Unit 1 The Road Ahead
Start Connecting Your Dots Today
“What do you ____ to do in the future?”
Parents and ____ ask students this question all the time.
But how many students actually know what they want to ____ in the future?
Many students are either unsure of what they know or confused about how to find the ____ career.
The following may help students discover a new way to look at themselves and design a ____ for their future.
Discover Yourself
It’s hard to climb a mountain without preparation, and ____ a career path requires preparation too.
Begin your career map by taking a blank piece of paper and drawing ____ dots on it.
These dots will be a representation of who you ____ at this moment in time, so make as many dots as you can.
____ one or two words to describe one aspect of yourself next to each dot.
Awards, ____ and courses taken at school are great places to start.
You can also think about your past ____ present achievements, interests, and strengths.
Parents, teachers, friends, and ____ you trust can also provide insight into you that you may not have noticed.
If you ____ it describes you, write it down as a new dot.
Hopefully doing this exercise will show you that there’s more to being you ____ you may have thought.
Examine Your Resources
Now, take a step ____ and look at your dots.
A good ____ at this stage is to start categorizing your dots.
Do ____ see any patterns emerging?
For example, you ____ have several dots that highlight scientific skills or maybe some dots that point to creativity.
These patterns may ____ to something that is meaningful to you.
Another perspective is to look ____ what is missing from your map, which you can call “gaps.”
For example, you may feel that you need some work on ____ or a foreign language.
____ such a young age, you probably don’t have certain skills:
your technical knowledge ____ be at a beginner level, or your physical conditioning might need work.
Noticing these gaps will ____ you in the next steps of your map.
Set Up Goals
By comparing your strengths and weaknesses, or the dots and the gaps, your ____ should show you what you possess and what you need to work on.
Now, think of a long-term goal, ____ becoming a musician.
Your goal doesn’t have to be realistic; remember that the purpose of having the goal clearly written is to map out a way to get ____
Understanding where you want ____ go is an important step, so the next step is laying out a plan to push on to that goal.
Fill in the Gaps
To reach your goal of becoming a musician, you ____ to fillin the gaps between the dots to create a path toward your goal.
Do you need to work on voice techniques or set up a personal website ____ promote yourself first?
You ____ plan other paths by researching what essential skills, training or education, or type of personality you may need to achieve a particular goal.
Talking ____ or shadowing people considered to be successful is a great way to learn about a specific profession too.
As you fill ____ each gap with a new dot, you can decide what to do next.
Each path is ____ and has different challenges.
Take the Next Steps
Now, instead of aimlessly trying random things, you can look at your map to see what to ____ next.
____ look for a gap to fill.
Deciding which gap to fill is up to you, ____ your dot map should show you that whatever you choose, you will be moving toward your goal.
There is no need ____ rush anything though.
Take your ____ filling the gaps.
Since you’ve designed your own map, each gap you fill and dot you make ____ you up.”
If ____ made it this far, you probably realize some dots will take time to complete, and other dots will take great effort.
No one knows what kind of person you will be five or ten years down the road, so each investment you make in yourself now will grow into ____ and experience in the future.
The dots are a way to see yourself in ____ present and then imagine yourself in as many futures as you can.
____ up to you to start connecting your dots now.