Week 1: Introduction, Discussion and Outlook

Week 1 - Career Outlook

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Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Discover Careers in Media

	There are many possibilities for what you can do with your Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Even though you are early in your studies in the program, exploring career options is an important first step to tackling your job search. To explore your options, there are recommended action steps for you to take to consider your goals.
	Prepare: For this week’s post you will explore the requirements for at least three potential career paths you would like to pursue with your Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, assess your current skill set, and identify what action steps you can take to make your career goals more attainable. Take these steps to prepare your post post. Read the Career Planning Step-by-Step (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. article to better understand the importance of developing a clear career plan. Watch the Resources for Developing an Effective Career Plan pre-recorded webinar (54 minutes) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Review the Roadmap to Success: (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. an interactive tool to help you gather information which you may wish to include in your career plan.
	Reflect: Once you have completed the assessments, consider these questions: What is the industry and role you would like to pursue for your career? Explore the skills and qualifications related to the roles you are considering. What qualifications do you already possess? What new skills, knowledge, certifications, or trainings might you need to be successful in these areas? What additional action steps will you need to take to be even more qualified for the position you would like to pursue? Be sure to set reasonable deadlines for these action steps.
	Write: Now that you have considered potential career paths, write a 250-300-word post that addresses the questions you reflected on about each of them. In your post, you should include at least one source of information to illustrate your goals such as a fact or piece of information about your career choices. Include a byline at the beginning of your post. At the end of your post, include a full reference for all sources cited in the body of your post. All citations and references must adhere to APA style guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
	Respond to Peers: After you have written your post, read the posts of your peers and post a comment to at least two other peers about their potential careers. Your comments should address them by name, be between 50 and 75 words in length, and must include your name at the end of each response.