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CNS 220 Final Project

Part 1: Personal Action Plan


If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning,
and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting
started.
-Drew Houston, Founder/CEO of Dropbox

The purpose of this project is to integrate and mobilize your new skills, resources, experiences
and knowledge into a plan you can use to create meaningful action toward your personal and
career-related goals. This final project, your Action Plan, along with your Meta-Reflection, will
allow you to consolidate your new competencies and understanding of yourself, as well as
options in the world of work that are relevant to you.
Checklist to complete this project:
Answer the following prompts and complete the action plan on the following pages.
Please complete this electronically by filling out this document.
Complete a career coaching appointment with a career coach in the OPCD to review your
action plan for feedback.
Write your meta-reflection based on the prompts provided after this action plan
worksheet.
Please follow the prompts listed here and integrate 8-10 resources from our course as supporting
material, evidence for your plan, or new information that informs your future actions. You will
start by reviewing your progress and citing the experiences that have created impact and
opportunity.
This project is a template you can use now and as your goals unfold, or shift in the future. Ive
provided this blank template for your Action Plan on Sakai and our ePortfolio website. Keep it and
feel free to use it in the future.
First, begin by answering these questions for yourself. Be as complete as you can, using a
sentences or two for each prompt:
I enrolled in this course for this primary purpose or because:
When I started this class, I was considering this/these options in the world of work:
At the beginning of our course, these were my initial assumptions/thoughts about myself
and the world of work as it related to me
1. I enrolled in this class because I was feeling behind in terms of the career search. I
felt that my peers were many steps ahead of me in terms of knowing what they
wanted to do and working towards their goal. After reading RoadTrip Nation I
began to understand that it was ok not to have an exact career path decided yet.
2. When I started this class I was considering marketing or advertising as possible
career options but I was having some doubts about whether these options were
even something I was interested in. After doing the STRONG test and learning
about skillsets for these fields I determined that this is what I want to do.
3. At the beginning of the course I felt that I was not ready to pursue a career. I did
not feel like I had the skills of a professional. Now, I feel more equipped with the
tools needed to go through an interview process.

Next, continue by considering the results of your self-assessment undertaken through our course.
You may wish to review the Self-Assessment section of your ePortfolio. Write a sentence or two to
answer these prompts:
What are the key points you have learned about yourself as it relates to your current
ideas related to career goals? Which projects, experiences or readings provided this
learning? List 3-5 key learnings and the rationale/or sources for class that help clarify this
self-assessment.
1. Roadtrip Nation helped me realize that not everyone knows the career path that
they want to pursue especially as a junior in college. I realized it is more important
to figure out what my passions are first so that I do not just go into a field that I
am not that interested in because it looks good on paper.
2. The STRONG assessment helped to determine what fields I am definitely not
interested in. This is equally important because it helps me narrow down the field.
3. The lecture with Andy Chan helped me to understand whether or not going to grad
school was a good choice for me based on my career field. It helped me to
determine that I should not go to grad school atleast not right away. Depending on
if I continue to work in advertising or marketing I will always have the option to
work for a couple of years and then go back in order to enhance my career, but it
is not necessary right away.
4. The Linked In profile update gave to the push I needed. To be honest, before this
class I did not have a profile and so having to make one for an assignment was the
incentive that I needed. The benefits of having a profile are unlimited.
5. The applied research project helped me to understand the importance of choosing
a city based on what I am looking for in my first city living on my own. I now know
the resources to use to compare two cities to figure out which one better aligns
with my priorities. This will be helpful for me in my post grad life.

What has been the most valuable piece of information you have learned about yourself as
it relates to opportunities of value to you? How did you learn this as part of our course?
The most valuable piece of information I learned about myself is that I have a lot of
marketable skills that many employees are looking for. Especially as a Wake Forest
student I am a very qualified and skilled applicant for many jobs in the field I am
interested in. It is important for me to remember that in the job/internship search. I have
a tendency to sell myself short sometimes but I now have a better understanding that the
skills that I possess are important and I should not disregard them.

