Reflect Why is it important to assess values, lifestyle goals, interests, and aptitudes when choosing a career?

Identify six areas to explore when conducting a self-assessment.

List five resources for researching careers.

Contrast What are values, lifestyle goals, interests, and aptitudes?

List three considerations that will help you formulate your planning goals.

Directions Read the following questions. On a separate piece of paper, write the best possible answer for each one.

Self-employed persons that operate their own small businesses must pay higher Social Security and Medicare taxes than employees of a company.

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Identify and rank the ten major areas that you should consider when investigating careers. (Rank $1$ as your highest priority and $10$ your lowest priority.)

Distinguishing Wages If the average national wage for an employee with a bachelor's degree is $\$ 52,000$, while the average wage for an employee with a master's degree is $\$ 67,000$, how much more does the person with the master's degree earn? (Provide your answer in dollars and in percentage.)

Determining Differences Determining the difference between two numbers is a matter of subtracting the smaller amount from the larger amount.

Develop a Plan of Action Follow the suggestions discussed in this chapter as you write a personal Plan of Action that will help you achieve your planning goals in the next several years. Remember to be as specific as possible.

Personal Career Profile Research a career of your choice using the Internet. Then prepare a Personal Career Profile that compares all of the qualities you included in your self-assessment with the career you researched. (See Figure $\bf{3 7 . 1}$ for an example.)

Defining e-Marketing Skills Use the Internet to locate blogs, Web sites, and articles that discuss e-marketing skills. Then write a half-page report in which you discuss the most important e-marketing skills and how you may go about developing. these skills.

Real World or Not? Are you interested in a career in television-with real people? Although reality shows have been around for decades in various forms, they usually refer to a particular type of program produced since $2000$ . Programming usually involves a competition between "real" people that awards career opportunities, a monetary payoff, or both to the winners. Reality shows have become a mainstay in American culture, as this headline notes, "History Channel stays the reality course." The channel's scheduled programs include a number of educational reality shows. Critics say reality TV brings out the worst in its participants. Create an idea or theme for a reality show that you think would bring out the best.

Calculating Payroll Taxes You are an assistant marketing manager for Big $12$ Sporting Goods. Your gross monthly income is $\$ 4,900$. Use the Internet to locate $(1$) the IRS monthly payroll tax table, $(2)$ the payroll tax for your state, $(3)$ the Social Security tax rate, and $(4)$ the Medicare tax rate. What will be the amount of the payroll check you will receive each month? If you owned your own business and paid yourself a salary, how much more would be deducted from a $\$ 4,900$ gross salary? $4,900$. Use the Internet to locate $(1)$ the IRS monthly payroll tax table, $(2)$ the payroll tax for your state, $(3)$ the Social Security tax rate, and $(4)$ the Medicare tax rate. What will be the amount of the payroll check you will receive each month? If you owned your own business and paid yourself a salary, how much more would be deducted from a $\$ 4,900$ gross salary?

Name three benefits of a career in marketing.