7 Summary

By now, you should be feeling some confidence in the journey on which you have set out. You have explored what is meant by the terms job, profession, industry/business and sector, the differences between them and what they might mean to you. You have also thought about how knowing about this ‘bigger picture’ can help you to think creatively about your future and the options that might be open to you. Starting from your current situation, you have also made some early plans about which sectors you want to explore and how you will set time aside to ensure you do this. Next week’s learning will introduce you to the external factors affecting you and your sector.

You should now feel that you can:

• describe the differences between a job, a profession, an industry/business and a sector
• outline how these overlap and provide a different perspective on your own situation
• describe how understanding this ‘bigger picture’ can help with generating career options
• identify areas of interest based on your current situation and your knowledge of the bigger picture
• schedule time in your diary for these activities and use this time effectively.

Next week you will look more closely at the even bigger picture – the external factors that affect all economies and, in turn, the sectors, businesses and jobs within them.

You can now go to Week 2.