Readiness Time Capsule Assignments 1
You’ve probably heard about schools or communities or even individuals who have decided to create a time capsule. The process involves creating a collection of artifacts from a particular point in time (for example, today’s newspaper, current photos, personal audio or video reflections, or other objects). These objects are put in a safe location to be opened and examined at some time in the future: 10 years, 25 years, or 100 years.
You’re going to do the same thing, but in a 3-month time frame, the duration of this course. You’ll take an assessment at the beginning of the course and then retake it at the end for comparison.
Here is a link to Readiness Time Capsule (Module 1). Download and print it, and then follow the directions to take this now. Be sure to note and save your scores, and keep a copy of the completed questionnaire.
For this assignment, write a brief reflection (between 250 and 500 words) that indicates where you think you are right now in terms of readiness and what you want to accomplish in the next 12 weeks.
The following questions may help you write your reflection:
- What do you notice?
- Are there specific question areas that you are excited to learn more about? Are there others that scare you or make you apprehensive?
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Readiness Time Capsule Assignments 2
It’s time to dig up the time capsule. In Module 1 of this course you took a readiness assessment. And now you will retake it and compare your answers.
Here is a link to Readiness Time Capsule (Module 11). Download and print it, and then follow the directions to take this now.
Take a moment to compare your scores for the two Readiness Time Capsule questionnaires. Did your score change?
If your score went up, chances are that you’re feeling more prepared to live the life you envision. It’s possible that you’ve even started living that life in small ways.
If you really want to dig deep, compare your answers to each question before and after taking the course. What do you notice? Are there specific questions that you answered differently? What can you learn from the changes in your answers over time? Write a brief reflection (200 to 400 words; several paragraphs) that indicates what your comparison tells you about your experience with this course.
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Discussion 1: Reflect in a discussion on your Readiness Time Capsule. In 100 to 150 words, complete the following:
- As you look at your answers to the Readiness Time Capsule, what do you notice? Are there specific question areas that you are excited to learn more about? Are there others that scare you or make you apprehensive? Write a few sentences to describe what you notice.
- Then, write a few more sentences reflecting on the following question: Are you prepared to get the best life, the best career, and the best you?
Discussion 2: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapters 1, 2, and 3 about interests, joy, and personal values. In the discussion forum, share with your classmates your answers to the last question in each chapter:
- What have I learned by exploring my interests, what brings me joy, and my personal values?
- What, if any, alignment exists between my interests, joy, and personal values?
Discussion 3: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 4 about relationships. In the discussion forum, share with your classmates a time when you had a positive experience reaching out to someone for advice and counsel. Consider what made you want to reach out to this person. Did you have similar interests, sources of joy, or personal values?
Discussion 4: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 5 about life purpose. Watch the video, Recording an Elevator Pitch. In the discussion forum, share with your classmates your mission statement and explain how that mission statement could help you to develop an elevator pitch.
Discussion 5: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 6 about life purpose. In the discussion forum, share three statements that describe your sense of balance that begin with the phrase “I am in balance when” (see page 87 of the book). Then, share three places where you would like to bring your life into balance based on your answers to the exercises in the book. Finally, write a sentence or two about who (besides you) will benefit from you bringing your life into balance.
Discussion 6: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 7 about your personal strengths and development areas. In the discussion forum, share with your classmates what you have learned by exploring your strength and development areas.
Discussion 7: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 8 about the mission, values, and culture of your organization. Then, share with your classmates what you have learned. If you are not currently employed, consider organizations from your past where you were employed or an organization you’d like to be employed by.
Address the following questions:
- Have you ever been in an organization where the stated mission/values/culture was either in conflict with itself or conflicted with your mission/values/culture? If so, how did it make you feel?
- What did you do about it? How did it work out?
- What are the advantages when there is harmony, rather than conflict, among individual’s values and the organizational values and culture?
Discussion 8: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 10 about your current and future position. Consider the question: What have I learned by thinking about my current and future position? Are these thoughts aligned with what I have learned about myself? Then, draft a congratulatory letter to your future self as if you have already achieved a desired position. How did you get there? Share any parts of this letter that you are comfortable sharing with your classmates.
Discussion 9: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 11 about crossing age groups and cultures. Then, share what you have learned about your own culture and worldview with your classmates in a discussion forum. When doing your reading and reflection, find one or two areas where you might like to develop better skills in crossing age groups and cultures in the workplace. Share these areas of desired growth and learning with your classmates.
