Career Management

To complete this assignment you will be researching careers of interest to you.

If you aren’t yet sure what career you are interested in, please visit the “I’m not really sure” assessment from My Next Move (https://www.mynextmove.org) to help you with this first step. Complete the assessment and choose two careers to target.

The next step will be to create a matrix of information that will combine information about your chosen career path with steps you need to take to reach your goal.Information from the above websites will inform how you fill out the matrix.

To do so, please visit

http://www.mynextmove.org/This website will help you search by industry. Use the yellow section on the main page.

http://www.onetonline.org/skills/You learned about Holland Codes on O*Net in week one. This week, practice using one of O*Net’s other search functions based on the SKILLS that you learned in your major.

http://www.umuc.edu/current-students/career-services/job-and-internship-search/job-search-websites.cfm UMUC has gathered together numerous resources grouped by industry. It has numerous resources that are both general and career specific. The career specific links can also introduce you to internship opportunities.

Information from the above links will inform your answers to the questions in the matrix below.

List one or two possible career goals or future career paths or based on your degree or current career.

I want to become a Physical Therapy Assistant, helping to assist physical therapists in providing treatments and procedures.

Describe your personal motivation and interest in this career. Consider compensation, flexibility, responsibility, type of work, your history, your interests and skills, and an abbreviated career description as it relates to my goals/wants.

My aunt was a physical therapist and she introduced me to the field when I was younger. Helping people to attain or regain the ability to walk and carry out daily life gives me a great feeling of personal satisfaction. I like physical work that can show tangible results. Additionally, I had physical therapy when I experienced a shoulder injury. Experiencing the benefits first-hand made me appreciate the field even more. I know first-hand how much it increased my ability to move, how it helped reducemy pain and restoredmy shoulder function. Ultimately, it prevent disability.

List the median pay and job growth outlook for each career path. Use the https://www.bls.gov/website to find this information.

Describe the impact of this information.

Median Pay:$48,940 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Job Outlook:$41% (this number of PTAs is growing much faster than other jobs, US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant will help me earn enough money to support my family.The likelihood that I will be able to find a job is extremely high, more than 15,900 new PTAs will be added to the labor market from 2012-2022.PTAs are hired by multiple different types of healthcare employers (hospitals, PT centers, doctors’ offices, nursing homes), which further increases my chances of getting a good job.My husband and I want to have children; earning up to $23.53 an hour to start will give us the resources we need to start a family and have a small house.I will be able to earn enough money to start my family and save up for a bachelor’s degree in the future (moving into more specialized PT).This should increase my income and opens up the possibility of opening up my own physical therapy center in the future.

What are the requirements and jobs skills needed to be successful? What skills do you still need? How could you get them? Consider the following:

• Education
• Communication skills
• Technical skills
• Personal values
• Cognitive abilities
• Physical abilities
• Social skills
• Creative skills
• Training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience or an associate’s degree. Some require a bachelor’s degree.
• Excellent communication skills – with patients, doctors, nurses, physical therapists
• Critical Thinking – ability do diagnose problems, ability to monitor and assess situations related to patient
• Time management
• Service oriented
• Learn strategies and procedures quickly and precisely
• Writing skills

Job Requirements

I still need

• Additional education – bachelor’s, possibly a master’s in the future
• Work experience
• Organizational skills

What should be in your plan to reach this career goal? Consider the following:

• Current education
• Further education
• Research
• Mentoring
• Volunteering/interning
• Career services
• Social Media Presence
• Work experience

• Current Education:Associates degree, UMUC (Assistant)
• Future Education:Bachelor’s Degree, UMUC (Specialized PT/Sports Science), Master’s Degree if I decide to open my own practice
• Mentor: Work with UMUC mentor to help with informational interviewing at local PT centers.
• Research:Research professional PT organizations to join and conferences to attend for networking.
• Research:Change my social media presence, especially my Facebook, to reflect a more professional outlook
• Volunteer/Intern:Volunteer as PT at ABC Nursing Facility and Rehab.
• Volunteer/Intern: Complete two 40-hour observation sessions of physical therapy