Running head: CAREER PLANNING

Career Planning
Taika Davis
Wilmington University

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Human Service Career

There are many experiences that I have had in my life that helped me pursue a career in
human services. My desire to help others did not just start in my adulthood. As a little girl, I
found myself always wanting to be there for my friends. My family would always tell me I was
young, but had a lot of wisdom. Friends would lean on me to help them with their problems.
Even adults would ask me for advice. As you can see human services come natural for me, it is
part of my make-up. I thank God for having a serving spirit.
However, as an adult not only do I enjoy helping others, but I absolutely love helping
people of all ages with disabilities. I have a nephew with Down syndrome and he is my heart.
His name is Daniel and I love spending time with him. He brings me so much joy whenever he
is in my presence. People with disabilities are special to me. They are not judgmental
individuals; they appreciate everything you do for them and you are almost always guaranteed a
smile. Working with that population is so rewarding and heart-filling.
My place of employment is another place that had a great impact on me going the human
services route. I am the Senior Administrative Assistant for the Principal at Mount Pleasant High
School where I am also known as a second mom to many of the students. I have built many
relationships with students as well as the staff. Many come to me when they are having a tough
day and they just need someone to talk to. They love the fact that I am a great listener and I am
never judgmental of their situation and they find I am easy to talk to. I even have relationships
with the students in our special needs classes. The teachers always bring them by my office,
which brightens up my day. It could be to show me a dance they have learned; sing me song or
they stop by to deliver my mail. Teachers know it is my passion to work with that population.

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They also invite me to their parties and when they are working on a special project they invite
me down to share in their accomplishments.
With all this being said, I chose to go back to school and get my undergrad in Behavioral
Science. I want to learn more about the human person and their relationships. This also opened
the door for me to put emphasis on specific groups such as, people with disabilities, elderly,
cultures and to help people cope with grieving. I did not want to stop their I decided to continue
my education and get my Masters in Administration in Human Services. So one day I can open
my own help center for young adults with disabilities to help them enhance their life skills to
help better their quality of life.
The human services field is one of the best careers anyone could ask to work in. I
strongly believe it is my calling to help others. I have a lot of love in my heart and I am so ready
to share pieces of it. I am human and God put me on this earth to serve.

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Strength Finder

The strength finder was an amazing tool; I found it to be very accurate. After taking the
assessment, the strength finder provided results of my five themes, which are positivity, relator,
harmony, includer and consistency. The results of my personalized strengths, which basically
gives me insight on what makes me stand when compared to the millions of people in the study
(Rath 2007).
The results of the Rath (2007) assessment basically said, by nature I open myself to a
wide range of people and I welcome them into my circle. Whether its friend, classmates,
coworkers, family members or teammates, I am devoted to the people in my life. I value their
unique talents and I always try to find the good in everyone. I can truly attest to that, I always
give people the benefit of the doubt no matter how bad the situation may seem. People feel like I
get them, they have a sense that I really understand what they are feeling. Which is true, because
I always try to put myself in someone elses shoes so I can have a better understanding of what
they might be going through. This helps me to be a better support person and help them to stay
encouraged.
Rath (2007) also mentioned that I demonstrate a natural fondness for human beings.
People usually appreciate my willingness to not discount or belittle their emotions, ideas, or
reaction to events. I inspire people by accepting each one for who he or she is. This assessment
continued to blow my mind, because I do accept everyone for who they are. We are all uniquely
and wonderfully made in the eyes of God. He accepts us with all of our flaws, why do we feel
we are to good to accept people with theirs. I am a strong believer in treating people the way I
want to be treated and I know karma is real. The strength finder said, I thrive when individuals
reciprocate that is, return my feelings of warmth and affection, and I do. It would be nice to

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reap the same treatment I give out, but it does not work that way (Rath 2007). Therefore, I just
continue to love on the ones I can love and help the ones I can help. I thank God I do for others
fro the bottom of my heart. I will continue to love on the ones I can love and help the ones I can
help.

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MAPP Assessment

The MAPP assessment was good. This assessment focused on the type of career that
would better suit me. The results are broken down in nine categories which include interest in
job content, temperament for the job, aptitude for the job, people, things, data, reasoning,
mathematical capacity and language capacity. This assessment was different from the strength
finder, because it focused on my strength pertaining to my career path. Where the strength finder
focused more on the strength of my characteristics.
When I began to read the results I was not surprised. MAPP mentioned some great points
in all nine areas. In job content it said that I am more attached to the familiar and I prefer
organized routine, which is considered the homestead trait. Such routine activities can be
mental, administrative, machine-paced, sensory/physical, etc. I prefer to perform task under the
management or supervision of others who are competent and knowledgeable in their area of
expertise. However, I was shocked hat it mentioned that would prefer to avoid work of an
independent nature. Especially since I want to open up my own non-profit organization one day.
Aptitudes for the job section was right on target. Numbers naturally do make sense to
me. I prefer to lean heavily toward the conceptual, theoretical, analytical, and computational in
the awareness, use and application of math as MAPP stated. When it comes to relating to people
the results were similar to the strength finder. According to MAPP I am further motivated to
learn and understand the other person(s) needs wishes and listening preferences. Selfsatisfaction for me comes almost exclusively from the personal realization that the information,
voluntarily given, has been helpful to other people.
MAPP confirmed that I relate to things in a positive and observational way. I am
equipped for operational/clerical activities. It states that I am an observer and I will do whatever

