Extensive use of theory-based career management concepts– Proven and tested during a three-year field test with college students and used successfully with thousands of college students enrolled in career planning courses and working individually with counselors in career development centers.

·         Guides student to choose work with meaning and purpose following a specific career-life strategy

Engaging life story themes to encourage personal agency–uses reader’s reflections on personal life story themes to provide clues for discovering personality type, matching career paths, and developing an internal locus of control (Ex. throughout text).

·         Helps students understand and implement their power to create a career as well as identify traditional career paths.

An emphasis on person-job fit– Finds career paths that match one’s passions, talents, and work values using valid and reliable assessments with links to the ACT World-of-Work Map and Internet site.

·         Helps student understand the impact of person-job matching across multiple career-life roles.

Comprehensive coverage on successful career-decision making- Presents a strong case for using both reflective/intuitive and logical/cognitive decision-making strategies for most career-life situations.

·         Arms student with a well-rounded array of decision making options (pp 30-36)

Explores the ‘career-life’ concept and 9 life roles - Assessment tool for nine life roles and a focus on taking action toward intentional career-life exploration and planning–

·         Offers material not usually covered in other books such as: a comprehensive discussion of career-life and the nine life roles; an assessment of the nine roles; a goal-setting activity (pp 37 -47)

Your Best Next Step Exercise —

·         Helps students review all nine roles and identify specific objectives and implementing an action plan for each role. (pp 86-89)

Individual and peer activities that promote student cognitive and affective development -

Provides hands-on exercises that help students learn more about themselves and what they want from their careers and college experience.

·         Gives instructors material for class assignments or homework including dyad and small group activities (Ex. pp 6, 19, 25-27)

Spotlight Summaries at chapter beginning –summarize each chapter. 

·         Ensures students focus on the essential principles of each chapter and understand key take-away points. (Ex. pp 1, 29, 49)

Extensive Appendix activities to apply the knowledge–

·         Provides students with an Academic Advising Guide based on intentional career exploration and planning (p 99)

·         Relates career exploration to school-to-work activities such as essentials of cover letters, resumes, and interviews. (pp 101-103)

·         Provides students with personal coaching tools for stress reduction, time management, and goal-setting activities useful in academic and school-to-work transitions. (PP 103-109)