DuBois Area High School 

Career Exploration Project 

Student Information:
Name: Kelli Hoffer Grade: 11
Teacher: Mr. Pasternak Course: AP US History

Career Events and Journal Entry Requirements:

Complete 1 Job Shadow and Reflection 25 Points
Attend 2 Post-Secondary Planning Events and Reflections 30 Points (15 Points for each event)
Complete 3 Career Cruising Activities and Reflections 15 Points (5 Points for each activity)
Total Points 70 Points

Career Events and Journal Entry Overviews:

Job Shadow and Reflection Overview:
This year you must participate in one job shadow AND complete one job shadow reflection. You may choose to do an on-site
job shadow or a virtual Job Shadow on Career Cruising. However, you are required to complete ​2​ on-site job shadows by the
end of your senior year.
To participate in an on-site job shadow you must complete a ​DAHS Job Shadowing Form​. This form will walk you through the
steps that you must complete before, during, and after your job shadow. To participate in a virtual job shadow on Career
Cruising, you will need to login to your Career Cruising account. Career Cruising has over 1000 professionally produced job
shadowing and videos that deliver interactive and engaging career exploration experiences.
Once you complete your job shadow, you will need to complete a job shadow reflection.
Post-Secondary Planning Events and Reflections:
This year you must participate in two post-secondary planning events and complete one reflection for each event. You may
participate in DAHS post-secondary events or you may decide to attend post-secondary events at other campuses or
locations. Examples of post-secondary events include:
DAHS Post-Secondary Events Post-Secondary Events at other Campuses
● Career Presentations during Tutoring Period ● Group College Visitation Days
● Post-Secondary Visitations (Military, College, etc. ● Individual College Visitation Days
● DAHS Financial Aid Night ● Technical School Visitation Days
● DAHS Post-Secondary Options Fair ● College or Trade Fair

Once you complete each post-secondary planning event, you will need to complete a reflection.
Career Cruising Events and Reflections:
This year you will need to complete 3 Career Cruising activities and complete one reflection for each activity. You will learn
more about Career Cruising in Social Studies.
Job Shadow Reflection
Type of Job Shadow You Completed:​ ​Check One
x On-Site Virtual
Reflection Format:
Directions: ​After completing your job shadow (on-site or virtual), reflect upon the experience using the Job Shadow essay
format.
Job Shadow Essay Format (20 points)
1. (2pts) Paragraph 1: Introduction (2 pts)
a. Why did you choose this job shadow experience?
b. What type of job shadow did you complete? On-site or Virtual?
c. Where did the job shadow take place?
d. Who was the job shadow with?
2. (4 pts) Paragraph 2: Explanation of experiences
a. (​On-Site​) What did you do during your on-site job shadow?
b. (​Virtual​) What did they do during the virtual job shadow?
3. (5 pts) Paragraph 3 for ​On-Site​: Supervisor Interview
a. Using your responses from your Supervisor Interview found on the job shadow form, provide a summary of
what you learned
4. (5 pts) Paragraph 3 for ​Virtual​: Explanation of what you learned
a. Provide a summary of what you learned watching the virtual job shadow
5. (4pts) Paragraph 4: Conclusion
a. How did this job shadow impact your career goals? Do you want to continue to pursue this career or do you
want to pursue a different career? Why? What are your next steps?
Job Shadow Artifact (5 Points)
1. On-Site – If you completed an On-Site Job Shadow, you must scan/photograph and upload your Job Shadow Form
2. Virtual – If you completed a virtual Job Shadow, you must include a screenshot of your online Job Shadow Experience.
​Job Shadow Reflection Entry:
I chose this job shadow experience because I wanted to understand what it would be like
working as an engineer and to ask them questions in person. I completed this job shadow on-site at
Stahl Sheaffer Engineering. I completed the job shadow with various types of engineers at Stahl
Sheaffer, one of them being Paul McClelan.
During my on-site job shadow, I began by meeting with all of the engineers to discuss their
company as a whole and the projects they are involved with. At this time I was able to ask them
questions specifically about working as an engineer. After this, I went to each engineer’s offices to
see their work area and learned about what each of them did in a typical day. After this, I was able
to talk with all of the engineers about college options.
From what I learned with talking to the supervisor I learned that one of the most rewarding
parts of their job is seeing the final product of what they did. With all the work they do typing
reports, using many different programs, and meeting and communicating with many people it is
exciting to see how your product changes over time and the end result.
Overall, this job shadow impacted my career choice because it gave me more information on
the career I had been considering. I do believe that I would like to pursue this career because it
sounded very interesting when talking to them and based on the attributes essential for the job I
feel that I could perform the job well. The next steps for me are to continue looking into different
types of engineering and looking at colleges offering the program I am interested in.
Job Shadow Artifact:
Post-Secondary Planning Event Reflection
Q: What Post-Secondary Planning event did you attend?
A: Architecture and Construction
Reflection Format:
Content (10 points)
1. (2pts) Paragraph 1: Introduction (2 pts)
a. What post-secondary planning event did you attend?
b. Why did you choose this event?
c. Who did you meet with during this event?
2. (4 pts) Paragraph 2: Explanation of what you learned
a. What did you learn during the post-secondary planning event?
3. (4pts) Paragraph 3: Conclusion
a. How did this experience impact your post-secondary goals? Why? What are your next steps?
Post-Secondary Artifact (5 Points)
1. If you attended a DAHS Event, you must scan/photograph and upload DAHS Event Certificate
2. If you did an on-site visitation, must scan/photograph and upload a visitation artifact
​Post-Secondary Planning Event​ ​Reflection Entry:
I chose the architecture and construction career presentation. I chose this event because one of
the career options I am interested in is architecture. During this event I met with a photographer
and a news anchor.
During this event I learned about photography and what it takes to do these types of jobs. It
takes a person that is very good at working with people and is able to see the beauty in everyone. I
also learned that you have to have empathy to tell the story of people on the news.
In conclusion, this did not help me decide my career. I wanted to meet with an architect but
instead learned about photography and news reporting. I am not interested in this career,
however, it gave me an understanding of different options. My next steps are to research more
about engineering.