Discussion 10: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapter 12 about personal vision. Then, consider a decision you made in the past three to five years. How has it influenced the road you are on now?
Can you identify anything important about your personal vision, or lack thereof, throughout the years? Now that you have created a personal vision, share two concrete ways that having this vision statement may help you make life or career decisions in the future. Share your reflections with your classmates in the discussion forum.
Discussion 11: In your journal, answer the questions posed in Time to Get Real! Chapters 13 and 14. In this discussion forum, share what you have learned after re-taking the Readiness Time Capsule. In addition, discuss any insights you have gained in your work on Chapters 13 and 14
Discussion 12: One of the key takeaways from the Time to Get Real! text involves living your life intentionally. As the authors say in the introduction: “Although no one can predict the future, anyone can pursue a course of his or her own design to find more happiness.” You need look no further than the events of the last several years to realize that unpredictable things happen in life. Discuss with your classmates ways that living intentionally, and having an updated life and career plan, could help you deal with unpredictabilities.
Written Assignment 1
Read “Contemporary Perspectives on the Impactors and Enablers to Wellbeing” by Susan Carter and Cecily Andersen, and consider your own impactors and enablers of well-being. In a 300-word essay, reflect upon the current state and context of your personal and professional success.
- Identify two insights about your well-being based on the chapter by Carter and Andersen.
- Relate these insights to what you learned by reading the introduction of Time to Get Real as well as in your Readiness Time Capsule self-assessment.
- Infer how your insights might impact your career exploration.
Make sure your essay is well organized and your points are clear.
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Written Assignment 2
Read Chapter 5 in The Business Ethics Workshop. Then write a brief essay of between 300 and 500 words (1-1/2 to 2 pages).
Consider the following quotation from this resource, about the ethical dimension of your career choice:
Normally we think of ethics as providing guidelines for how to treat other people—don’t steal, don’t lie. But ethics is also about how we treat ourselves and the responsibilities we have to ourselves. One of the deepest of the responsibilities is making thoughtful and independent decisions about what’s worth doing and what isn’t.
It’s hard to know what’s worth doing if you don’t know what is important to you. In your essay, connect what you have learned about your interests, joy, and personal values with your career exploration. Choose one or two questions from the section “Balancing the Values” that challenge you to think differently about career choice and to think about what is worth doing for you. Discuss those questions. Then analyze how considering these questions might impact your career exploration.
Make sure your essay is well organized and your points are clear.
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Written Assignment 3
Read “Relationships and Well-Being” as well as the Iyengar article on networking and career development. In a brief essay (300 to 500 words; 1-1/2 to 2 pages) examine the value of relationships from the academic perspectives offered in the two readings.
Here are some questions to consider as you plan your essay:
- What have you discovered about the ways positive relationships contribute to your well-being?
- How are networking skills like and unlike personal relationship skills? How are work relationships like and unlike personal relationships?
- What are the benefits of building your professional network? What are some ways to do that?
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Written Assignment 4
Watch the video where Alex Plinio leads a group discussion with four people about the topic of life balance. Notice how he keeps referring back to Ana’s way of balancing her life. Ana makes little decisions every day that contribute to her life balance, which helps her lead the kind of life she desires.
In a brief essay of between 300 and 500 words (1-1/2 to 2 pages), address the following points.
- Consider the first three things you typically do when you wake up in the morning. Do they reflect your life purpose? If so, how?
- Now consider the first three things you typically do when you get to work. Do they reflect your life purpose? If so, how?
- Finally, consider the last three things you typically do before falling asleep each night. Do they reflect your life purpose? If so, how?
- Is your life balance supported by your life purpose? Does your life balance help you to achieve joy?
- Now identify one or two little things you can do each day to live your life purpose and create life balance for yourself.
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Written Assignment 5
In most jobs, writing a self-assessment is an annual task. So it’s a good idea to get some practice. It’s also a good way for you to look at your strengths and development areas.
Read the USDA resource about using the STAR method to write self-assessments. Then write a STAR-method self-assessment on three strengths that would be applicable to a job you believe you would enjoy.
Your self-assessment should reflect a clear view of your strengths, based on self-assessment you have been doing, as well as appropriate insight about the requirements of the selected position.
