Objective: to create a portfolio of your career plan and possible college degree programs.
**Portfolio: A collection of documents, photographs, digital media, or artwork that showcase a student’s work.**
Materials Required:

A 3-Ring Binder or plastic cover to store and organize your portfolio documents

A pen/pencil every day to complete each section
 Notecards to help keep track of all information being gathered

Optional – Tab Dividers to keep each section separate and polished looking
Project Requirements:
 A Cover Page
 A Portfolio Overview

A Cover Letter
 A Resume
 Complete each section of the Portfolio outlined below o Career Interests o Career Skills o Career Options o Colleges aligned with your degree program o College Funding and Tuition
 A reflection paper – 5 paragraphs.

Cite all sources appropriately using Easybib.com to avoid plagiarism and a result of a zero “0” for the project. o An online journal about your specific career field

Turn in your completed portfolio on time, so that you will be ready for the next part of your college and career project, and make sure it has a professional finish.
Each section of the portfolio is outlined in this packet. You MUST complete every entry. You can get the digital handout and type the information, but your final portfolio should be original. This means it should not look like this packet was just filled out. If you choose to type the information you will only be allowed to print your portfolio one (1) time at school. This means you need to make sure it perfect before you print it. Once you have printed it once at school, you will not be
allowed to print again. Keep this in mind as you get your final portfolio ready for turn in.

A cover page is the front page of any portfolio. It is very simple and only contains global information. Global information would include:
 Project Titles
 Names of people involved

Dates
 Etc.
For your cover page for this portfolio make sure you include:

A Portfolio Title – something do with Career and College Research

Your Name
 My Name

The Project Due Date
 Freshman English
Below are some examples of Cover Pages. You may choose to model yours after one of these, or create one of your own, if you are feeling creative.
Tip: Keep your cover letter professional and polished. Too much clutter can distract from what you are trying to communicate. Remember to KISS it (Keep It Simple Silly).

Before you begin your research, take some time to look up the definitions of the words below.
This will help you to understand more of what you are reading throughout the project. The bottom three are blank, this is for you to find three words during your research you do not know and define them.
Part of Speech: Word: Career
Definition:
Word: Salary
Definition:
Word: Tuition
Definition:
Word: Expenses
Definition:
Word: Post-Secondary
Definition:
Word:
Definition:
Word:
Definition:
Word:
Definition:
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:

Your second page of your portfolio should be a brief description of your portfolio. You can also think of this as a Table of Contents for your portfolio. Each page should be numbered throughout your portfolio and this overview page should outline what is on each page and where you can find certain information.
Follow this template to get a brief idea of what to do with your portfolio overview:
Portfolio Overview:
Page 1: Cover Page
Page 2: Research Vocabulary
Page 3: Portfolio Overview

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 4: Career Interests

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 5: Career Options

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 6: Career Skills

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 7: College Programs

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 8: College Funding and Tuition Breakdown
 _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 9: Reflection Essay
 _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 10-11: Cover Letter
 _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 12: Resume
 _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page 13: Sources

Answer the following questions in as much detail as you can. Work through this page in order.
1) What would you love to do in your line of work? List specific activities, indoor/outdoor, travel, desk-job, etc. In other words, what would you want out of your future career to be the happiest person you can be?
2) Other than work, what are some things that you highly value or things that are most important to you? (Faith/religion, family, sports, fitness/health, free time, etc.)
3) What are you naturally good at? Think deeply about this. A good way to answer this questions is ask yourself, what can I do well at without having to practice it very much?
4) What kind of salary ($$$) would you like out of your job? (e.g.  $60,000 per year)
5) Would you rather have a job that makes you happy or makes you rich? Explain your answer.

List three careers that you might like to pursue: (The final page of this packet shows a variety of careers you can choose from)
1)
2)
3)
Choose one of them that you will continue to do research over for this portfolio. This should be the career that right now sounds most awesome to you!
Now, go to www.bls.org
, and begin to look into the available jobs that are offered within that career path. List a few of the career opportunities in the spaces below and then find all of the information that accommodates these options.
Option 1 -
Median Pay:
Education Needed:
Summary of Job:
Summary of Work
Environment:
Job Outlook (This means how many job will be available to have in this field):
Similar Occupations: List 3
Option 2 -
Median Pay:
Education Needed:
Summary of Job:
Summary of Work
Environment:
Job Outlook
Similar Occupations: List 3
Option 3 -
Median Pay:
Education Needed:
Summary of Job:
Summary of Work
Environment:
Job Outlook
Similar Occupations: List 3

