You've gotta have a plan: Jamika was on the road to nowhere until she received some unexpected direction from an even more unexpected guide - Focus

P. Gregory Smith

Jamika couldn't believe she was sitting in front of the principal's office in one of the chairs usually reserved for people in very big trouble.

"All I said was, 'I really don't care about what I'm going to do after high school.' Then Mrs. Perez told me to go to the office," Jamika said to no one in particular as she hung her head and stared at her hands.

Suddenly the office door opened, and Mr. Barney, the principal, stood over Jamika with his hands on his hips. "I asked Mrs. Perez to send you down here today, because we need to get a few things straight."

Jamika followed Mr. Barney into the office and prepared herself for the worst.

Mr. Barney studied Jamika for a moment and settled back in his chair. "Jamika, you're not in any classroom kind of trouble, but unless you begin to understand a few things, you may be in deeper trouble than you think."

Jamika looked up at the principal with a strange combination of relief and concern.

"You're one of the most creative, talented people in this school," Mr. Barney continued, "but you don't seem to care what happens next week, next year, or for the rest of your life."

"It's not that I don't care," Jamika responded in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "It's just that I don't know what I want to do... or even what I can do."

Mr. Barney smiled. "Believe it or not, that's perfectly normal for somebody your age, but unless you start to figure out where you're going soon, you'll end up nowhere." The principal sat up in his chair. "Do you really want to end up nowhere, Jamika?"

"No, Mr. Barney, but I don't even know where to begin," Jamika responded.

'There's an old saying: 'If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,'" Mr. Barney said. "What you need, Jamika, is a plan. I can help you create one if you'll work with me."

Jamika looked up and smiled for the first time. "You're the principal. Do I really have a choice?"

"No, I guess you don't," Mr. Barney replied. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon during your study hall."

What Interests You?

Jamika would rather have been listening to her CD player in the courtyard that afternoon, but she knew Mr. Barney well enough to realize that he would track her down if she didn't show up for their appointment. The principal waved Jamika into the office as soon as she came through the door.

"Today, Jamika, we're going to start building your career plan," Mr. Barney said. "The first step is to figure out what interests you."

"Lots of things interest me, Mr. Barney, like skating, good tunes, and magazines," Jamika replied, "but I don't think they have anything to do with careers."

"That's where you might be wrong," explained the principal. "The things you enjoy doing in your spare time can sometimes give you an idea about what careers you might like. But I suggest that you find out about your interests by taking a quick, painless test called a career interest inventory."

Jamika jumped a little in her chair. "Oh no, I can't take a test today. I'm really busy, and I didn't even have a chance to study."

Mr. Barney laughed as he motioned for Jamika to settle down. "Relax. This kind of test has no right or wrong answers. You couldn't fail even if you wanted to."

The principal handed Jamika a slim booklet and said, "Come on, give it a try."

Jamika quickly answered the test items that asked her to decide whether or not she liked the activity described in each item. She didn't want to admit it to Mr. Barney, but the test was actually kind of fun.

Mr. Barney told Jamika to stop by tomorrow to discuss the results.

Suggestions, Not Predictions

"OK, professor, what am I going to be in the future?" Jamika asked when she came back for the results.

"Not so fast," replied Mr. Barney with a chuckle. "A career interest inventory doesn't predict your future. It also doesn't predict whether or not you'll be successful at a specific career. Instead, it suggests groups of careers, or clusters, that match your interests," he continued. "Basically the results point you toward careers that you might find satisfying and should explore further."

"All right, I get it," Jamika said impatiently. "Now can you tell me what the test said about me?"

"The results suggest that Ms. Jamika A. Brown has high levels of interest in communications, the arts, and technology," Mr. Barney announced with mock seriousness. Then he showed Jamika a bar graph that represented her interests.

Jamika watched with interest and then settled back in her chair. "I agree with the test results, Mr. Barney, but I still don't understand what careers match my interests."

"That's the next part," the principal explained. "In the back of the career interest inventory booklet, you'll find a list of specific occupations in each career cluster. Take the booklet and make a list of five occupations that look good to you. We'll talk next week."

Research for Your Career Search

Jamika pored over the list of occupations in the test booklet. She laughed at some of them, like museum curator or mime, but others seemed really interesting. It was fun to think about whether or not she really could be happy and successful in some of the careers. In the end, she chose the following five occupations:

Video producer

Disc jockey

Graphic designer

Webmaster

Photographer

Jamika met with Mr. Barney on Tuesday of the following week and showed him her list of occupations.

"Great," exclaimed Mr. Barney, "now you're getting somewhere."

"Well, It's nice to pick these careers out of a book, Mr. Barney," Jamika said with doubt in her voice, "but I really don't know enough about them to start planning my life around this list."

"Jamika, you've just described the next step in building your career plan," the principal replied. "You need to do some research."

Jamika groaned as Mr. Barney pulled a book off his shelf the size of a small telephone book. "Don't panic," Mr. Barney said. "This is called the Occupational Outlook Handbook, and it's published by the government every year. It's pretty much the best source for information about job duties, salary, working conditions, and hiring outlook for most careers in the United States. There's a copy on-line too."

"Look up your five occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook and make some notes," the principal continued. "Then get together with me next week to talk about what you've learned."

Mr. Barney handed Jamika the book and also gave her a folder with pockets. "One more thing, Jamika. Organize your career plan materials, or all your hard work will end up as one huge blob of paperwork."

"That won't happen to me," Jamika replied with a smile.

The principal just nodded.

What Are You Good At?

