Career Analysis #2-FORM

Functional Skills, Values, Work Environments

Note: Your grade on the 4 successes depends on your ability to describe your actions in sufficient
detail to exemplify the functional skills you list for each success. (Points will be awarded based on
your ability to demonstrate how you used the functional skills you list for each success.)
1. Review the lists of functional skills and your success stories to ensure that your actions
portray functional skills listed on the functional skills handout.
2. YOU MUST USE WORDS ENDING IN “ING” FROM LIST OF FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
PROVIDED. No credit will be given for adaptive or content skills or skills not on the
Functional Skills List.
3. Type your successes and your analyses of these successes onto this FORM. Papers that are
not TYPED on this form will not be accepted. NOTE: you must complete all 3 pages of this
form.

SUCCESS #1: Learning how to snowboard

1. Situation: Describe the Situation.
After being an avid skier for a good portion of my life, at the age of 12, I was curious and
wanted to learn how to snowboard. I slowly made a transition from skiing to snowboard.

2. Obstacles: Describe the obstacles you faced.

Having come from a skiing background, I thought it was going to be easy because I spend most
of my winters in the snow. I fell a lot and even cried when I was so scared to go down a steep
mountain by snowboarding. My dad was the one teaching me the basics of snowboarding but it
felt as if all the things he was saying weren’t clicking with what was actually going on with me
and my board. The pain from falling a lot got to me and made me switch back to skis by the
end of the day, whenever I attempted to snowboard. After two years, I still wasn’t good enough
to snowboard correctly, that is successfully making it down a slope without falling at least once.

3. Actions: Specify, in detail, the actions you took which demonstrate functional skills and
then, in parentheses, insert the name of the functional skill you used. You must list at least
4 functional skills from the Functional Skills Class Handout. (5 points)
● Snowboarding is a physically demanding sport. It’s considered an extreme sport. It
takes a lot of physical strength and stamina. Getting up from a fall and shaking it off
after every time can get frustrating. I found myself at times throughout runs wanting to
give up, but I knew that it would get me nowhere. I pushed myself to get up after each
fall and attempt to stand up and ride again, slowly increasing my speed or working on
my breaks. (Revising, developing)

● I went into snowboarding head-on without trying to understand the components of the
board. I didn’t understand how the bindings worked or how to adjust them which
greatly affected my rides. If I had known a problem with my riding was the way I was
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 strapping on my bindings, I could’ve progressed faster and prevented a lot of strain on
my calves which required me to use more energy making me more tired and likely to
fall. Once I took the time to research more about snowboards and admit defeat by
asking my dad questions about how to strap on bindings, my rides were much smoother.
(Operating, controlling)

● I’m the type of person who doesn’t like asking for help and rather learn from my own
experiences. I’m very narrow-mind and not very observant when I’m so obsessed with
mastering something. I forget to watch those around me. I only notice those who are
successful in landing tricks and flips or going super fast, that I fail to notice and observe
others, who like me, are still learning. I feel like you can learn a lot from failure and
progression because sometimes just looking at the end product doesn’t build an
understanding. By observing others, I was able to learn from their mistakes, see what
they were doing wrong, so that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.
(Studying and observing things)

● I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t maintain a balance when snowboarding. I kept

catching edges and falling. I thought I was doing everything right, so I was hesitant to
change what I was doing and thought maybe if I just keep going, I’ll eventually get it.
However, this wasn’t the best way to approach this problem because it just prolonged
my problem, kept me in pain, and prevented progression. It wasn’t until I started to
notice a pattern of when I would fall and what would cause me to fall. It was because I
wasn’t distributing my weight enough, however, I realized I found it easier for me to
distribute my weight if I completely flipped the way I was snowboarding. After riding a
certain style for almost two years, I was extremely hesitant to flip the way I was
snowboarding because it was completely out of my comfort zone, and I had a fear that I
would fall and have to start from square one again.
(Problem-solving, seeing patterns among data)

4. Results: Describe the results you helped obtain and/or any benefits to your employer.
Through constant re-evaluation and keeping an open mind, I was able to master snowboarding.
It took a couple of years and a lot of perseverance, however, the results were worth it. Now I’m
able to pursue landing those big jumps and do those tricks I sought to do when I first started.

SUCCESS #2: Perfecting the art of making macarons

1. Situation: Describe the Situation.
As an end-of-the-year project in 8th grade, we were to pick a skill we want to learn, master, and
present it to the class. Because I was a tryhard, I chose to teach my class how to bake macarons,
thinking it would be easy not knowing that macarons are one of the hardest pastries to bake.