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Written Assignment 6
Read the information on process-based theories in Organizational Behavior. This reading introduces three organizational behavior theories: equity theory, expectancy theory, and reinforcement theory.
- Equity theory posits that people are motivated when they sense that the policies and procedures in their workplace, including those involving compensation, are fair. The perception of unfairness is demotivating.
- Expectancy theory suggests that employees base their level of effort on the amount of reward they expect. If they believe extra effort will lead to positive outcomes, they will be motivated to put forth that effort.
- Reinforcement theory draws a connection between a particular action and its direct consequences. Reinforcement may be positive or negative; in its simplest form it could be praise or criticism.
In a brief essay (400 to 600 words; 1-1/2 to 2 pages) consider these process-based theories in light of your current organizational environment. (You will consider a different set of questions if you are not currently employed.) Then reflect on how particular organizational environments might align with what gives you joy, with your personal values, or with a satisfying life balance. [MO 7.1, MO 7.2, MO 7.3]
Answer the following questions if you are currently employed:
- Which of the theories most closely aligns with the way motivation works in your current workplace? Does the process at your workplace succeed in motivating you?
- Which of the theories, if any, best describes what motivates you? Are you motivated by other factors?
- As the chapter explains, some people consider organizational behavior modification unethical, feeling that it is manipulative. Express your opinion on that topic.
- How does what gives you joy, along with your personal values, affect what motivates you? Provide an example to illustrate your point. Then describe ways you would prefer to be motivated in a perfect organizational environment.
Answer the following questions if you are not currently employed:
- Which of the theories most closely aligns with the way motivation works in your personal life? What motivates you, for example, to obey the law or governs the way you interact with others?
- Which of the theories, if any, best describes what motivates you? Are you motivated by other factors?
- As the chapter explains, some people consider organizational behavior modification unethical, feeling that it is manipulative. Express your opinion on that topic.
- How does what gives you joy, along with your personal values, affect what motivates you? Provide an example to illustrate your point. Then describe ways you would prefer to be motivated in a perfect organizational environment.
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Written Assignment 7
Examine the following academic resources:
- “Beyond Race—Cultural Influences on Human Social Life”by Vera Kennedy, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Chapter 8: “Respect for Diversity”by Nghi D. Thai and Ashlee Lien in Introduction to Community Psychology: Becoming an Agent of Change, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
In a brief essay (400 to 600 words; 1-1/2 to 2 pages) consider the question posed in Time to Get Real!: “Will my Life and Career Plan hold up in diverse environments?” In other words, knowing your own characteristics and considering your plans for the future, how do you measure up in terms of cultural competence and cultural humility?
Refer to specific statements in the resources in your paper, and be sure to indicate your comprehension of both cultural competence and cultural humility.
As you work on this assignment, remember that there are benefits to cultural competence that go far beyond just getting along with your coworkers. In a workplace, both cultural competence and cultural humility will contribute to a deeper trust, a stronger camaraderie, improved levels of motivation and production, and enhanced job satisfaction.
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Written Assignment 8
Your Personal Vision Statement
Share your personal vision statement with your mentor. As described in the book, your vision statement should:
- Consider where you are now.
- Describe what your life will look like three to five years from now.
- Summarize your ultimate goal.
The length of your statement will depend on how much description you want to include.
Brief Paper 1
Review your work so far in the course, and read “Brand—Manage your Personal Brand.”
- Choose two strategies from the personal brand resource and write a 500- to 800-word paper (2 to 3 pages) on how you might use these strategies along with your mission statement to make important decisions about your career. Keep in mind that strategies are scattered throughout the resource.
- In your paper, explain in detail why you chose these strategies and how you believe they will advance your career.
- Don’t forget to check the work you have done on your action plan, because it should be reflected in this paper.
- Document the sources of information you have used for your paper consistently in either APA or MLA style.
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Brief Paper 2
Review the academic and additional resources from Modules 5 through 8, and rewatch the Draw Your Future video.
Do a careful review of your action plan entries for Modules 5, 6, 7, and 8.
Then explore the Occupational Outlook Handbook and at least three other sources of information about career outlooks and trends. Compose a 500- to 800-word paper (2 to 3 pages) relating what you have found relative to your next position.
Include the following:
- Your paper should begin with a statement about a career you would like to pursue (or continue to pursue).
