CSE 1411: Exploring Careers in Science and Engineering

Fall 2011

Career Action Plan Purpose:

Reflect upon what you have learned through this course about yourself and how this

relates to your major choice and career path

Create plans to help you achieve your career goals

Write a paragraph responding to each question (Question #1 and Question #2). This

assignment is due March 7 at 2pm via moodle.

Question #1:

If you have not yet chosen a major, what do you plan to do to get closer to making a

decision? What information do you still need, what obstacles are in your way to making a

decision and how can you overcome these obstacles? Be specific about what your action

plan is and a timeline.

OR

If you have chosen a major, what are your plans to get experience in your field (i.e.

research, internships, student orgs, volunteering, study abroad, etc.)? Be specific about

what your action plan is and a timeline.

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Example of a Good Action Plan:

I have chosen mechanical engineering as my major. In order to gain experience in my

field I am going to join the Solar Vehicle Project team. I explored the website of this

organization and I am really excited to get involved since it combines my interest of

mechanics and the environment. I plan to attend their March 30th meeting. In addition I

would like to gain research experience this summer. I read about the research

opportunities on the UROP website and saw that professor Hawley is conducting

research on renewable technologies. Since this is an area of great interest to me I plan on

emailing professor Hawley by March. 10th with my resume and cover letter. Since I have

never written a resume or cover letter before I will review the resources on the CCSE

website, create a resume and cover letter, and bring these documents to the CCSE’s

Quick Stop hours to get a review. This is my first year of college so my focus for Spring

and Summer 2012 is to be involved with the Solar Vehicle Project and gain research

experience which will hopefully make me competitive for internships next year. I plan to

attend the Fall 2012 Science and Engineering Career Fair and begin an internship search

for the Summer of 2013.

CSE 1411: Exploring Careers in Science and Engineering

Fall 2011

Question #2:

What have you learned about yourself through this course and how does this relate

to your career aspirations?

a. Is there a career choice that you feel fits YOU (your interests, skills, values, strengths,

and personality)? If so, why do you believe it is a good fit—be specific.

AND/OR

b. What is important for you to have in your job—this could include job title, salary,

responsibilities, type and size of company, work conditions/environment, geographic

location, etc.

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Example of a Good Fit Response:

I think being a biomedical engineer fits my interests, skills, values, strengths, and

personality very well. Being a biomedical engineer would allow me to work with my

hands and solve complicated problems, which fits well with my realistic and investigative

interests. Through my informational interview with a biomedical engineer at Medtronic I

learned how important communication and teamwork skills are. These are two skills that

I feel I have a strong ability in. Two of my top strengths are focus and individualization

which would both be utilized as a biomedical engineer. My focus strength would allow me

to be dedicated to the long process of getting new medical devices approved for use. My

individualization strength would give me the ability to understand the unique needs of

the clients served by the biomedical industry, as well as help with my co-worker and

supervisor interactions. One of the things I really value is serving others and I know I

would find it very fulfilling to create new devices that would help people live better lives.

Aspects of my personality, such as my sensing preferences and judging preferences make

me a good fit for a biomedical engineering role. My sensing preferences would allow me to

pay attention to the details of the design process and my judging preferences would help

with the organization needed for such a regulated industry. Overall I am excited about

becoming a biomedical engineer because it matches many parts of who I am and what’s

important to me.

Grading Rubric:

_____/10 Content— Reflected on all the questions and your responses demonstrated

that you have done a self-analysis of your major/career exploration progression and

what your next steps are.

_____/5 Style— Responses were articulate and professionally polished (i.e. evidence of

proofreading and no spelling and grammatical errors.