Career Wonders 2011, SD Dept.

of Labor and Regulation

w hen I grow up ...

Even if you haven't given too much thought to careers, you've probably been asked what you
want to be when you grow up. You might have even been asked this question many times. Your
answer might have been the same or changed each time you were asked! For this activity, use
the space below to either draw or write the first thing you remember wanting to be. Have you
changed your mind or added other job ideas since then, or do you still want to be the same
thing?

needdirec
tions? Now that you've started thinking about careers, what
do you do next?

Take the career interest survey on pages 11 to 15 to kick start

your thoughts about what direction you would like to head with
future career plans. Completing the following steps will point you to
some general work areas where you can explore career possibilities.

10
 Career Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of Labor and Regulation

interestsurvey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

1 2
Taking care of pets in your Repairing small appliances
neighborhood
Painting houses or buildings
Transplanting small trees
Using tools to make household
Planting and taking care of flowers repairs
& plants
Cutting and shaping wood to build
Working in a garden & creating structures
landscapes
Volunteering for Habitat for
Nursing sick animals back to health Humanity

Brushing or grooming dogs, cats, Drawing floor plans

and/or horses
Building simple circuit boards
Hiking & watching wildlife
Laying brick or cinder block
Chopping wood & replanting trees
Landscaping and planting flower
Identifying environmental hazards gardens
& sick/dying plants

4
Performing (music, drama, Using a cash register
dance) for an audience
Typing minutes of a school
Creating graphic designs on a club meeting
computer
Filing or sorting mail or other
Creating an original video or film papers

Sketching or painting pictures Running your own business

Taking photographs Developing Web pages and creating

print layouts using desktop
Writing poems, stories or plays publishing
Making jewelry, sculpture, ceramics Managing tasks for a group
or stained glass
Preparing reports and analyzing
Designing a newspaper layout data
(artwork)
Typing documents for other people
Being an announcer for an amateur
radio station Volunteering to answer phones

11
Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
Career Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of Labor and Regulation

interestsurvey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

5 6
Working as a kids camp Planning a mock stock
counselor or volunteer market game

Tutoring young children Investing money and studying

investments
Reading to elementary school
students Balancing a checkbook

Giving instructions for/or directing Opening a savings/checking account

a play
Being a treasurer for a school club
Baby-sitting young children
Organizing a fund-raiser
Organizing and shelving library
books Collecting money for a school or
community event
Peer counseling or mediation
Developing a budget
Helping at Special Olympics events
Using spreadsheets and financial
Teaching young children in an computer programs
after-school program

7 8
Campaigning for a political Taking care of a sick relative
candidate
Watching doctor/hospital
Making political speeches shows on TV

Volunteering as an urban planning Learning first aid and CPR

committee member
Volunteering at a retirement home
Running for class office
Volunteering as a hospital aide
Planning and preparing budgets
Using a stethoscope to listen to
Participating in a debate someone's heart

Volunteering as a legislative aide Identifying human body parts from

a diagram
Learning and speaking a foreign
language Bandaging sports injuries with a
trainer's help
Researching and writing grants
Assisting persons in wheelchairs
with daily tasks

12 Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
 Career Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of Labor and Regulation

interestsurvey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

9 10
Working in a restaurant Making a family menu

Planning vacations and other Working with the elderly

events
Working at a shelter
Cooking, baking and serving meals
Shopping, comparing prices &
Participating in sports or consumer goods
recreational activities
Listening & helping friends with
Being a lifeguard problems

Catering an event Participating in youth groups or

community groups
Working at a concession stand
Working as a dietetic aid
Exercising and working out
Volunteering at a retirement home
Officiating a sporting event
Volunteering to be a Big Brother/
Big Sister

11 12
Developing software Reading mystery novels
programs
Listening to a police
Building computers scanner

Playing video games Watching mystery movies or

courtroom dramas
Surfing the Internet
Playing "Clue" or other mystery
Learning how to configure operating board games
systems
Volunteering in a lawyer's office
Installing software
Following court cases in the news
Learning how to assemble computer
hardware Participating in EMT training

Playing with electronic gadgets Volunteering to search for missing

pets or persons
Designing video games
Participating in search and/or
rescue training

13
Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
Career Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of Labor and Regulation

interestsurvey Check off the activities that interest you in each of the
boxes. Add each column. Total your answers to discover
which career clusters you may want to explore.

13 14
Welding or working with Cutting & styling hair
metals
Selling products for a
Repairing and school fund-raiser
upholstering furniture
Taking tours of new houses for sale
Creating wood carvings
Designing or modeling clothes
Taking machine shop classes
Giving people advice on products
Making belts or other leather goods they should buy

Operating a printing press Decorating your house and

rearranging your furniture
Installing and repairing home
electronics Planning and having a yard sale

Sewing, weaving, knitting or other Arranging and selling flowers

needlework
Fixing watches and clocks
Building cabinets, shelves and other
simple woodworking

15 16
Visiting science museums Flying airplanes

Designing experiments Repairing vehicles, bikes

and engines
Exploring caves and
collecting rocks Working in a warehouse or taking
inventory
Watching the weather and tracking
storms Operating motorized machines or
equipment
Using a computer to solve math
problems and equations Visiting space camps

Identifying plants, animals and/or Building and repairing boats

marine life
Operating a CB or ham radio
Developing solutions to
environmental problems Reading mechanical and automotive
magazines/blogs
Building model aircraft/boats/trains
Having a paper route
Learning about different cultures

14 Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.
 Career Wonders 2011, SD Dept. of Labor and Regulation

interestsurvey
Count the check marks in each section on pages 11-14 and place the total in the corresponding box below.
1. 2. 3. 4.
Agriculture, Food & Architecture & Arts, Audio/Visual Business
Natural Resources Construction Technology & Management &
Communications Administration

_____ _____ _____ _____

5. 6. 7. 8.
Education & Finance Government Health Science
Training & Public
Administration

_____ _____ _____ _____

9. 10. 11. 12.
Hospitality & Human Services Information Law, Public Safety,
Tourism Technology Corrections &
Security

_____ _____ _____ _____

13. 14. 15. 16.
Manufacturing Marketing Science, Technology, Transportation,
Engineering & Math Distribution &
Logistics

_____ _____ _____ _____

2 3
Source: Adapted from "Who R U" interest survey with permission from Virginia Career View.

topthree
My

1 Interest Areas:
1. ___________________ 2. ___________________ 3. ___________________
As you can see, the interest survey is divided into 16 groups. Each group is a career cluster.
Career clusters place similar occupations in groups. These clusters help you narrow the
thousands of career options in the world to a general area of interest. The clusters connect what
you learn in school to the skills and knowledge you need beyond high school. Some careers are
placed in more than one cluster.

15