On this page of the portfolio you will need to outline the various skills and tasks that would be demanded of each specific career path you might follow.
Go to www.careers.org
, and begin to search for your specific jobs you have found and begun to research. Write down the information in the space below.
Option 1 -
Summary of Skills needed for this career:
Summary of Tasks this career might have you do:
Option 2 -
Summary of Skills needed for this career:
Option 3 -
Summary of Skills needed for this career:
Summary of Tasks this career might have you do:
Summary of Tasks this career might have you do:
Which specific career path would you want to pursue based upon all of the information found so far? _______________________________________________________________________

Beginning information for this page of the portfolio can once again be found on the www.careers.org
website.
Go to the specific career path that you might want to pursue and find the tab that says
“Colleges.”
List three of the degree programs that would help you to achieve your chosen career:
Program 1 -
In-State college that offers this program:
Program 2 -
In-State college that offers this program:
Out-of-state college that offers this program:
Program 3 -
In-State college that offers this program:
Out-of-state college that offers this program:
Out-of-state college that offers this program:
Select the college that you would most likely attend from the list above:
______________________________________________________________________________
In this final section write down the main types of classes you will need to take to achieve your specific career path, use the following website https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/explore-careers
High School Courses College Courses
Which of the high-school courses are offered by JCHS? List them below and somehow mark the ones you would want to take over the next three years.

Cost Breakdown – tuition:
What is the average cost for each of the following types of Post-Secondary Education (Colleges or Technological Schools).
Private Colleges
Public 2-year college
Public 4-year college
Graduate Programs – Masters Programs Avg.
Typically takes 2 years to complete.
Graduate Programs – Doctorate Programs
Avg. – Typically takes 2-3 years to complete
In-State Cost/ Year Out-Of-State
Cost/Year
Approx. $30,000 Approx. $30,000
Approx. $30,000 Approx. $30,000
For the college you selected, what would you approximately be paying for tuition to graduate with your degree: ____________________ x 4 = _________________________
Cost/year Total Tuition Cost
Cost Breakdown – Living Options:
Housing Option
On-Campus Living
Off-Campus Apartment
Off-campus House
Live at home and commute
Cost/Year
For the housing option you selected, what would you approximately be paying for housing throughout college: ___________________ x 4 = _________________________
Cost/year Total Housing Cost
Now to get a total approximate cost of what college will cost you add together the two totals on this page. Write that total here: ________________________________
What options are available to help make college more accessible?
What other things can you begin to do now to be better prepared to pay for further education?

Take some time to reflect on and answer the following questions about the research you have conducted over your chosen career, you final reflection should be typed in proper MLA Format and include three (3) total paragraphs (1 paragraph addressing each question).
1) After doing your research what do you find most interesting and least interesting about the career field you have chosen? Explain why you think it is interesting or not.
2) What are some specific skills or hobbies you need to begin working with to be even more prepared for your future career? How might you begin to build these skills?
3) Think or look back to the things you have said were most important to you in life. Would this career field give you opportunities to still have these things? E.G.  Would you job make you work on Sundays when you highly value your faith/church? –or- Would you be stuck behind a desk, when exploring the world is important to you?
4) Write out a basic plan to achieve your desired career path. Include your high school plans, college plans (if you need to go to college), and plans for finding a job in the career you have chosen. a.
Who will you need to contact? b.
Where will you need to go to find a job? c.
What skills do you need to reach your desired job?
5) How was your effort during this project? Could you have put more into it, to get more out of it? How might you change your effort for the next major project?

The cover letter is a letter that you would present to a company or employer that you were attempting to get a job with. A cover letter addresses several items:
 A header containing your name
 Your Personal Contact Information

The Employer’s Information

A letter outlining the skills you have that would make you a quality candidate for the job

A Sign off and signature
The easiest way to create a cover letter is to follow the instructions below:
 Open Microsoft Word
 Click on the File Tab

Click on New
 In the “Search for Online Templates” box type Cover Letter

Select one of the basic cover letter templates

Fill in all of the appropriate information for the cover letter o Make sure you use valid information, as this is a cover letter you might use for a future a career.
Microsoft Word will automatically help format your Cover Letter in the appropriate format. A general outline for the body paragraphs is outlined below:
First paragraph (Purpose):
State why you are writing and the type of position or field of work in which you are interested. Indicate how you learned of this position. If there is not a specific position available, indicate how your interest originated. Demonstrate briefly your knowledge of the company.
Second paragraph (Background and Qualifications):
Refer the employer to an enclosed resume. If you have had related experience or specialized training, elaborate on the details that would be of special interest to the employer. Be as specific as you can about your qualifications and skills. Provide examples on how you obtained/honed these skills. Your goal here is to match your skills to the employer's needs. Explain how you would fit into the position and the organization. This paragraph can get lengthy; break it into two paragraphs to make it more readable.
Third paragraph (Request for Action):
Close your letter by briefly restating how your qualifications match the position. Express your interest in further discussing your background and the position with the employer. Write when you will be contacting them to ensure your application materials were received. Finally, include a statement expressing your appreciation for the employer's consideration.