Jamika strolled into Mr. Barney's office a week later. She pulled a bulging folder and the Occupational Outlook Handbook out of her backpack. "I did what you told me to do, and I really learned a lot about those careers. What's next?"

"Well, now you have a better idea about what you want to do, but you're really not sure if you'd be good at it, right?" Mr. Barney said.

"OK, what test do I take to figure out what I'm good at?" Jamika asked.

"There are a few tests you can take to figure out your aptitudes, or talents, but they tend to be long and somewhat complicated. They're useful for people who really aren't sure about what they're good at, or who need to find a direction in their career search," the principal explained.

"I think that there's an easier way to figure out what you're good at, Jamika" Mr. Barney continued. "I'm going to step out of the office for a few minutes. While I'm gone, make a list of the school subjects, hobbies, and activities that you think you're good at."

Jamika thought for a few moments and then jotted down the following things:

Talking to people

Skating

Acting in school plays

Listening to music

Art, English (straight A's in both of them)

Designing a T-shirt for the sophomore class

Writing stories

Mr. Barney came back into the office. Jamika handed him the list.

The principal looked it over, nodded, and said, "Just put this in your folder for now. We'll come back to it later."

What Do You Value?

"Before our next meeting," he continued, "I want you to think about your values, or what's important to you. In planning your career, you need to consider salary, length of training time, work environment, job safety, geographic location, and other factors related specifically to occupations. But you also need to think about what makes you unique. Family, status, fame, service to the community, power, creative expression, or responsibility are examples of personal values that you might consider in planning your career."

"There aren't very many tests to help you discover your values, but it's absolutely necessary to consider them when planning your career," Mr. Barney explained. "The world has far too many miserable people who go through life suffering at jobs that don't match up with their values. Try to figure out what you value."

Mr. Barney hadn't seen Jamika for a week when he ran into her in the hallway.

"So, where have you been, stranger?" the principal asked.

"I know I should have come to see you by now," Jamika replied, "but I couldn't figure out that values thing. I wrote down a few things, but I'm not sure it's what you were looking for."

"Just come to my office after school today, and we'll talk it over," Mr. Barney said. "It will all make sense after we discuss it. I promise."

Jamika sat down in Mr. Barney's office later that day and pulled a crumpled sheet of paper out of her backpack. It had the following words written on it, with drawings and designs all over the margins:

My Values...

I don't want to be ordinary.

I want to have enough money to be comfortable.

I want to be able to express my thoughts and feelings in a career.

I think cities are exciting--the country is only for vacation.

I want to create things that are important and different.

I don't want a dull, boring career!

She smoothed out the paper on Mr. Barney's desk. "That's it," she said quietly.

Mr. Barney studied the paper and smiled. "If it represents your true thoughts, then it's perfect."

Got a Match?

The principal straightened up in his chair. "Now take out that folder," he said in a businesslike tone. "Spread out your career choices, your list of talents, and your list of values. Now, which careers match up with your talents and values? Think about it."

Jamika looked over the three pages silently. Then she looked up at the principal. "When you put it all together," she said slowly, "it looks like disc jockey and video producer are probably the best matches because they involve art and music. They also seem to be the two careers that will let me be the most creative." Jamika paused. "But, what if I change my mind? I mean, I'm only a teenager. Isn't it a little early to decide what I'm going to do for the rest of my life?"

Mr. Barney smiled. "You're absolutely right, Jamika, and your career goals and plans will probably change many times in your life. The point is to have a plan and follow it until you decide to change direction."

The principal leaned over toward Jamika and whispered, "To tell you the truth, Jamika, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up."

Re-researching Careers

"Let's get back to business," Mr. Barney said. "I told you it would all make sense. Now you have one more step before you create your career plan--it's time for more research."

Jamika looked worried. "Not that big book again"

"No. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is great for general information," explained the principal, "but you can only get the real scoop on an occupation by talking to someone who works in the career field every day. Most people do this informally, by talking with family members, friends, or neighbors. Sometimes you can contact a trade or professional organization to talk with someone."

"Since you probably don't know any video producers or disc jockeys personally," Mr. Barney said, "I'll set up what are called 'informational interviews' for you at WZIP radio and Channel 42 TV. Can you get yourself over to both stations next week?"

"No problem," Jamika replied enthusiastically.

The Finishing Touches

Jamika couldn't wait to tell Mr. Barney about her visits to the radio and television stations. After talking with Sebastian Fear, host of the Heavy Metal Hour at WZIP, Jamika realized that being a disc jockey was a little too competitive and restrictive for her. Her interview with Susan Ivers at Channel 42 had seemed much more interesting.

"Why do you think that becoming a video producer would be a better match for you?" asked Mr. Barney.

"It's actually more creative and expressive than the other careers," Jamika replied. "I liked the way Susan used a combination of images and music to get her ideas across. It also seemed exciting when she talked about the project she's currently working on."

"Did Susan offer any advice about how to prepare for a career as a video producer?" the principal asked.

"She told me that I would need a college degree from a school that offered communications as a major," Jamika explained. "She even suggested a few colleges with good communications programs. She also suggested that I try to set up an internship at Channel 42 this summer."

Mr. Barney sat back in his chair and folded his hands, "Now what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go over to the guidance office and find out what I need to get into those colleges with the communications programs. I'm also going to look at my calendar to see if I can schedule a summer internship at Channel 42," Jamika said.

"Congratulations, Jamika, it sounds like a plan," Mr. Barney said with a smile.

At first Jamika didn't realize what the principal had just told her, but then it dawned on her. She stood up, reached across the desk, and shook the principal's hand. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Barney. I think I'm finally headed somewhere."

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COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group