2. Obstacles: Describe the obstacles you faced.

I was faced with a lot of failed batches, wasted ingredients, and lost time. Macarons require a
lot of eggs, so I found myself wasting a lot of eggs and using up all my family’s ingredients,
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 and having to spend a lot of money to buy all the tools and ingredients necessary to make
macarons like almond flour. After a month, I was running out of time and needed to be able to
make a perfect batch of macarons to present to my class for my project.

3. Actions: Specify, in detail, the actions you took which illustrate functional skills and then,
in parentheses, insert the name of the functional skill you used. You must list at least 4
functional skills from the Functional Skills Class Handout (5 points)
● Before attempting to bake macarons, I was rarely in the kitchen, other than for baking
store-bought chocolate chip cookies. I don’t really have the patience to bake or cook. I
found myself struggling with baking, so I thought maybe I would ease into it by starting
off with cooking from scratch more of my meals, allowing me to get a hang of
measuring, understanding taste, and feeling accomplished with my delicious end
products. This definitely helped with easing into baking which requires more precision.
(Cooking)

● Because I was going nowhere with my macarons, I started scouring the internet
watching hundreds of videos, and reading many blogs about perfecting the art of
macarons. I listed out the tips, paid attention to what was said the most, and tried them
out. I found that watching fool-proof videos helped because they would often point out
what not to do as well. This especially helped me achieve the soft feet that form at the
bottom of the macaron.
(Compiling, Searching, Researching)

● I found that studying baking videos helped. By the time I was halfway through the
month, I memorized the temperatures at which I needed to bake the macarons, how long
the macarons needed to rest, and what brand of ingredients worked the best. I also
worked on observing the batches that did well and turned out better than others. Also
watching my macarons rise in the oven helped me understand at which phase they
would form, furthering my understanding of baking in general.
(Studying and Observing Things)

● It was only a week before my presentation was due, I needed to perfect my recipe. I
didn’t want to spend any more money on these macarons, so I made a step-by-step plan
on google Docs with very detailed directions loaded with tips and tricks of making
macarons. I also included a lot of personal notes. This helped because it made the
process so much smoother and made baking less stressful. It was as if I crafted my very
own how-to booklet/instructions manual. With these instructions and detailed
personalize notes, I was able to make perfect macarons with feet and shiny coated
shells.
(Planning, designing a step by step)

4. Results: Describe the results you helped obtain and/or any benefits to your employer.

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 I was able to present to my class how to bake macarons and make a sample for each of my
classmates and even my teachers. I explained to them the amount of effort it took, the trial and
error, and the learning process of making these pastries. These were definitely one of the
hardest items of food I’ve ever made and opened the door to baking countless other things.
Because of this experience, I bought a stand mixer and continue to bake today. Baking taught
me perseverance and patience. Also, practice makes perfect even in baking.

SUCCESS #3: Learning how to sew from an old sewing machine I picked off the street
1. Situation: Describe the Situation.
I came across an old Shark mini sewing machine in pretty good condition on a sidewalk of a
street as I was going on my run and decided to pick it up. Always enjoying a challenge and an
inherent desire to have always been wanting to learn how to sew, I picked it up and took it
home, however, I knew nothing when it came to how to sew, moreover even thread a sewing
machine. It remained in my closet for a couple of years until I needed to sew my dress for my
junior prom.

2. Obstacles: Describe the obstacles you faced.

I knew nothing whatsoever about sewing. I knew the very basics of hand sewing but that can
only get you so far. Determined, I wanted to learn how to properly sew and operate a sewing
machine, however, on my first attempt, I broke the sewing machine needle and felt like I was
stuck from there, not understanding what type of tools and instruments would be needed to sew.

3. Actions: Specify, in detail, the actions you took which illustrate functional skills, and then,
in parentheses, insert the name of the functional skill you used. You must list at least 4
functional skills from the Functional Skills Class Handout (5 points)
● I enjoy a challenge. I love learning new skills that I feel are valuable in life. Sewing is
one of them. I’ve always been a crafting person, having gone through so many arts and
craft phases from painting, sculpting, calligraphy, scrapbooking, I wanted an arsenal of
skills that one day could be useful when I have kids of my own. I took on sewing just
like any other craft with trial and error, creativity, and imagination.
(Crafting, Sewing, Weaving)

● With my machine’s needle broken, I couldn’t move forward with learning how to
operate the sewing machine. At first, I didn’t understand that there was a difference
between a regular needle and a sewing machine needle. I did some research and looked
at different sewing supply stores to understand what needle replacement I needed to
buy. I also read the manual to further understand the mechanics of the machine. I was
able to successfully replace the needle and repair the machine, allowing me to move
forward in learning how to sew.
(Repairing)

