This Webquest was written specifically for use with the Choices into Action program for Grade 8 students. Comments are always appreciated. If you'd like a version without this text and the navigation buttons that appear at the bottom, click here.

Introduction:

OK, so you can't live at home forever.  One day, you will leave home to take your own job or go to college or university.  To quote Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, "where shall I go, what shall I do?"  The purpose of this webquest is to help you investigate some answers to these questions.

The Task:

I think you would probably be a good ...  Yeah, right!  Nobody can actually tell you what job or profession or career you will have after high school.   But, with some proper research, you can find out what sort of jobs fit you.   In this webquest, we'll visit some Internet websites that are specifically designed to help you find the answers to the really important questions that you need to ask.

How to Make this Work for You:
Beginning in Grade 7 and right through to Grade 12, every student keeps their own personal career portfolio.     When you get to Grade 12, you will look back through your portfolio and see how your plans have matured over time and how you have zeroed in on the type of career that interests you.  As you complete parts of this webquest, you should print the important information that you find and record just what you were looking for in your journal.  File it all away in your portfolio and it will help you make decisions at high school about what courses to take with your career or job in mind.  You might even change your mind along the way but that's ok.  You're going to have lots of things that you may like now but may not in four or five years.

Goal-Setting, Planning, and Decision Making Skills:
What are you good at?  What sorts of things do you like and enjoy?   What sorts of things do you dislike?  All of these facts play into whether or not you will be successful in your studies and therefore will be successful in your career.  Visit the following websites to take stock of yourself!

The Mazemaster	- use this site for the self-assessment section.  You'll find out all kinds of things about yourself.
Keirsey Temperament Sorter	- just what kind of personality do you have?  Be honest on this questionnaire.

Careers:

Let's face it.  This is why you are doing this webquest.  Just what types of careers correspond to the goals and plans that you've identified above.  The following Internet websites will let you investigate further.

Career Gateway	- this is a terrific place to start and explore all of the options that are available to you. The sky's the limit!
Career Directions	- there are SO many different types of careers open to you. Hopefully, you'll find about a hundred or so here that interest you!

You don't have to go online to find this type of information either.   Ask your teacher for your school's copy of Career Cruising.  From this CD-ROM, you will have access to about 150 different jobs and professions and get the opportunity to meet experts in the field.

The Future:
It isn't what it used to be! What jobs will pay the big bucks in the future?  It makes sense to focus on a job with growth.  There aren't too many jobs for milkmen anymore.

Look Ahead, Get Ahead	- explains about all of the jobs available for technicians and technologists
Canada WorkInfoNet	- News about jobs changes daily here
Sunrise and Sunset Careers	- careers that are on their way out; careers that are on their way in

Beyond High School:

Now that you have an idea about what you'd like to do, does it require further training, college or university?  If so, you should know that that not all training programs, colleges and universities offer the same courses.  Different colleges and universities have different entrance requirements and standards.  Visit some of the training, college and university sites by clicking the links below and identify at least five that offer the program that interests you.

After High School	- The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities has this site devoted to all post-secondary schools.
Ontario School Counsellor's Association	- big list of places to go, things to do, in Ontario, across Canada, and in other countries.

Conclusion:
Finding a career is tough work.  During the course of this webquest, you will have found a great deal of valuable information about yourself and the careers that you might be interested in pursuing. 

• Take your printouts and put them in your career portfolio. 
  
• Make a half page entry in your journal about the information that you found about yourself and your career today. Add this to your career portfolio.
  
• Later, you'll want to revisit this with your Teacher Advisor.