations. The goal of the
conclusion is to create a bigger more global (macro) concept based upon the synthesis of concepts presented in the body