● Another obstacle I came across, was struggling to thread the needle and I didn’t know
what a bobbin was used for. I watched countless youtube videos and I was always
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 confused as to when they would mention threading a bobbin. I didn’t know how
complex sewing machines were. Before moving forward with hands-on learning with
the machine, I decided to take a step back and hop on the computer to do more research
on operating a sewing machine. I watched many videos and read a lot of blogs about
sewing. Many beginner guides helped me understand the mechanics and how the
machine threads the thread and intertwines it with the thread above to secure the fabric.
(Compiling, Searching, Researching)

● With a better understanding of how the machine works, I began sewing random fabric I
salvaged from old clothes or clothes I didn’t wear. I practiced on them. I struggled with
keeping a straight line and maintaining a steady pace, my first few attempts weren’t
very straight and were very uneven in terms of stitching, but at least the two fabrics
were basically fused together. I viewed this as progress. For months, I would be at the
sewing machine working on random quick and easy projects to gain experience, and
slowly over time, I became a master at sewing even making outfits from scratch. This
took a lot of revising and undoing stitches. It was time-consuming but it allowed me to
learn from my mistakes.
(Translating, Revising, Developing)

4. Results: Describe the results you helped obtain and/or any benefits to your employer.
Sewing is now a hobby for me. It’s very useful and comes in handy especially with my family
as I’m always asked to alter clothes for them. It’s also helped me explore fashion more and
develop my sense of fashion. I’ve gained more confidence in the clothes I wear and have a
greater appreciation for pieces of clothing as I understand the amount of time, effort, and
materials that have gone into making them. What started as someone’s trash on the road
became an asset to me.

SUCCESS #4: Passing Organic Chemistry with an A

1. Situation: Describe the Situation.
Having had trouble with chemistry in high school, I was extremely nervous about taking
organic chemistry my first semester of college, especially because I was taking it online. I
thought I wasn’t going to have enough support, grasp the material easily, or fall behind.
Entering college, this was the class I dreaded the most.

2. Obstacles: Describe the obstacles you faced.

Organic Chemistry wasn’t going to be an easy class, considering I took chemistry over three
years prior. I was basically entering the class with very minimal knowledge in chemistry, even
though I was placed into the higher level class. I struggled a bit at the beginning getting used to
the pace of the class and transitioning to online learning with recorded lectures, self-paced
studying, and responsibility for assignments.

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3. Actions: Specify, in detail, the actions you took which illustrate functional skills and then,
in parentheses, insert the name of the functional skill you used. You must list at least 4
functional skills from the Functional Skills Class Handout (5 points)
● With fears of not doing well in this class, I knew I had to approach it differently than
others. I would need to dedicate a lot of time to this class studying and understanding
the material, so I created a study plan for this class. I also made the initiative to take
notes for the class as soon as the lectures were released and to take notes and do
assignments for this class in the morning, so I would retain the information more and
not feel the need to fall asleep and take a nap. I made it a goal to study for the midterms
for at least two nights before so I could come to the review session classes with
questions from the practice test.
(Planning, Designing a Step-by-step Process to Achieve a Goal)

● Chemistry is one of the harder sciences. It takes a lot of analysis and understanding of
relationships between the molecules. Whenever I felt the slightest bit unclear, I would
reread the sections, watch Youtube videos, and research extra information online so I
would feel the comfort of fully understanding the material. I would also look further
and analyze the information to connect it to other topics, building upon my knowledge.
(Analyzing)

● This class required a lot of note-taking and I would often get lost between the topics in
all the chapters. Like when looking back for information on my notes, I would often
spend so much time trying to find the topic or note I was looking for, so I started
making tables, labeling each chapter with sticky notes on the sides, and printing out
charts, making navigating my handwritten notes much easier. With this class being my
hardest class, I prioritized this class over others. I made sure I did the assignments and
took notes on the lectures for this class first, so I wouldn’t fall behind and remain ahead.
I was able to balance the workload between my classes and fortunately never had to pull
a late-night studying because I managed my time wisely.
(Organizing, Systemizing, and Prioritizing)

● This class also challenged my memory. Though the midterms were open note, I had to
study really hard so I didn’t have to waste time scouring my notes. I also made sure to
note details said in the lecture even if they weren’t explicitly said on the slides because I
knew they would be important ideas later. This class definitely challenged my memory,
having to memorize the different variations of molecules and identify them quickly on a
midterm. Also having the understanding of molecule relationships helped. The class
was full of details I had to keep in mind when answering questions or analyzing a case
study.
(Having a Superior Memory, Keeping Track of Details)

4. Results: Describe the results you helped obtain and/or any benefits to your employer.

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 Because I put in a lot of effort into this class, I was able to finish the class with an A. It was
hard and took over 200 pages of notes and countless hours of notetaking and watching lectures,
it was worth it. I was able to overcome my hardest class of my first semester of college even
though it was online. Creating a study plan really helped me and I’ve implemented it to my
other classes in my current semester.

