M5A1 - Career Exploration

You may already know exactly which profession you’d like to pursue after college, or perhaps
you only have a vague idea. Maybe you don’t have any idea which occupation is best suited for
you. Regardless of where you are in the process, this assignment is geared to help you get
closer to making an informed decision.

Part A – Explore: You’re going to conduct additional research into three various occupations. If
you know exactly which job you hope to have in the future, you may use this assignment to
research closely related fields to get a better understanding (For example, even if you know you
want to be a nurse, there are registered nurses, traveling nurses, surgical nurses, nurse
practitioners just to name a few.) Alternatively, you may use this assignment to explore three
totally different career avenues. Regardless of your choice, you’ll need to take some career
profiler assessments to see some careers that match your strengths and interest and then visit
some information websites to answer the following questions.

Remember that you will ultimately select one of these careers to complete your M5A3 Career
Project on. That project will ask for a lot of this information again. Save your results and the
sources you used to find the information.

Career Title:
Brief Description:
Entry, Median, & Top Salary:
Career Growth (in percent):
Degree Required:
IRSC Guided Pathway Title:
Career Choice 1
Graphic Design
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or
promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May
use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative
effects.
$19,748; $39,456; $88,113
2% to 3%
Bachelor’s Degree
Graphics Technology A.S.

Career Title:
Brief Description:
Entry, Median, & Top Salary:
Career Growth (in percent):
Degree Required:
IRSC Guided Pathway Title:
Career Choice 2
Interior Designer
Plan, design, and furnish interiors of residential, commercial,
or industrial buildings. Formulate design, which is practical,
aesthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as
raising productivity, selling merchandise, or improving
lifestyle. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of
interior design.
$12,500; $30,048; $92,000
4% to 6%
Bachelor’s Degree
Interior Design Technology A.S.
 Career Choice 3
Career Title: Illustrator
Brief Description: Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media
and techniques.
Entry, Median, & Top Salary: $4,693; $ 18,670; $66, 298
Career Growth (in percent): -1% to 1
Degree Required: Bachelor’s Degree
IRSC Guided Pathway Title: Art A.A.

Part B – Analyze: Use the strategies discussed in Module 3 to analyze the three careers by
comparing and contrasting how the careers are similar or different and provide a list of pros
and cons for each career.

Compare and Contrast: In 3 – 5 sentences, compare and contrast the three careers you
explored for Part A.
All these careers require a bachelor’s degree.
The career with most growth is Interior design.
Both Graphic Design and Interior Design have an Associate in Science.
The career with the best median salary opportunity is Graphic Design.
The career with the best top salary opportunity is Interior Design.

Career Choice 1 (Pros and Cons)

Pros Cons
• Allows you to make the most of your • Competitive environment.
creativity. • Tight deadlines might be stressful.
• Helps you build design intelligence.
• You can be self-employed; You can choose
your schedule.
• The field offers you multiple specialties.
• The education continues even after you get
your degree.

Career Choice 2 (Pros and Cons)

Pros
• It allows you to exploit your creativity.
• Helps you build aesthetic and artistic sense.
• You can be self-employed.
• The field offers multiple specialties.
Cons
• Unpredictable schedule.
•Tight deadlines can be stressful.
 Career Choice 3 (Pros and Cons)
Pros Cons
• You will get to express your creativity daily. • The job market is competitive.
• Opportunity to meet major designer. • Frequent travel might be required.
• The schedule can be adjustable. •Tight deadlines might be stressful.

Save this file as Lastname_Firstname_M5A1.docx and upload it for grading by the due date on
your schedule of activities.