Post-Secondary Planning Event Artifact:

Post-Secondary Planning Event Reflection
Q: What Post-Secondary Planning event did you attend?
A: Pittsburgh National College Fair
Reflection Format:
1. Content (10 points)
2. (2pts) Paragraph 1: Introduction (2 pts)
a. What post-secondary planning event did you attend?
b. Why did you choose this event?
c. Who did you meet with during this event?
3. (4 pts) Paragraph 2: Explanation of what you learned
a. What did you learn during the post-secondary planning event?
4. (4pts) Paragraph 3: Conclusion
a. How did this experience impact your post-secondary goals? Why? What are your next steps?
Post-Secondary Artifact (5 Points)
1. If you attended a DAHS Event, you must scan/photograph and upload DAHS Event Certificate
2. If you did an on-site visitation, must scan/photograph and upload a visitation artifact

​Post-Secondary Planning Event​ ​Reflection Entry:

I attended the Pittsburgh National College Fair. I chose this event because I wanted the
opportunity to talk to different colleges and this one in Pittsburgh offered many different colleges
from around the country. During this event I got to get the chance to talk to colleges from all over
the country, one including the University of Mount Union.
During this, I learned about some colleges I had never heard of. I also became very interested in
the University of Mount Union. I was able to speak with the representative for their school and
learn many interesting things about them. I also found many schools that have programs that I am
interested in.
This experience impacted my goals by giving me more information about choosing the college
that is right for me. Because of how many colleges were there and being able to speak with people
from there, I was able to narrow down some of my choices and find ones that were fitting for me.
My next steps are to continue to process the information I received and make a decision on which
college I will attend.
Post-Secondary Planning Event Artifact:
Career Cruising Activities Reflections
Career Cruising Online Assignments
Reflection Points:
1. (5pts) Library Session 1: Reflection 1: Learning Styles Activity Summary
2. (5 pts) Library Session 2: Reflection 2: Career Selector Exploration Activity Summary
3. (5pts) Library Session 3: Reflection 3: Education/School Selector Activity Summary
​REFLECTION 1: Learning Styles Activity Summary
I am a tactile learner. The study tips that I can apply are rewriting notes that I take in class.
Another tip I can use is by taking short breaks while studying to do physical activity. The last tip I
can use is to work the information by making models or demonstrations of the material to get a
hands on feel of what I am learning.

REFLECTION 2: Career Selector Exploration Activity Summary

One career result I received was architecture. The pro to this was that they work by designing
things and planning things. The con to this job would be the stress of getting projects done on
time. The other career result was civil engineering. The pro to this job would be getting to design
buildings and other interesting structures. The cons to this job would be being inside a lot of the
time.

REFLECTION 3: Education/School Selector Activity Summary

One major I selected was architectural engineering. I chose this program at Penn State Erie, the
Behrend College. I chose this because this college not only offers the major I am interested in, but
offers many other positive factors such as a volleyball team, and a good acceptance rate. Another
major I selected was civil engineering. I chose this at the University of Mount Union. I like this
college because they have civil engineering which is very interesting and they also have a
volleyball program.