Review the functional skills identified in your successes and then select your top 5 Functional
skills. Be sure that each skill is supported by your successes. Then list the top 5 skills that
represent your strongest functional skills and those that you most enjoy using.
1. Compiling, Searching, Researching
2. Organizing, Systemizing, and Prioritizing
3. Studying and Observing Things
4. Revising, Developing
5. Problem-solving, Seeing Patterns Among Data

Review the list of personal and work values provided. List below your top 5 values. (2 points)
1. Balance
2. Challenge
3. Growth
4. Leadership
5. Security

Review the list of Employers and Work Settings provided and list below your top 5 preferred
work environments. (2 points)
1. Nursing Homes
2. Community Organizations
3. Health, Nutrition, Beauty
4. Natl. Inst. Health
5. Hospitals

Provide below a summary diagram of your Values, Functional Skills, and Work Settings (2
points)
Academic Major: Nursing

Values Skills Employers/Work Settings

Balance Compiling, Searching, Nursing Homes

Researching

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 Challenge Organizing, Systemizing, and Community Organizations
Prioritizing

Growth Studying and Observing Things Office (high-rise)

Leadership Revising, Developing Natl. Inst. Health

Security Problem-solving, Seeing Hospitals

Patterns Among Data

Using the above summary diagram, brainstorm 5 possible careers, suitable for you, based on the
above diagram: your functional skills, values, and preferred work environments. Be specific
and make sure it is clear what you would be doing in each career. Do not simply write
the 5 career titles here, be specific about the careers in the paragraphs you will write
after you have explored more about each career. (4 points each; 20 points total.)

1. Biomedical Researcher/Engineer
a. Though it sounds a bit intimidating, I’ve shadowed a biomedical engineer and their
work is so vital to companies in Silicon Valley. This career requires many skills such as
problem-solving, seeing patterns among data, compiling, searching, and researching,
and on top of that lots of studying and observations. However, this job does require a lot
of collaboration. I can see myself working as a biomedical engineer because I love
biology and science and also the problem-solving aspect of it. Biomedical engineers
combine engineering principles with medical and biological sciences to design and
create equipment, devices, computer systems, and software used in healthcare.
2. Networking Specialist
a. I find value in networking. I feel like it’s the fastest way to landing an internship or a
job and be exposed to so many opportunities. I can totally see myself working in an
office, that maybe isn’t so conventional, meeting new people, interacting with them, and
being introduced to more people. I can be a people’s person when I want to be or I can
spend hours behind a computer drafting emails, sending emails, and replying to emails.
I like the amount of freedom an office job that deals with human interaction can give
me and it deals with an extensive amount of research and developing connections.
3. Microbiologist
a. As a student currently taking microbiology, I have a love-hate relationship with the
subject. I like working in a lab and doing research, while repeating the same procedure
over and over again when inoculating samples. It’s all about observation and
understanding. I know that if I don’t understand one concept, I won’t really understand
the other concepts at all. Microbiologists are very detail-oriented. It’s a career that
seems interesting and fun when you really love microbes.
4. Pharmacologist
a. Pharmacologists seek to understand how chemical substances interact with the body.
They work as part of a research team that is responsible for screening compounds,
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 developing drugs and undertaking controlled experiments and clinical trials in
laboratories. Their aim is to gain a better understanding of diseases, develop new drugs
to treat them and promote the safe use of existing drugs. They work in a lab which is a
plus and have control over working in a group or alone, which for an introvert like me is
ideal. I believe pharmacologists exert leadership when leading research teams.
5. Environmental scientist
a. Environmental scientists conduct research to identify, control, or eliminate sources of
pollutants or hazards affecting the environment or public health. Their research
generally involves determining data collection methods; collecting and analyzing air,
water, and soil samples; analyzing environmental data gathered by others; and analyzing
for correlations to human activity. They also need to prepare reports and presentations
that explain their findings. Most environmental scientists work for federal, state, or
local governments, where they conduct research, advise on policy, and verify that
businesses are following regulations.