Page 4 - Exploring Careers

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Are Your Lifestyle
Goals Realistic?
Like career-related goals,
lifestyle goals should be realis- 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, which equals a 40-hour work week.
tic. While you might choose to
aim high, it is important that
you believe your goals are
attainable, which means that
you have the skills and
resources to achieve them. Are
the following goals realistic and
attainable, or not?
Work 10 hours a week
and earn a $1,000,000.00
annual salary
Live in a mansion and be
named the NBA’s most
valuable player for three
years in a row
Study hard to become a
doctor and open your own
medical practice
Enlist in the United States
Air Force, learn to fly jet
planes, and then travel the
world as a commercial pilot
Attend cosmetology school
and get a job as a stylist at
a salon in a city
Knowing you can achieve your
lifestyle goals will help you
work hard and stay on track.
What lifestyle goals do you have what you are willing to work for. When you know what you need and what
that might influence your
career plans?
Chapter 3 Why We Work
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A work week is the number of hours you work per week. How do you think
the length of a work week affects your lifestyle? How might it affect the
employer’s business, as well as the economy?
In the United States, the number of hours an employee works is set by the
employer and agreed to by the employee. Typically, a full-time employee works
In France, most employees work a 35-hour work week. In South Korea, they
work 44 hours per week.
Make a chart comparing the typical work-week hours in three or four countries
around the world. Use the Internet or the library to find the information.
Recognizing Needs vs. Wants
When you say that you absolutely, positively need a
new video game, you’re wrong. You might want a
new video game. But you don’t need it.
A need is a something you can’t live
without.
A want is something you desire.
Humans need certain basic items in order to
survive. We want things to improve our
quality of life, or to achieve a certain
lifestyle. Our wants and needs and how we
achieve them influence the career deci-
sions that we make.
Why Do Needs and Wants Matter?
Wanting or needing something can be a powerful motivator, which means it can
encourage you to set goals and make decisions. Recall that a goal is a plan to
obtain something. Goals help you focus on what is really important to you and
you want, you can use goals to get those things. (There’s more about goals in
Chapter 6.)
For example, wanting a red convertible can motivate you to set a goal.
You study hard in school so you become qualified for a career.
The career brings you personal satisfaction as well as a good salary.
You earn enough to pay for your needs and save to buy the car you want.