Shelbie Carr

Career and Personal Development

13 February 2014
Career Research Project

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Thirteen years. We are given thirteen years to decide what we want to do with our lives,
but the decision isnt that easy. Our choices are limitless and when we begin to narrow them
down the only thing that truly matters is our interest in the career rather than the income or job
growth because there is no sense in having a career that you hate. When I consider what
occupations I would like for my career it all comes down to a physician, an accountant, an
elementary teacher or a translator.
The chance to constantly learn paired with the ability to help people is my number one
reason why a career as a physician is interesting to me. A doctoral or professional degree is
necessary for this career, but after the multiple years that I would spend achieving this degree I
would make about $187,200 per year or $90 per hour. There is also an increase in the growth rate
from 2012 to 2022 of 18%, which is faster than the average 11%. To achieve a successful career,
I have to go through numerous amount of years of training. It begins with four years of medical
school. The first two years you spend learning all the basic information that is necessary to be
successful in your last two years of medical school when you go on to treat actual patients with
the supervision of mentor doctors. Once your four years are complete, you go on to residency
and fellowship which can last from three to eight years and is when you choose your specialty.
Outside of all the on-the-job training you gain in medical school you can also are recommended
to do volunteer work prior to medical school at hospitals and clinics. After all of this work and
time you ended up with an data and people occupation that will test your skills everyday.
Another data and people occupation is accounting. This career is mainly focused on data,
but involved various people skills. It also only requires a bachelors degree and allows for parttime
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internships and junior accountant positions, which will help build into a successful career.
Compared to the average 11% growth rate, accounting is only predicted to increase by 13% from
2012 to 2022. Once you reach a successful level in your career it is hopeful that you will make
about $63,550 per year or $30.55 per hour. For a career as an accountant, it isnt necessarily the
satisfaction of helping someone that strikes my interest, but the opportunity to work with
numbers and to only face a short amount of education.
Becoming an elementary teacher can begin from the first time you babysit or when you
get your first job at a daycare. Those experiences along with the student teaching you so suring
college will help determine whether it is a beneficial career for you, since it is a data and people
type of occupation. It requires a bachelors degree and is expected to make about $53,090 per
year, but the growth rate is only suppose to increase 12% from 2012 to 2022. Regardless the
small increase in growth rate and smaller income, it is such a satisfying career. To be able to plan
and organize assignments and activities in a way that students could benefit and develop a basic
foundation that is going to help them throughout the rest of their life seems extremely rewarding.
I chose elementary because it is such a crucial point in their education since it is where they are
laying the foundation down for math, english, science and history. Everyday would present a
different challenge and it would be up to you to fix it for the sake of the students learning.
Communication is such an important part of our world and to be able to communicate
with various types of people all over the world would be amazing. I find it fascinating that there
is a career out there that allows people to interact with others without the challenges of different
languages.
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Becoming a translator is highly likely, since the growth rate is expected to increase by 46% from
2012 to 2022 and that is with an average of 11%. To achieve this career, a bachelors degree is
required and volunteer work and internships at hospitals, business firms and community
activities are highly recommended in order to have a successful career. It is predicted that the
income of a translator is $45,430 per year or $21.84 per hour. This is also a data and people
occupation with a definite emphasis on people. It is absolutely amazing to think that it is possible
to spend your whole career communicating with everyone and anyone without and verbal
borders.
All of these careers sound amazing, but it all depend on the traits and qualities that I
possess whether or not they will be successful. According to a few surveys I took, I was ranked
highly in the social category and was recommended careers in the human services, health
science, and finance fields. Other results that I got also pointed towards careers that involved
education, science and communication. With all of these survey results it is clear that I would be
able to choose from one of these careers and have a successful outcome regardless my choice.
Every door is open to you when you reach the end of your thirteen years. Some take more
work than others and some take little effort. It is all up to you which one you will choose, but
even with thirteen years under your belt, there isnt any promise you wont walk through a few
different doors until you find the right one.

Work Cited
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 11 Feb.
2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm>.

"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 11 Feb.
2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/kindergarten-andelementary-school-teachers.htm>.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 16 Feb.
2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm>.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 16 Feb.
2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-andtranslators.htm#tab-1>.