Select one of the following agencies to research: Federal Communications Commission, Federal Reserve board, Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, or Internal Revenue Service. Write a one-page report on the agency and what it does. Explain how the agency impacts economic, market, and employment trends.

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

List five resources for researching careers.

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.)

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

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

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.

T

F

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 the first two steps in choosing a career.