Monica Echegaray

CSP 710A
Exemplar #5: Career Development
Standards Met 20, 21, 24
Introduction
In an ideal school counselor world, all our students would enter their dream
university right after high school; school counselors do this because we dream with
providing the best opportunities to every one of our students. One of the greatest lessons I
took from my time as a school counselor trainee was recognizing and accepting student
individuality and right to choose the pathway that best suits them. Student develop at
individual paces, yet they all need to be equipped to succeed after high school, whether
that be continuing higher education, entering the workforce, or both.
This exemplar demonstrates mastery of one of the many career theories that could
help guide our students to a profession that best suits them. John Hollands Theory of
Career Choice claims that when one works in an environment similar to their personality
type are more likely to be successful and satisfied. This theory was put into practice by
providing students with a short lecture of the importance of choosing and preparing for a
career that fits with their interest, skills and abilities. Students were then walked
through taking a personality test provided by California Career Zone, this personality test
then provided students with one of the six Holland codes, or personality types RIASEC
[realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional], and with it a list of
potential careers that would fit the test takers personality.
Standards Addressed
II. Professional Skills and Training
A. Domains of School Counseling and Guidance
Standard 20: Career Development

The California Career Zone career personality test was selected for this guidance
lesson because John Hollands career theory is one of the career classification
tools that has proven to be most effective. The RIASEC personality test has
provided satisfactory results because it provides students with vast career
selections that match their personality instead of limiting students to one career.

Monica Echegaray
CSP 710A

Hollands Theory of Career Choice was selected as the theory for this career
development presentation because it validates and empowers students. The theory
encourages students to make a career choice based on personal personality and
behavior type, instead of external factors such of income, which can enhance the
probability of working in an environment that will provide greater achievement,
stability and satisfaction.

Standard 21: Personal and Social Development

Presenting on career development is a great way of promoting student personal

and social development. By taking the RIASEC personality test students were
able to build up their individuality in order to understand themselves and make

informed decisions.
The Holland Code theory was applied to provide students with a list of careers
that could be of interest to them, with this being able to make an informed
decision on what career pathway to follow that will provide higher probabilities of
career choice success and satisfaction.

B. Themes of School Counselor Preparation

Standard 24: Learning, Achievement and Instruction

This lesson was provided in the school computer lab in order to allow students to
have assess to the state website that provides this career personality test. Given
the location specific classroom management strategies where utilized to help keep
students focused. Engaging questions and tone of voice helped student focus on
the instructor rather than their computer screen, modeling and scaffolding to help
navigate the web, and walking through the aisles to monitor navigation on

computer screens.
This lesson alluded to all learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Not
only were students guided orally and visually with modeling and computer screen
projections, students were also provided with a worksheet to complete where they
had to research three careers of their choice that their test results provided. This
guidance lesson was truly designed to meet student needs and allow them to take
the most out of it.

Monica Echegaray
CSP 710A
Conclusion
I selected the California Career Zone Presentation as one of my exemplars in
order to demonstrate competency in providing students with a full array of options for
post high school graduation. The knowledge and implementation of the Holland Career
Theory helped validate student individuality and encourage them to follow what would
be the best choice for them, whether that be going straight to working, going to a
technical school, or working part-time and attending community college/ university.
Either way students are guided to find what career will help them succeed and attain
happiness.
This exemplar helped me value student choice. At the beginning of my masters
program I very much wanted all my students to go to a four year university right after
high school, the implementation of this lesson helped me recognize that students are
experts on themselves and that only they know what the best choice is. The California
Career Zone presentation allowed me to explain and put John Hollands Theory of Career
Choice (RIASEC) into practice to help our students succeed.