Now, think about the exploration and research you have conducted and write a sentence or two
to answer the following for yourself. Again, you may wish to look at your Career Research and
Exploration section of your ePortfolio.
How did you explore and research career-related opportunities and options? How would
you summarize the resources/experiences that have been most helpful?

I explored the career fields most interested in using the resources on the OPCD website. The resource I
found most interesting was O*NET because it gives you all the information imaginable about specific
career fields. It is also helpful the see the expected salaries because it gave me a realistic idea of the kind
of money I would be making. This is helpful because I would ideally like to live in Washington, DC so it

is important to understand that it is expensive there and I need to be realistic about being able to afford
living right in the city.

What do you need to be doing now based on your class year at Wake Forest and the
options you are currently exploring? hint: take a look at the OPCD site (it lists activities by
year and the explore careers tab here: http://career.opcd.wfu.edu/explore-careers gives
a timeline for specific career fields)

As a junior interested in marketing and advertising, based on the OPCD website I need to have solidified
an internship for this summer. I have done that; I will be working at an advertising agency in its media
department. Then, in the fall I will continue to network and apply in hopes of getting a full time job at the
end of next year.
My list of key points and valuable personal learning is the following:

Continue to refine my passion and understand what I am most interest in in marketing and advertising.
This will help to determine which departments I would like to get a job in and have a better
understanding rather than just know of a broad industry Im industry Im interested in.

My plans for growth are:

Continue to network on LinkedIn in order to make connections in Washington DC. Dont sell my skills
short, rather learn to talk them up.

Options in the World of Work: Career Action Plan


[Insert Date Here]
Please type your action plan goals below and provide the rationale (the reason you plan to do
this) and course-related source for this goal. Excellent action plans will draw on 8-10 different
sources from class (e.g. projects, experiences, readings, lectures, resources). It is important to
anticipate barriers to reaching your goals. This may be as simple as time limitations during finals
week. If we can identify barriers or obstacles, we can also identify resources that will help us
overcome these obstacles so out momentum on reaching the goals is not diminished.
Step 1: Self-Assessment
Based on what you have learned about yourself, the world of work, values and career related
interests, list your most important information about yourself (column 1). I also expect you to
describe the rationale and source of this learning (e.g., Strong Interest Inventory, Career
Genogram, Values Lecture, journal entry, etc.).
Self-Assessment/Career Related Knowledge

Strong interpersonal skills

passion for education (could volunteer in this field)


I have many adult fans and should utilize them for
networking purposed

Course
Citation/Experiential
Source

STRONG assessment
career genogram
journal entry #2

Step 2: Short-Term Goals for the Next Thirty (30) Days


In Step 2, Im going to ask you to set some short-term goals based on what youve learned about
yourself above. These goals may be based on information you received in an informational
interview, from your job shadow, perspective gained at an OPCD workshop, data you explored on
particular career-related web sites or from our readings or experiences. Example short-term goals
might look like:
Apply for 10 different marketing related internships before April 30 . Rationale: I need to
build professional experience on my resume before junior year (source: informational
interview with alumni contacted through LinkedIn as part of Informational Interview
Projects).
Arrange 2 Job Shadows in hometown for June. Rationale: increasing my network gives me
more access to hidden job market (source: Job Shadow Preparation Presentation).
th

In this table, list two (2) short-term goals for next thirty (30) days and action steps to reach them.
Include a date to complete the goals and action steps (column 1). You should support your goal
with an appropriate rationale/source from the course or your exploration that explains your
reason or motivation for the short-term goals (column 2).
Short-Term Goals for the Next Thirty
Rationale/Source from Course or
(30) Days
Exploration
1. I need to connect with them in order to keep
my connection with them so if I decided to move
Goal 1: Connect with past employers on
back to Pittsburgh or if I need letters of
Linked In by May 25th
recommendation I can ask them.
1a. I will wait to connect with them until after I
see them at the cookout for previous interns
Action Step a. Go to annual cookout
where we give advice to current ones in order
where I will see them in middle of May
to talk to them and be fresh in their mind for
and then connect with them after
when I request to connect.
1b. My profile needs to be up to date with a
professional picture in order to be able to start
Action Step b. Update my profile before
connecting with people I want to make a good
leaving school with help from the OPCD
impression with.

