This Career Plan assessment is designed to help you explore a potential career path, assess your readiness, and create a clear, realistic plan to achieve your goals. This is your opportunity to reflect on how your education, interests, and personal values align with a career in psychology or a related field. By completing this assessment, you’ll not only gain insight into the career you want to pursue but also develop a roadmap that will help you take confident steps toward your future.
Note: The course assessments build upon one another and should be completed in sequence.
Preparation
Step 1: Using a job search site such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or Monster, select a job opening that sounds interesting to you, aligns with your career goals, and involves psychology. If you like, you can use the same opening you used for your first assessment.
Step 2: Find two additional, credible sources about your career or job opening. Note: It’s unlikely that you will be able to find peer-reviewed journal articles about your career. Focus on choosing credible information from credible sources. These sources could include your state’s website on licensing requirements, accrediting or licensing organizations, trade publications, the American Psychological Association, or interviews you conduct with a professional in the career.
Step 3: Review the tips on interview preparation found on the Career Development Center: Interview Tips page.
Step 4: Research the employer from the job opening you found in Step 1.
Write notes on the following:
- How your goals align to the job posting and employer.
- Your strengths, highlighting what you’ve learned in your degree program.
- Your weaknesses, highlighting your plans to improve.
- How the employer and job relate to your long-term plans.
- Why you would be excellent in this job, highlighting what you’ve learned in your degree program.
Instructions
Write a 3–4-page career plan that includes the following:
Describe the Career You Want to Pursue
- Describe your career goals. (Become BCBA)
- Describe the common work settings.
- Where do these professionals typically work?
- Describe the education required to be a professional in this career.
- Describe the knowledge and skills required to be a professional in this career.
- Explain how this career aligns with your personal values and priorities.
- Describe the job opening you located.
Create a Plan
- Evaluate your current strengths in meeting the requirements for this career. A distinguished-level plan would also—Use examples to illustrate your main points.
- Evaluate your current weaknesses in meeting the requirements for this career, using examples to illustrate your main points.
- Evaluate your ability to work collaboratively as a member of a team, using examples to illustrate your main points.
- Describe your plan to get the education you will need for this career.
- Describe your plan to develop the knowledge and skills you will need for this career.
- Describe your plan to get experience related to this career.
Apply Psychological Theory and Ethics
- Identify one psychological theory (e.g., Social Learning Theory, Cognitive Dissonance, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) that relates to the work involved in this career.
- Explain how understanding this theory might help you succeed in this position.
- What are two ethical concerns that professionals in this career may face? Use the principles and standards of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct to support your work.
- A distinguished-level plan would also—Explain how the APA ethical principles and standards might guide your behavior in this role.
- Are there any populations or settings that raise ethical considerations (confidentiality, informed consent)?
Submit Your Career Plan
- Written communication: Written communication is in a professional style with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
- Resources: Use a minimum of four sources, the job advertisement, two additional sources, and the APA Code of Ethics. All references need to be supported with in-text citations.
- APA formatting: Begin with a proper APA title page. References and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting. All references need to be supported with in-text citations.
- Refer to Academic Writer for guidance in using proper APA style.
- Length: 3–4 page double-spaced typed career plan paper, excluding title page and reference page.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Remember to consult the scoring rubric to make sure you cover all that will be assessed.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Analyze psychological theory and concepts in relationship to individual, organizational, and social issues.
- Explain a psychological theory and its relationship to a position.
- Competency 3: Apply cultural competencies and ethical principles to problems, decisions, and behaviors.
- Explain two ethical concerns, using the principles and standards of the APA Code of Ethics, that professionals in a chosen career might face.
- Competency 4: Apply psychology specific content to effective self reflection, project management skills, teamwork skills, and career preparation.
- Describe a desired career to pursue and the education, knowledge, and skill requirements to be a professional in this career, and explain how this career aligns with one’s personal values and priorities.
- Describe one’s current strengths and weaknesses.
- Describe one’s ability to work collaboratively as a member of a team, including strengths and weaknesses.
- Describe a plan to develop the skills needed for a specified career.
- Competency 5: Communicate effectively with diverse recipients in a manner consistent with expectations for psychology professionals.
- Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors. References are supported with proper in-text citations and vice versa.
- Use APA style paper formatting with only minor errors.
- Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Resume from assessment 1 attached for reference