What is FOCUS 2?
FOCUS 2 is the CCD’s newest online interactive, self guided career and education planning system designed to help you make decisions about your future career goals and education plans.
Before Focus 2 After Focus 2
What does it do?
FOCUS 2 will guide you through an interactive process to:
- Assess your career planning readiness, work interests, values, skills, personality type and leisure time interests.
- Discover occupations that match your personal preferences and attributes to broaden your career options.
- Decide which career fields, majors and training programs are best for you.
- Plan for career relevant experiences during your college years such as internships, study abroad, work experience, volunteering, and building a network of contacts.
- Plan the career and educational pathway that will support your personal needs and goals.
When should you use Focus 2?
Use FOCUS 2 throughout your college years and after you graduate. FOCUS 2 can be used in different ways throughout all stages of your education and career planning according to your needs.
Under Classmen:
- Understand the career planning process
- Learn about yourself through self assessments
- Explore majors at your college that match your interests and support your career goals
- Discover and explore career fields and occupations that appeal to you
- Develop an action plan to engage in career building activities
- Make informed decisions about your major and future career
Upper Classmen and Alumni:
- Ongoing career exploration and awareness
- Develop an action plan to engage in career development activities and test your decisions
- Make career plans
- Plan for advanced education and training
- Make informed decisions about your major and career
How much time does it take to use Focus 2?
Typically the time spent by students, the first time they use FOCUS 2, ranges from 1 to 2 hours. Of course, you can spend as much time as you need. The Career Planning Readiness & Self Assessments modules of FOCUS 2 can usually be completed in approximately 45 minutes. You can log in at any time to spend the time you’d normally spend binge watching Bob’s Burgers exploring 1,000 + occupational choices.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
- Use FOCUS 2 online on any PC or MAC computer or tablet anywhere, anytime.
- FOCUS 2 always saves your results.
- Use the FOCUS 2 tools in any order and as often as you wish.
- You can change your mind about earlier choices, repeat a section and explore new options.
- Your results are stored online and are always available to you and your career counselor.
To access Focus 2, please log into RICElink: Powered by Handshake and click on the “Resources” section. Once in the Resources, select Focus 2 and follow the instructions to gain access.
The Importance of Self-Assessment
Understanding yourself is a critical aspect of career and educational exploration and planning. The more you know about your career-related interests, values, skills, personality type and preferences, the better equipped you will be to identify the career fields, major areas of study and training programs, and education pathways that are compatible with your personal attributes. The FOCUS 2 system will help you develop an accurate self assessment of your personal qualities:
- Your Work Interests are a reflection of the kinds of work-related activities and tasks you most enjoy doing.
- Your Personality Type is a description of how you react to certain situations and people and how you make decisions, organize information and solve problems.
- Your Values are a description of what is most important to you in life. For example, you might value earning a lot of money, helping other people, being creative and artistic, having a secure and steady job, etc.
- Your Skills are a reflection of your talents and the activities you easily learn and perform well.
- Your Leisure Time Interests are a reflection of the kinds of leisure-related activities you most enjoy doing.
Next Steps After Focus 2
In conjunction with using FOCUS 2, you may want to meet with a career counselor.
Be prepared to ask questions concerning:
- Your career-related interests, values, personality and abilities.
- Your present occupational, educational and college/training goals and plans.
- Responsibilities or obstacles that are interfering with your career and college/training decision-making.
- Your life plan, life style desires and strategies to achieve your goals.
Your career counselor can give you ideas and information to help you:
- Verify the rationale of your career decisions and education plans.
- Help you develop your long-term educational path.
- Pinpoint your personal development needs that will help you to achieve your goals.
- Suggest ways to get around any obstacles that are interfering with your decision-making and planning.
- Formulate strategies and action plans to achieve your career and educational objectives.
Career Planning is a lifelong process of exploration and planning of your career and educational goals compatible with your interests, values, talents, personality and aspirations. Career planning involves thinking about which educational and occupational paths will provide you with satisfaction and fulfillment in all aspects of your life, present and future.
Adapted from the Focus 2 Career & Education Planning Workbook.
Authored by: Andrew Tessmer, M. Ed., Assistant Director of Career Development at Rice University, Houston, TX
Make an appointment with Andrew or any of our other career development professionals in RICElink: Powered by Handshake today!
