Career Assessment By: Chris Hidalgo

What do I like: I like to work with people. I’ve always been a people person my entire life, whether it be working with a large group in school or spending time with a few friends I love being around people all the time. Also I taking the what do I like test in the packet, I received the same answer.

My Dream Occupation: My dream occupation is to be either a Physical Therapist or an Athletic Trainer. In the ideal situation I would be working for a professional sports team, I would be with them at every practice and I would also travel with the team to every game.

Lifestyle Choices

Work Values: My top two work values that I received after taking the work value exam in the packet were Relationships and Support. It is very important to me that I develop strong bonds and relationships while working or else it will be miserable going to work everyday and having to rely on yourself to do everything that you need instead of being able to acquire the help of others.

About Me

Learning Styles: According to the What is My Learning style test in the packet I am a mix of a Kinesthetic and visual learner. I am a very active person so with the knowledge that I am a kinesthetic learner, going into a medical or an athletic field would be ideal for me because both areas are very hands on career paths.

About Me

Jobs are organized into several Categories based on the skills and knowledge needed for each occupation.

My top 3 Career Cluster were 1. Health Science 2. Hospitality and Tourism 3. Science, Technology, and Engineering.

Career Cluster

Physical TherapistJob Description: work with patients to rehabilitate specific body parts that result from surgery or injuries.

Day in the Life: Work with patients either in a private office or sometimes in a hospital setting. Each patient has their own needs so every session needs to be individualized to accommodate that patient.

Facts/Figures: The average salary is $78,270 a year.

College Majors: Many colleges recommend their students to major in biology, but they can also take athletic training, exercise science, or even kinesiology before going to get their doctorate or masters in physical therapy.

Reaction: From being around sports and injuries my entire life, I’ve always had the feeling I would end up in this type of field. Going to physical therapy for my own injuries, I’ve been able to observe the profession numerous times and feel that I would fit in well with the demands of the job. It isn’t the same work everyday but the workday has structure which is perfect for me. Also I will be able to stay around sports for the rest of my life.

Athletic TrainerJob Description: Work with athletes and sports teams to help prevent injuries and to rehabilitate them when they occur.

Day in the Life: Work in a private office, with a sports team (professional, or school), or work at a hospital. If you work with a sports team then you must have all the knowledge for the sport so that you can work with the athletes to ensure the best injury prevention.

Facts/Figures: The average salary is $42,400 a year.

College Majors: Students would major in athletic training with an opportunity to double major in kinesiology, or exercise science

Reaction: Athletic training is one of the best careers to major in for college because you can branch off into several other professions using that knowledge. Personally I want to become a physical therapist and using the knowledge and training of being an Athletic Trainer I would be ahead of other candidates for jobs with a greater knowledge of not only medicine but sports also.

Dietitian and Nutritionist Job Description: Work with patients to develop dieting programs that correspond with their health goals and daily living styles.

Day in the Life: Meet with patients and discuss their food intake for the week, then develop goals for the following week and recommend foods that they should be eating.

Facts/Figures: The average Salary of a Dietitian is $54470 a year.

College Majors: 60% of colleges and employers require a masters degree while only 8% require a doctoral degree.

Reaction: With everyone in todays culture desiring to be skinny, the need for dietitians has skyrocketed. This career is the best way to help people become healthy because they don’t tell them to not eat, but rather make smarter choices in what they do. I feel I would enjoy this profession because I enjoy working with people and helping them to recognize and achieve their own personal goals.

In the Holland Code there are six different career groups. Each represented by a different letter: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.

My Holland Code is SIR (Social, Investigative, and Realistic)

Holland Code

Emergency Medical TechnicianJob Description: Work in either an ambulance as a first responder or in an emergency room to help take care of patients in need.

Day in the Life: A typical shift for an EMT could go from 8-12 hours. They see several patients on a normal day and care from the most extreme cases like high speed car crashes to simple stitches needed for minor cuts.

Facts/Figures: The average Salary is $30,710 a year.

College Majors: There is no required college major for this career.

Reaction: I’ve been told that I have a very calming presence during stressful situations. It takes a lot to make me feel uncomfortable or even stressed in any given situation which is a vital trait that is needed to be an EMT. I feel that I would not only enjoy but excel in this profession because I would love the change in situations everyday as well as the satisfaction of being able to help others.

Fitness TrainerJob Description: Work with clients in a gym setting and personalize workouts to fit their fitness needs and goals. Also work with them to make smarter choices in their daily lives (dieting, activity level outside of gym)

Day in the Life: If you run hour long sessions then you would typically work with 5-8 clients per day. You yourself must keep in top physical shape to inspire you clients to want to work harder themselves.

Facts/Figures: The average salary is $31,030 a year.

College Majors: most employers require a bachelor’s degree for their employees.

Reaction: Outside of schoolwork, friends, and family, fitness/health is the most important thing to me. I believe a job should be something you value both during and outside of the job itself, and this is a profession at which that applies to me.

After finishing the Birkman Test you will be assigned two colors that describe your interests. (Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow)

My interest color is blue and usual style is yellow.

Birkman Test

Occupational TherapistJob Description: Work with people with disabilities or those trying to regain basic functions through active therapeutic techniques. Day in the Life: If you are a children specialist you would see multiple children per day. You would adjust your routine depending on their needs for example if they have autism you could work on developing their social skills as opposed to their educational learning skills.Facts/Figures: The average salary is $73,820 a year. College Majors: Communication disorders, nursing, Occupational therapy, music therapy, or kinesiology.Reaction: I had a friend who was in a terrible car crash. After having several reconstructive surgeries he was told he probably wouldn’t walk again and would not lead the same life as before. About 2 years later with the help of an occupational therapist, he was able to walk, talk, and live the same life as he did before the accident. Trying to put myself in the shoes of the therapist the overwhelming feeling of joy after seeing a successful story like this would make the job worth it for me.

I believe that a career is something that you look forward to every night as you go to bed, and everyday as you wake up. Being able to enjoy your job is especially important as your going through college because it is the thing you are going to be spending the rest of your life doing. Besides taking several career tests during class, I’ve always seen myself in either a service or a medical career. The careers that I have researched and reflected on in this project would all be good fits for me because they match not only my interests but my personality as well. As of right now my plan in to go to college for four years and major in Athletic Training and Exercise Science, then continue on to achieve my Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Reflection

The End