- You should use your research to describe a good next position for you. The paper should demonstrate an alignment of your career choice with personal characteristics: interests, values, strengths, and so on.
- Your paper should indicate, using the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the other resources you have chosen, that your choice is viable and that you have some concrete ideas for how to pursue it.
- Review your future planning with a key relationship and reflect on that review in the paper.
- Document the sources of information you have used for your paper consistently in either APA or MLA style.
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Brief Paper 3
Conduct a careful review of your action plan entries for Modules 9 and 10, and explore the resource listed above. Then compose a 500- to 800-word paper (2 to 3 pages).
Include the following:
- Explore the Find My Role Model site. Discuss the individual (the role model) you focused on and why this person is appropriate as a role model for you. Bring in concepts from the entire course so far.
- Describe how this role model relates to your personal vision, to the career plan you are building, and to the self-exploration you have completed in this course so far.
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Action Plan 1: Begin your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the text, record three or four actions on each topic you could take based on what you have learned. Record these actions and submit them to your mentor. You will use these actions to build your overall life and career plan.
As you work on your action plan throughout the course, always ask yourself if your actions are realistic and practical. Are they enough to move you in a positive direction, or are you being too easy on yourself?
Action Plan 2: Continue to contribute to your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapter 4 of the text, record several actions you could take regarding your key, your positive, and your negative or toxic relationships. Submit your work to your mentor.
This is an excellent opportunity to optimize the relationships you have in your life. Concentrate on the positive steps you can take in the three areas: optimizing key relationships and positive relationships, and handling negative (or toxic) relationships.
Action Plan 3: Continue your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapter 5 of the text, record several actions you could take regarding your life and career plan. Use what you have learned about your mission or purpose in life to help you fill in the action plan. The time and energy you put into this will be very well spent. This very personal exercise will solidify your view of yourself and will provide direction for your career plan.
Action Plan 4: Continue your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapter 6 of the text, record several actions you could take regarding your life and career plan. Submit these to your mentor.
Remember that no one can write a plan for you that will make your life more balanced. Only you can create the right plan for you.
Action Plan 5: Continue your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapter 7 of the text, record several actions you could take regarding your life and career plan. Submit them to your mentor.
Don’t forget to include any areas of development that you are working on at present. It is valuable to outline the steps you will take to build proficiency in those areas and have a time frame for accomplishing your goal. Think also about areas you want to develop and how they fit into your career plan.
Action Plan 6: Continue your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapter 8 of the text, record several actions you should consider for your life and career plan. Submit these to your mentor.
Of course, nothing in life is perfect and that applies equally to work. For most of us, work is a necessity so that we can support ourselves and our loved ones financially. Thus you may find yourself in a job where your personal values conflict with what you are being asked to do. The key is to find a way to resolve these conflicts to your own satisfaction. The resources for this course offer examples of ways to do this. When thinking about your action plan, ask yourself the question: “What is truly important for me?
Action Plan 7: Continue your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapter 10 of the text, record several actions you should consider for your life and career plan.
In your action plan, look closely at where you are in your current organization, and think about what you want your next move to be–whether in your current organization or in a different one. Share what you have recorded with your mentor.
Action Plan 8: Continue your action plan. As stated at the end of Chapter 11 of the text, record several actions you should consider for your life and career plan. Submit these to your mentor.
This module may have caused you to look inside yourself and to become cognizant of your own culture and how it has helped make you who you are today. Just being aware of this simple fact can make the difference in your being able to see someone else’s “different-ness” as growing from their own background rather than as a point of conflict. Communication can help bring together different points of view. In fact, being able to go beyond your own point of view is absolutely essential to advancement in your own organization or leadership in another.
Action Plan 9: Continue your action plan. Using your personal vision statement and the information at the end of Chapter 12 of the text, record several actions you should consider for your life and career plan. Share these actions with your mentor.
Your Life and Career Plan:
Use the advice and instruction in Chapters 13 and 14 to construct a life and career plan, as directed in Chapter 14. Submit your plan to your mentor as directed in the Course Calendar.
Your plan will be graded on a complete/incomplete basis. Your mentor will be looking primarily for evidence you have taken the plan seriously and incorporated all elements.
Start thinking now about whom you would like to share your document with. Make plans to share your plan in time to receive feedback for your final project.