Goal 2: Understand if the MA program is a


good option for me
Action Step a. Meet with an adviser for
the MA program
Action Step b. Sign up for GRE prep
courses

2 The MA program will help me gain more skills


in fields that I have not had much experience in
like accounting.
2a.Find out if it is a good option as compared
to other grad schools that wouldnt make
sense for me
2b. If I am going to apply I want to take the
GRE by the end of the summer so I dont not
have to take it during school next year

Now that youve spent some time identifying your short-term goals for the next thirty (30) days, I
want you to think about any potential obstacles you may encounter in the process of reaching
these goals and completing your action steps. Additionally, please identify resources you may use
to overcome these obstacles (e.g., identify the tools, information, planning and/or people who can
help you).
Potential Obstacles to Completing
Short-Term Goals
Resources to Overcome Potential Obstacles
1. I need to schedule an appointment with
someone from the MA program. If I have an
appointment I will not cancel it and be held
1. Overwhelmed with work during finals
accountable to make time for it.

2. Not having a professional picture for


Linked In and so I cant connect with
people until my profile is complete
3. Depending on my family vacation I may
not be able to attend the annual cookout
and reconnect with my previous bosses.

2. I need to go to the OPCD and get the picture


taken before leaving to go home
3. I can send them an email saying how I would
love to go but am unable to. This way I would
still be connecting with them and I would feel
comfortable connecting with them on Linked In.

Step 3: Long-Term Goals for the Next Three (3) Months


Now, in Step 3, I want you to set two (2) long-term goals and actions steps to help you reach
them. Example long-term goals might look like:
Join the Executive Committee of Wake and Shake. Rationale: recruiters like to see
leadership on a resume (source: Internship Presentation in Class & OPCD Job Search
Workshop)
Conduct informational interview with attorneys in my county by end of August. Rationale:
explore law schools that may network or offer recruiting options within my home
state/region to determine top choices for law school applications (Source:
Graduate/Professional School Panel information)
Take Computer Science course next semester. Rationale: basic programming important
skill for one of my industries of choice (Source: informational interview #2 with alumnus
at Red Ventures)
Long-Term Goals for the Next Three
(3) Months
Goal 1: Join the marketing club on campus
Action Step a. Sign up at the activities
fair in the fall
Action Step b. As a senior maybe I would
be able to get a leadership position

Goal 2: Conduct informational interviews


with Wake alum in the DC area
Action Step a. Connect with them on
Linked In ad conduct informational
interviews
Action Step b. Follow up with a thank you
note and stay in touch

Rationale/Source from Course or


Exploration
1. Future employers will like to see that I have
been participating in things in campus that
relate to the field
1a. If I attain a leadership position it will prove
that I have strong leadership skills and can
manage people
1b. This will give me talking points in
interviews
2. Its all about networking and if I want to be in
DC I need to draw upon the resources that I have
there while I am still an undergrad
2a. lecture on importance on informational
interviews and how to conduct them
2b. lecture about the importance of hand
written thank you notes and how much of an
impression they make

Just as you did with your short-term goals, I want you to think about any potential obstacles you
may encounter in the process of reaching your long-term goals and completing your action steps.
Additionally, please identify resources you may use to overcome these obstacles (e.g., identify
the tools, information, planning and/or people who can help you).
Potential Obstacles to Completing
Long-Term Goals
Resources to Overcome Potential Obstacles
1. I may not be able to attain a leadership
1. I can connect with the people in leadership
position in the marketing club because as a positions currently and understand how they got
senior that will be my first year
there and what skills are necessary
2. If I am planning on doing the MA
2. I should schedule appointments at the OPCD
program I will feel no need to connect with
in order for them to encourage me to connect

Wake alum in DC until longer down the


road
3. I may not attend the activities fair as a
senior because I feel that at this point
having a club on my resume for only one
year is pointless

Accountability Partner (with whom will you


share this plan):

with them and hold me accountable


3. Ask about clubs in informational interviews
and understand the importance and make
myself go and sign up at the activities fair

My father

After you have completed the Action Plan and had it reviewed by a career coach in the OPCD,
take some time to write up your meta-reflection for the course using the prompts on the next
page.

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