For your Cover Letter:
You will be applying for a position as my teacher aid. You will need the following information to be able to write your cover letter.
Employer Information
Mr. Artley
300 E. 9 th Street
Junction City, KS 66441
Mission: To prepare students for the world through the use of relevance, rigor, and relationship and to hold to a high standard of integrity and honesty.
Values:
Integrity
Honesty
Respect
Trust
Fun
You may want to check one of the sample portfolios for ideas on how to implement this above mentioned material into your cover letter.

A resume should clearly outline the specific skills you have, experiences you have, and any past jobs or activities that helped you to develop skills that would help you in the job you are applying for.
A resume should not exceed 1 page in length. Be precise with your information. Do not ramble on to make it look longer. It should only outline the skills needed to achieve the position you are applying for.
Your resume needs to at least include:

Objective for the position being applied for

Activities (List and give a brief description of any activities you have been involved in)

Computer Skills
 Community Service

Education (For all of you this would be the name and information of the high school you currently attend)
The easiest way to create a basic resume is outlined below:

Open Microsoft Word

Click on the File Tab
 Click on New

In the “Search for Online Templates” box type Resume
 Select a basic resume to complete for your career
An example of a resume is attached after this page so that you can have a model for how your resume should look. The chart below also outlines areas that you could include on your resume.
**You do not have to use these categories. You may choose to use your own.**
Activities
Sports Teams
Honors Societies
Theater/ Drama
Music Groups
Computer Skills
Microsoft Office
Webpage Design
Programming
Community Service
Boy Scouts
Volunteer Groups
Church Groups
Business Essentials School Volunteer
Projects
Education
High School

Your final page should be a works cited page containing each source you used throughout your research project. Even if you are not citing your sources in your writing anywhere, but you used a website to find any information, make sure there is a citation for it here.

This is a guide to career information about hundreds of occupations!

Architecture and Engineering o Mechanical Engineering o Agricultural Engineering o Industrial Engineering o Chemical Engineering o Architectural Engineering o Civil Engineering o Interior Architecture o Landscape Architecture o Acoustic Architecture

Arts and Design o Graphic Design o Fashion Design o Comic Design o Interior Design o Art Instructor

Building and Grounds Cleaning o Waste Management o Recycling o Building Maintenance o Janitorial o Repurposing Systems

Business and Financial o Management o Accounting o Finance o Sales o Advertising

Community and Social Service o Social Worker o Police Officer o Fire Fighters o Not-For-Profit Groups

Computer and Information Technology o Computer Programmer o Computer Technician o Database Administrators o Webpage Designers o Computer Analysts

Construction and Extraction o Brick and Stone Masons o Carpenters o Building Inspectors o Construction Laborers o Construction Management o Roofing o Steel Workers

Education, Training, and Library o Secondary o Elementary o Post-Secondary o Librarian o Media Specialists o Administration

Entertainment and Sports o Actors o Athletes o Coaches o Musicians o Producers o Choreographers

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry o Logging o Forest Conservation o Fisherman o Agriculture

Food Preparation and Serving o Cooks o Chef o Food Prep o Waiter and Waitress

Healthcare o Athletic Training o Dentist o Doctor o Dental Assistant o Nutritionist o Paramedic o Nursing o Birth Coach


Installation, Maintenance, and Repair o Aircraft Mechanic o Automotive Repair o Computer Repair o General Maintenance Repair o Heating/Air Conditioning

Legal o Paralegal o Stenography o Lawyer o Judge o Court Clerk

Life, Physical, and Social Science o Agriculture Food Scientist o Anthropologist o Paleontologists o Atmospheric Science o Biologist o Chemist

Management o Administrative Services o Engineering Management o Business Management o Financial Managers o Food Service Managers o

Math o Actuary o Mathematician o Operations Reasearch o Statistician

Media and Communication o Announcers o Broadcasters o Editors o Film and Camera Specialist o Public Relations o Photography

Military o Army o Coast Guard o Navy o Air Force o Marines

Office and Administrative Support o Auditing Clerks o Book Keeping o Customer Service Rep o Dispatchers o Postal Service Work

Personal Care and Service o Childcare Professional o Animal Care Specialist o Cosmetology o Fitness Trainer o Game Service Occupations

Production o Fabricators o Bakers o Butchers o Jewelers o Painters o Print Services

Protective Service o Corrections Officer o Detectives o Security o Fire Fighter

Sales o Cashiers o Models o Insurance Provider o Real Estate o Travel Agent

Transportation and Material Moving o Air Traffic Control o Delivery Driver o Flight Attendant o Hazardous Materials Transport o Water Transportations Specialist