Unit 1 The Road Ahead
Start Connecting Your Dots Today
____ do you want to do in the future?”
Parents and ____ ask students this question all the time.
But how many students actually ____ what they want to do in the future?
Many students are either unsure of what they ____ or confused about how to find the right career.
The following may help students discover a ____ way to look at themselves and design a path for their future.
Discover Yourself
It’s hard to climb ____ mountain without preparation, and designing a career path requires preparation too.
Begin your career map by taking a blank piece of paper and drawing some ____ on it.
These dots will be ____ representation of who you are at this moment in time, so make as many dots as you can.
Write one or two words to describe one ____ of yourself next to each dot.
Awards, certifications, and courses taken at school ____ great places to start.
You can also think about your past and present achievements, interests, ____ strengths.
____ teachers, friends, and others you trust can also provide insight into you that you may not have noticed.
If you think it describes you, write it down as a new ____
Hopefully doing this exercise will show you that there’s more to being ____ than you may have thought.
Examine Your Resources
Now, take a step back ____ look at your dots.
A good idea at this stage is to start ____ your dots.
Do you see any ____ emerging?
For example, you might have several dots ____ highlight scientific skills or maybe some dots that point to creativity.
These patterns may point to ____ that is meaningful to you.
Another perspective is to look at what is missing ____ your map, which you can call “gaps.”
For ____ you may feel that you need some work on mathematics or a foreign language.
At such a ____ age, you probably don’t have certain skills:
your technical ____ might 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 ____ dots and the gaps, your map 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 ____ want to 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 ____ goal of becoming a musician, you need to fillin the gaps between the dots to create a path toward your goal.
Do ____ need to work on voice techniques or set up a personal website to promote yourself first?
You can plan other paths by researching what essential skills, training or education, or type of personality you may ____ 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 in each gap with a ____ dot, you can decide what to do next.
Each path is unique and ____ different challenges.
Take the Next Steps
Now, instead of aimlessly trying random things, ____ can look at your map to see what to do next.
Just look for a gap to ____
Deciding which gap to fill is up to you, but ____ dot map should show you that whatever you choose, you will be moving toward your goal.
There is no need to rush anything ____
Take your ____ filling the gaps.
Since you’ve designed your own map, each gap you fill and ____ you make “levels you up.”
If you’ve made it this far, you probably realize some dots will take time ____ complete, and other dots will take great effort.
No one knows what kind of person you will be five or ten years down ____ road, so each investment you make in yourself now will grow into expertise and experience in the future.
The dots are a way to see yourself in the present and then imagine yourself in as many futures as you ____
It’s up to you ____ start connecting your dots now.