Learn—Maximum Time: 45 Minutes

Read:In the past week, you began to explore possible job options. Today you will look more deeply into those job possibilities and move toward making a decision about what job you want. To help you with this process, you will learn about the following:

1. Know how much income you need to become self-reliant.

2. Understand your job realities.

3. Know who to talk to.

4. Update your self-reliance plan.

1. Know How Much Income You Need to Become Self-Reliant

Read:“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28).

To become self-reliant, you need a job that pays well enough to provide for your needs and your family’s needs. You have been tracking your expenses for a couple of weeks to give you an idea of your current expenses. Your next step is to estimate how much more income you need to be self-reliant. The job you select should provide that amount of income.

Activity (5 minutes)

Step 1: Fill in this table with your estimate of how much you spend. You can choose weekly, monthly, or yearly. If you are uncertain, make your best estimate.

How much I currently spend

Step 2: Estimate how much money you would need to earn to be self-reliant. It should be enough to provide for your needs and your family’s needs now and in the future. Write that amount in the table below.

How much I need to be self-reliant

2. Understand Your Job Realities

Read:Last week you selected three types of jobs you are interested in, and you committed to learn more about them during the week. We will now look more closely at some important realities regarding jobs to help you narrow your choice and then choose a training path.

Reality 1: Employers pay well for some jobs and very little for others.

Read:Understand what employers value. Many people have the ability to work at a fast-food restaurant, so pay is low. Very few people have the ability to perform heart surgery, so pay is high.

Meet Arlene, age 44. Arlene was working part-time as a nurse when she seriously injured her back while moving a patient. With a son on a mission and two other children at home, she and her husband worry about having enough money. Arlene wants to return to work in the field of health care but needs to do so in a less physically demanding way. She is interested in doing medical coding, being a medical office assistant, or doing other medical administration jobs. Now she needs to see how much those jobs pay and what it would take to move into that type of profession.

As Arlene considers what job to pursue, she finds that to earn at least as much as she made as a nurse, she should choose medical administration, since the other two choices don’t pay as much.

Activity (5 minutes)

Step 1: On your own or with your group, estimate the amount of money you would earn in each of the three positions you are interested in and see if it is enough to be self-reliant.

Step 2: Verify the income amounts during the week by talking with people who work in that field or by doing other research.

Reality 2: Some jobs aren’t in demand in your area.

Read:Some jobs are disappearing and may not have a future in your area. Technology replaces some jobs, and some jobs are now primarily done in other countries.

Meet Rachel, age 48. Rachel is divorced and has one married daughter and two teenage sons still at home. She completed two semesters of college many years ago but never finished college. She has worked at various jobs and currently works in a grocery store. She is somewhat active in the Church but often has to work on Sundays. Rachel has always struggled to make ends meet, but she’s a hard worker. Rachel wants to get a degree so she can get a better job to provide for her family and be more active in the Church.

One of the jobs Rachel was interested in was small electronic repair. However, as she looked into it, she couldn’t find anyone working in that field because there is hardly any need for that work in her area. She removed this job from her list of options and focused on other jobs and training.

Meet Juan, age 33. Juan is married and has three young children. He works construction during the day and as a cook in the evenings. He wants a better job to replace the two he has, and he wants to be a better provider. He lives near a large industrial seaport. Juan is wondering about welding. After some research, he finds there are many jobs for welders and it could be a good option for him. He will start looking into training options, knowing they could lead to a good welding job.

Activity (5 minutes)

Step 1: In groups of three or four people, share the jobs you are interested in and ask the group, “Do you think there is demand in our area for these jobs?”

Step 2: This week, verify the demand for the jobs you are interested in by talking with people or doing research. Eliminate those jobs that aren’t in demand.

Reality 3: It may take multiple steps to get to the job you want.

Read:Some jobs take a lot of training and time to qualify for. Some training is expensive and may not be available in your area. Many jobs also require experience in addition to the training. You will want to know what steps may be needed to obtain the jobs that interest you.

Meet Yuko, age 36. Yuko worked in housekeeping at a hotel for several years. She wasn’t making much money. She thought she would like to work as the hotel general manager, but it seemed impossible. She decided to move forward, knowing it wouldn’t happen all at once. She took these steps over a 10-year period:

• She worked hard in her housekeeping job and proactively solved problems.

• When a shift supervisor position opened, she got the position.

• She went to school and got a degree in hotel management while still working as a shift supervisor.

• She got a job as a front office manager.

• After three years of doing great work as a front office manager, she reached her goal of becoming a general manager of a hotel.

Activity (3 minutes)

List the steps you might need to take to get where you want to go. Include the training and experience you would need.

Reality 4: Work is work. You won’t enjoy everything about your job.

Read:Understand the nature of work. Some people wait for the perfect job to come along—a job they think they won’t have any difficulties doing. For example, Stefano turned down several job opportunities because they were “beneath him” when he should have taken them.

Successful people move forward and take jobs, knowing they will like some things and dislike other things about their jobs.

As you talk with people this week about your possible jobs, be sure to ask what the people like and do not like about their jobs.

3. Know Who to Talk To

Read:This week, narrow down your list of three jobs to one. Then explore the training and education options to help you qualify for that job. The best way to learn more about these jobs and narrow them down is to talk with people who work in these types of positions and ask them any questions you might have.

Activity (10 minutes)

Step 1: Write down the names of three people you could talk with this week to learn more about the jobs you are interested in. These can include people your group suggested last week, people you have met with previously, and new people.

Step 2: Pair up with your action partner and imagine that you are meeting with someone on your list. Take turns asking each other two of the following questions:

• What do you like about your job?

• What type of training or education is needed to do what you do?

• What kind of experience would be helpful for someone interested in this job?

• What income is typical for this field?

  • What kinds of things do you not like about your job?

• How much demand is there for jobs in this field?

• Who else would you recommend I talk with?

• What advice would you have for someone like me?

Discuss:How will talking with people help you narrow your choice of jobs?

4. Update Your Self-Reliance Plan

Activity (5 minutes)

Update your self-reliance plan below. This week, work to complete the newest part of selecting what job you want and why.

My Self-Reliance Goal (chapter 1)

I will

so that I can .

My Job Plan (chapters 2 and 3)

I compared these three jobs:

The job I chose for me is because of the following things I learned from employers and others about the job realities in my area:

.

Discuss:What are the most important things you learned in today’s group meeting?