CAREER Wonders 2011, SD Dept.

of LABOR AND REGULATION

I
Even if you haven't given too much thought to careers, you've probably been asked what you
want to be when you grow up. You might have even been asked this question many times. Your
answer might have been the same or changed each time you were asked! For this activity, use
the space below to either draw or write the first thing you remember wanting to be. Have you
changed your mind or added other job ideas since then, or do you still want to be the same
thing?

Now that you've started thinking about careers, what

do you do next?

Take the career interest survey on pages 11 to 15 to kick start

your thoughts about what direction you would like to head with
future career plans. Completing the following steps will point you to
some general work areas where you can explore career possibilities.
 CAREER Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of LABOR AND REGULATION

interest survey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

1 2
TAKING CARe of pets in your REPAIRing SMALL APPLIANCES
neighborhood
PAINTING houses or buildings
TRANSPLANTING SMALL trees
Using tools to MAKE household
PLANTING AND TAKING CARe of flowers rEPAIR s
& PLANTS
Cutting AND SHAPING wood to build
Working in A GARDEN & crEATING structures
LANDSCAPES
Volunteering for TFABITAT for
Nursing sick ANIMALS BACK to HEALTH TFUMANITY

Brushing or grooming dogs, CATS, DRAWING floor PLANS

AND/OR horses
Building simple circuit BOARDS
tfiking & WATCHING wildlife
LAYING brick or cinder block
Chopping wood & rEPLANTING trees
LANDSCAPING AND PLANTING
Identifying ENVIRONMENTAL flower
GARDENS
& sick/dying PLANTS
HAZARDS

Performing (music, DRAMA, Using A CASH register

DANCE) for AN
AUDIENCE
CreAting grAphic designs on A
computer
Typing minutes of A school
CLUB meeting

Filing or sorting MAIL or other

4
CrEATING AN orIGINAL video or film PAPERs

Sketching or PAINTING pictures Running your own business

TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS Developing Web PAGES AND crEATING

print LAYOUTS using desktop
Writing poems, stories or PLAYS publishing
MAKING jewelry, sculpture, CERAMICS MANAGING TASKS for A group
or STAINED GLASS
PrEPARing reports AND ANALYZING
Designing A newspAper lAyout DATA
(Artwork)
Typing documents for other people
Being AN ANNOUNCER for AN
AMATEUR
RADIO STATION Volunteering to ANSWER phones

Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
CAREER Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of LABOR AND REGULATION

interestsurvey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

5 6
Working AS A kids’ CAMP PLANNING A mock stock
counselor or volunteer MARket GAME

Tutoring young children Investing money AND studying

investments
READING to ELEMENTARY school
students BALANCING A CHECKBOOK
Giving instructions for/or directing Opening A SAVINGS/CHECKING ACCOUNT
A PLAY
Being A trEASURer for A school club
BABY-SITTING young children
OrGANIZING A FUND-RAISER
OrGANIZING AND shelving LIBRARY
books Collecting money for A school or
community event
Peer counseling or MEDIATION
Developing A budget
tfelping AT SPECIAL Olympics events
Using sprEADSHEETS AND
TEACHING young children in AN computer PROGRAMS
FINANCIAL
AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAM

CAMPAIGNING for A TAKING CARe of A sick rELATIVE

POLITICAL
CANDIDATE

MAKING POLITICAL speeches

Volunteering AS AN ur BAN PLANNING

7 WATCHING
/HOSPITAL
shows on
DOCTOR TV

LEARning first AID AND CPR

8
committee member
Volunteering AT A retirement home
Running for CLASS office
Volunteering AS A HOSPITAL AIDE
PLANNING AND prEPARing budgets
Using A stethoscope to listen to
PARTICIPATING in A DEBATE someone's HEAR t

Volunteering AS A LEGISLATIVE AIDE Identifying HUMAN body PAR ts from

A DIAGRAM
LEARning AND SPEAKING A foreign
LANGUAGE BANDAGING sports injuries with A
TRAINER'S help
RESEARCHING AND writing GRANTS
Assisting persons in WHEELCHAIRs
with DAILY TASKS

Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
 CAREER Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of LABOR AND REGULATION

interest survey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

9 10
Working in A rESTAURANT MAKING A FAMILY menu

PLANNING VACATIONS AND Working with the elderly

other
events
Working At A shelter
Cooking, BAKING AND serving MEALS
Shopping, COMPARing prices &
PARTICIPATING in sports or consumer goods
recrEATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Listening & helping friends with
Being A LIFEGUARD problems

CATERing AN event PARTICIPATING in youth groups or

community groups
Working AT A CONCESSION STAND
Working AS A dietetic AID
Exercising AND working out
Volunteering AT A retirement home
OFFICIATING A sporting event
Volunteering to be A Big Brother/
Big Sister

Developing SOFTWARe READING mystery novels

PROGRAMS

Building computers
PlAying video gAmes
11 Listening to A police
SCANNER

WATCHING mystery movies or

12
courtroom DRAMAS
Surfing the Internet
PLAYING "Clue" or other mystery
LEARning how to configure OPERATING BOARD GAMES
systems
Volunteering in A LAWYER'S office
INSTALLING
SOFTWARe Following court CASES in the news
LEARning how to ASSEMBLE computer
HARDWARe PARTICIPATING in EMT TRAINING

PLAYING with electronic GADGETS Volunteering to SEARCH for missing

pets or persons
Designing video gAmes
PARTICIPATING in SEARCH
/ORTRAINING
rescue
AND

Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
CAREER Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of LABOR AND REGULATION

interestsurvey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

13 14
Welding or working with Cutting & styling HAIR
METALS
Selling products for A
REPAIRing AND school FUND-RAISER
upholstering furniture
TAKING tours of new houses for SALE
CrEATING wood CAR vings
Designing or modeling clothes
TAKING MACHINE shop CLASSES
Giving people ADVICE on products
MAKING belts or other LEATHER goods they should buy

OPERATING A printing press DECORATING your house AND

rEARRANGING your furniture
INSTALLING AND rEPAIRing
home
electronics PLANNING AND HAVING A YARD

Sewing, WEAVING, knitting or other SALE ArRANGING AND selling

needlework
flowers
Building CABINETS, shelves AND other
simple woodworking Fixing WATCHES AND clocks

15 16
Visiting science museums Flying AIRPLANES
Designing experiments REPAIRing vehicles, bikes
AND engines
Exploring CAVES AND
collecting rocks Working in A WARehouse or TAKING
inventory
WATCHING the WEATHER AND
storms
TRACKING OPERATING motorized MACHINES or
equipment
Using A COMPUTER to solve
problems AND EQUATIONS
MATH Visiting SPACE CAMPS

Identifying PLANTS, ANIMALS Building AND rEPAIRing

AND
MAR/OR
ine life
BOATS
Developing solutions to
ENVIRONMENTAL problems OEADING
R PERATING A CB or HAM
MECHANICAL AND
MAGAZINES/BLOGS
RADIO
AUTOMOTIVE
Building model AircrAft/boAts/trAins
TFAVING A PAPER route
LEARning ABOUT different cultures

Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
 CAREER Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of LABOR AND REGULATION

interestsurvey
Count the check marks in each section on pages 11-14 and place the total in the corresponding box below.
1. 2. 3. 4.
Agriculture, Food & Architecture & Arts, AUDIO/VISUAL Business
NATURAL Resources Construction Technology & MANAGEMENT &
COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATION

5. 6. 7. 8.
EDUCATION & FINANCE Government HEALTH Science
TRAINING & Public
ADMINISTRATION

9. 10. 11. 12.

HospITALITY & HUMAN Services InforMATION LAW, Public SAFETY,
Tourism Technology Corrections &
Security

13. 14. 15. 16.

MANUFACTURing MARketing Science, Technology, TRANSPORTATION,
Engineering & MAth Distribution &
Logistics

Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.

My

Interest ArEAS:
1. 2. 3.
As you can see, the interest survey is divided into 16 groups. Each group is a career cluster.
Career clusters place similar occupations in groups. These clusters help you narrow the
thousands of career options in the world to a general area of interest. The clusters connect what
you learn in school to the skills and knowledge you need beyond high school. Some careers are
placed in more than one cluster.