BreBru.com

Extra Info

Music Room

ArtRoom
Our Brilliant Careers
Grade Level: High School
Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Language Arts
Required Software: Microsoft® Access, Microsoft® Internet Explorer

Summary:

Whether you are geared up for the world of work or just beginning to think about careers, this activity will open your eyes to the possibilities.



Prerequisite Skills:
  • Experience creating and editing Microsoft Word documents
  • Research skills using library and Web resources
  • Exposure to Microsoft FrontPage
  • Introduction to digital imaging and archiving
Time Allotted:

2-3 class periods and ongoing

Field names in Microsoft Access
Use field names like these to set up a Microsoft Access careers database.

WORK IT OUT

How to Begin

  1. Prepare the database by launching Access and choosing Blank database. When prompted, save the database as Careers.
  2. Click on the Tables tab, and then click New. Choose Table Wizard and click OK. Under Sample Tables, choose Employees. From the sample fields, choose FirstName and click the single right arrow to add it to your table. Repeat with the following fields, in this order: Title, DepartmentName, OfficeLocation, Salary, Address, Notes, and EmailName.
  3. Select DepartmentName and click Rename Field. Rename as Type of Company, and click OK. Repeat this process to change OfficeLocation to Work Environment, Address to Education Requirements, and EmailName to Web Links. Click Next.
  4. On the next screen, save your table as CareerTable, and select "No, I'll set the primary key." Click Next, and choose FirstName as your Primary Key, and then select "Numbers and/or letters I enter when I add new records."
  5. Click Next, and choose "Enter data into a table using a form the wizard creates for me." Click Finish. A blank data form will appear on the screen.
  6. You now will select 5 different occupations to rsearch.
  7. First, though, you will need to decide on the final design for your database. With the blank data record showing, go to View and choose Design View. Click on Format, and choose AutoFormat. Preview each format and choose one together. Choose View, and go back to Form View. Print out a blank record, then close the Form. Photocopy the blank record.

Student Activity
Description:
Remember back when you had an easy answer for the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" In this activity, you'll focus in on five or more careers you might really want to pursue - including one that doesn't quite exist yet!

Step A
Browse the Possibilities
Software:Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Access
What to do: Some students have an inkling of what they might want to do for a career -- but not all do. And even those who are fairly certain should keep this in mind: Experts predict that in the future most people will change careers more than five times in the course of their working life. It pays to have a few possibilities to choose from!
  1. Use Internet Explorer to check out some of the Web sites listed above, many of which include information about specific kinds of careers. Browse through the headings and job titles, and choose at least five that appeal to you.
  2. Explore these career possibilities in depth, keeping in mind the kinds of information you'll need for your database. You'll want to know the kind of company this job might be part of, what the work environment is like (such as in an office or outdoors, formal or relaxed), what the salary range is, and what kind of education and/or training is required. In addition to the information you find in career sites, you might check out Web sites for professional associations, online articles about people in this field, and actual job listings from around the country. Print out the best information you find, and keep track of your sources.

    A form in Microsoft Access
    Fill in a Microsoft Access data record for each career choice.

  3. Launch the Access database you created. Click the Forms tab, and choose the form you created together. If you are the first to use the database, you will see a blank record. Otherwise, go to Insert, and choose New Record. (You can also click the right arrow with star in the bottom left corner.) Fill in one new record for the first career you've explored. Enter your name with a 1 after it in the FirstName field. Repeat for your other careers, using a 2 after your name, then a 3, and so on. Review your records by clicking the left and right arrows in the bottom left corner of the screen. Save your work.


Step B
Jobs of the Future
Software:Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Access
What to do: By the time you're ready for your first career, who knows what new opportunities you might have that aren't yet a glimmer in a career counselor's eye?

  1. Several of the Web sites you visited have information about future job market trends and emerging careers. Go back and check these out. See anything that interests you? Find out all you can about these jobs-to-be.
  2. Think about trends that are changing people's lives: the amazing growth of the Internet, say, or the aging of the Baby Boom generation. Then think about the number of times you've said, "I wish someone would figure out a way to..." Produce jeans that really fit you, for a reasonable price? Let you get around town quickly without a car? Make sure everyone has a decent place to live? Think about the kinds of jobs that might spring up to meet those needs.
  3. Since your future jobs don't yet have salary ranges or educational requirements, you'll need to make some guesses. Start with the kind of training the job might entail, and how many people would need its services. Generally, the harder the training and the more in demand the work that's produced, the higher the salary.
  4. Now enter your future job(s) in the Access database . Include an (F) after the job title. In the Notes field, explain what this job will be all about and why it's intriguing.


Step C
Mine Your Data
Software:Microsoft Access
What to do: Once everyone in class has entered at least three job records, explore your Careers database.
  1. Open your database, click the Forms tab, and select your class form.
  2. If you have a particular job you're interested in, click on the Title field in the first record you see. Go to Edit, choose Find, and type in a keyword; in the match criteria, choose Any Part of Field for the widest return. Click Find First. If more than one record is retrieved, you can click Find Next to view each one. Print out at least one record that interests you.

    Data Records in Microsoft Access
    Get an at-a-glance view of careers by sorting in Table format.

  3. If you'd rather just browse, click on the Title field, go to the Toolbar, and click AZ. Now all the records are arranged alphabetically by title. Use the arrows at the bottom left to step through the database. Print one or more records. (You can also get an at-a-glance view of all the records by closing the Form, selecting the Tables tab, and opening your CareerTable. Select any column by clicking at the top, and use the AZ or ZA buttons on the Toolbar to arrange the data. You can also go to Edit, choose Find, and search for a keyword. A small arrow will appear to the left of each match.)
  4. Think about other job criteria that are important to you. Are you looking for the highest salary? In either Table or Form view, select the Salary field, go to the Toolbar, and click ZA. The records are now arranged with the highest salaries first. Do you want to work outdoors? Select the Work Environment field, go to Edit, choose Find, and use "outdoors" as your match criteria.