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it takes to perform the task at hand. Taking the proper actions to keep things in order such as,
taking notes or getting the proper training. When it comes to the way I relate to data, I have high
motivational levels in copy trait. MAPP listed this five skills I have: 1) awareness of spatial
measure and layout: size, shape, dimension, perspective; 2) artistic ability for factual image
reproduction; 3) attention to detail; 4) awareness of machine function and use; and 5) tolerance
of or preference for routine. High motivational levels represent an asset for database
management, administrative work, warehouse processing, or library activities as well.
MAPP said I prefer routine task that are explained, demonstrated and supervised. This is
so true, because I am a hands-on learner and I am so anal, I want everything to be right. I am a
dependable, steady work record and clean performance and trustworthy to other peoples
properties. When it comes to math I clearly prefer detail related to data and numbers, which
relies on conscious and particularly subconscious talents. Wow they way I relate to language
capacity is true. I always carefully, thoroughly read simple explanatory instructional statements.
Unless the subject attracts my attention I will scan material and maybe even overlook, ignore or
bypass important information.
As stated before the MAPP assessment had a lot of good points and at least I know I am
currently in a good place career wise. I must say I enjoy my job, but I know there is so much
more out there for me and I plan to take heed to the results of this assessment for future
reference.

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Rehabilitation Counselor

The human services career I chose to talk about is a Rehabilitation Counselor. This type
of counselor is a great fit for me. It is everything I want to do in the human services field.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic (2015), Rehabilitation Counselors help people with
physical, mental developmental, and emotional disabilities live independently. They work with
clients to overcome or manage the personal, social, or psychological effects of disabilities on
employment or independent living. There is no limit to the help you can give in this line of
work. You have the ability to work with all ages. Working with different ages and disabilities
can bring on many challenges due to each of the stages the client is faced with, but it is all
rewarding to me. Just knowing I can be there for them and help them to accomplish their goals.
As we look at the overview of upholding a position such as a Rehabilitation Counselor
the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) projects they will grow 9% from 2014-2024, faster than the
average for all occupations. They are saying this is due to the elderly population, because older
adults are more likely than other age groups to become disabled. In addition they will continue
to be needed to work with other groups, such as people who have learning disabilities, autism
spectrum disorders, or substance abuse problems.
I am confident in knowing the quality leadership skills I could produce in a position such
as a Rehabilitation Counselor. Exemplifying exceptional leadership, there are skills one must
require. Communication is important; you must know how to communicate effectively in a way
for clients to be able to understand. You want them to have a clear understanding of what is
being asked of them. Having compassion and empathy for your clients is a must. They have to
know they can trust you and they also have to know that you have their best interest at heart. All
they desire is to be cared for and have people help them get through their difficult moments.
Critical-thinking skills is imperative. Counselors must have treatment plans for their clients in

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order for them to be successful in reaching their goals. Counselors must remember that each
case is treated individually, there is no client the same; you must find what works best for each
one. Developing great interpersonal skills is one of the most important skills to have in
leadership. Building relationships is a must. Whether it is with a client, families, employers, or
professionals that is a skill that is a must have, because you spend most of your time with this
group of people mentioned. Good listening skills work side by side with the interpersonal skills.
They are essential for rehabilitation counselors because the client must know they have your
undivided attention. This helps the counselor understand the clients problems, concerns, and
values. Patience is a virtue; challenges may come, due to the different learning disabilities each
client has. Counselors must have patience while the client struggles to learn new skills and
strategies. This will help the counselor to better address the clients disabilities (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 2015).
There are personal and individual strengths I know I could contribute to a position such
as this. It would be beneficial to clients who would be treated by me to know I am a
compassionate person I have a nurturing spirit and a team player. I have no problem jumping in
and helping where there is a need. I do not mind being an advocate for someone that cannot
advocate for themselves. A persons wellbeing is very important to me and making sure they are
safe and have their needs met is a priority to me. I am not a judgmental person; I do not look at
the color of someone skin, gender or his or her IQ. We are all part of Gods creation and we all
have flaws to deal with. It is important to lead by example, let your light speak for you. People
should see the good in you before you can say a word. I accept people for who they are, I thank
God I was never impressed with a persons status or credentials. That is why I have such a
passion to work with people with intellectual disabilities, there is a type of innocence about them

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and they are genuine individuals.

At the end of the day I am a human being first and that means I am not perfect. I know
there are going to be days where I will be put to the test. One of my weaknesses is that I can be
very passive and I have a soft spot in my heart for people with disabilities. Even though I know
they know right from wrong and are teachable. In this field you have to have tough skin and
stand firm on your word. Another challenge that I have to address in order to be successful is my
shyness. I have to overcome it, because I might be put in situations where I am going to have to
be frontline and centered. Especially being an advocate for the disabled. I have to make sure my
voice is heard, my clients are depending on me and I cannot let them down.

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Reference

Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015). Community and Social Services: Rehabilitation Counselor.
Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/rehabilitationcounselors.htm#tab-1
MAPP Assessment.com. MAPP Your True Calling: Career assessment that will change your
life. Retrieved from: http://www.assessment.com
Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0. New York, NY: Gallup Press