VR Contact Report-Career Exploration

Ethan was in today to begin his vocational exploration. Before starting, we chatted about his recent evaluation. Ethan was relieved to learn that he wasn't "dumb" and is excited to try the recommended assistive technology. But, he's also worried about bringing additional attention to himself through the use of technology. This counselor encouraged Ethan to think of the equipment as nothing more than "tools" and that we all use tools to help us in life. For example, I informed Ethan most of us use our phones to remind us of important dates, find our way to specific locations, and read books on tape, even those who don't have dyslexia. I explained that hearing and reading at the same time facilitates learning and understanding for most of us.

As you can see from this exchange, the counselor attempts to destigmatize Ethan's accommodations by explaining the concept of universal design.

As mentioned in the Initial Contact Report, Ethan enjoys riding and repairing his motorcycle. He'd like to own his own bike shop. Ethan's dad wanted him to explore other ideas, including a job like his: Computer Hardware Engineer. Ethan is conflicted. While he loves working on his bike, he also enjoys working on his computer. He explained that he enjoyed helping his dad replace a computer motherboard; he thought that was interesting. Ethan doesn't want to disappoint his dad.

To help Ethan make an informed decision, this counselor suggested that Ethan take an interest inventory. Ethan agreed. Ethan completed the Interest Profiler on GetMyFuture today in the office; this counselor stood by to provide verbal support if needed. It revealed that he prefers jobs in the Realistic classification. This counselor shared the following definition of the Realistic classification.

Realistic people tend to have athletic interests, prefer to work with objects, machines, tools, plants, or animals, and be outdoors.At work and home, you may:

• Be independent, practical, systematic, self-controlled, and straightforward
• Like to work outdoors, be physically active, work on electronic equipment, train animals, and build things
• Be able to play a sport, fix things, operate tools and machinery, plant a garden, camp outdoors

After hearing the definition of "realistic" occupations, Ethan agreed that his profile was likely accurate. From the list of occupations determined to be "best" matches, Ethan chose to explore Aircraft Mechanic, Computer Network Support Specialist, Motorboat Mechanic, and Motorcycle Mechanic.

Together, we reviewed the job duties, employment outlook, education requirements, and average wage of each occupation, and we watched each occupation's video summary. When watching the Motorcycle Mechanic video, Ethan's eyes lit up, and he grinned from ear to ear.

Ethan had never considered aircraft mechanic and expressed both interest and apprehension about the job; he's worried about the education requirements. This counselor reminded Ethan that he could rely on his natural intelligence and new accommodation tools to complete a degree.

We completed a simple chart to help Ethan compare his options. (See chart illustration below. For an accessible Word document of the chart, click this link: Ethan's Job Options.docx .) After completing the chart, Ethan ruled out motorboat mechanic because there was a lower than average employment outlook and because he didn't feel as excited about it. He also ruled out the computer specialist position. After watching the video, he thought it involved too much indoor work. He added that his dad wears a suit when working with customers and stated, "That's too stuffy for me." He says he's still interested in the aircraft mechanic idea. I encouraged him to share the chart and discuss his options with his parents.

Please note that the counselor encourages collaboration with Ethan's most trusted advisors: his parents.

At this point, Ethan remains most enthusiastic about being a motorcycle mechanic. He likes the duties it entails, and feels confident he can do them. About them, he says, "I really like figuring out what's wrong with a motor and then fixing it."

From Ethan's "A" grade in his small engines class and his parent's endorsement, we know that Ethan is good at diagnosing motor problems and fixing them, too. Ethan also likes that the occupation doesn't require a college degree. He remains invested in the idea of owning his own shop. He says, "After I get the certificate, I could open my own place!"

Given his expressed interest in self-employment, I showed Ethan the link "Work for Myself" on the GetMyFuture site and asked him to use his screen reader to review it before our next appointment.

This exchange shows that Ethan is on his way to choosing an occupation compatible with his expressed interests and demonstrated abilities. Ethan's interest in owning his own shop to begin his career may be premature. Rather than discouraging him, the counselor invites Ethan to gather information to build insight into business ownership. Like most of us, Ethan will be better prepared to make an informed decision if he has ownership in the process rather than being told what is best for him by others.

My Trail to Success Checklist: Input and save the information gathered about Ethan's expressed interests, demonstrated abilities, and current job choices on his Trail to Success Checklist.