1Communication
2Critical & Creative Thinking
6Professionalism
10Information LiteracyThe assignment, with support, and a form you can fill in and save.
One career. Honest research. Your real assessment of the fit.
You've done the research. This Mile Marker asks you to make sense of it: not repeat it, but honestly assess what you found and what it means for you.
It's also how the college assesses Professionalism (#6), one of the course's focus skills. That doesn't mean it needs to sound polished. It needs to sound like you, and be specific and honest.
AI use: AI-supported
You may use AI as a thinking partner to question your assumptions about a career. Get your facts from your research sources, not from AI, and write your responses in your own voice.
See the AI Course Policy in the syllabus. Want a place to start? Try the optional AI thinking partner prompt.
This Mile Marker has two parts. Submit both in the Mile Marker #8 assignment in Blackboard. Check Blackboard for the due date.
Want help keeping it organized? The fill-in form at the bottom of this page saves your answers as a PDF named "Mile Marker #8" that you can upload to the assignment.
Prefer paper? Printable handouts for this Mile Marker and the Career Research Guide are in Blackboard. Fill them in by hand, then upload a photo or scan.
Jump to the fill-in formDo the research first. Use Career Coach and O*NET OnLine to research one career, and fill in all five sections of the guide. Save it as a PDF and upload it with this Mile Marker.
The basics, the numbers, the reality of the work, the fit analysis, and your honest assessment.
Open the Career Research GuideSummarize the career in your own words: education required, regional salary, job outlook, and typical work environment. Keep it brief. The guide has the detail. This is the headline version.
Covers all four: education, regional salary, outlook, and work environment, in your own words.
Your guide, Sections 1 to 3
Connect your research to what you know about yourself from Modules 6 and 7.
Connects specific research findings to your strengths, your values, how you work best, and your pressure tolerance. Not just a list of your results.
Name one clear area of alignment and one area of friction or uncertainty.
Names one alignment and one friction, asks one specific question, and names a person or resource that could help answer it.
Your guide, Section 5
If you'd like help testing your thinking, try this prompt in Microsoft Copilot or another AI tool:
"I'm a college student exploring a career as a [career]. My top strengths include [two or three strengths], and I value [two or three values]. Ask me three hard questions that would help me test whether this career really fits me. Don't answer them for me."
Use the questions to push your thinking, then write your responses in your own words.
Don't use AI for salary, outlook, or education requirements. Those come from Career Coach, O*NET, and the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Leave your name and other personal details out of the prompt.
Using AI in career research in Lesson 8.2
Full credit goes to responses that are specific, honest, and clearly connected to your research and your self-knowledge. It should sound like you. Surface-level or general answers that don't connect to your strengths, values, or research won't earn full credit.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 4Strong Progress | Your response is thoughtful, specific, and clearly connected to the purpose of the Mile Marker. You show strong reflection, effort, and engagement with the topic. |
| 3On Track | Your response addresses the main parts of the task and shows reflection and engagement. Some ideas could be explained in more detail or connected more clearly. |
| 2Developing | Your response is partially complete or too general. More detail, reflection, or clearer connections are needed. |
| 1Needs Revision | Your response is very limited, incomplete, or unclear and does not fully address the task. |
| 0No Evidence | No submission was provided, or the response does not meaningfully engage with the task. |
Type your responses below, then select Save as PDF. Upload the PDF, along with your Career Research Guide, to the Mile Marker #8 assignment in Blackboard.
Your typing is saved in this browser as you go, so you can come back later on the same device. It isn't sent anywhere until you upload it.
