Focusing on your direction in life comes easy to some people and they know exactly what they want to do for a job, but for others, deciding on a career path can be one of the most daunting experiences of their lives. This interactive book provides readers with an array of tools and ideas to help them prepare for and find interesting, stimulating employment (or self-employment). Both key skills (CV writing, job searching etc.) and behavioural aspects (how to build rapport, how to conduct yourself in an interview etc.) are covered and blended together in a logical pathway to success. Also included in this book is a list of useful references and links to websites established to support you with your career choices. The contents and exercises in the book are cross-referenced to the Gatsby Benchmarks so that teachers and careers specialists can use the stand-alone exercises in class and refer to the Gatsby code. As you progress through the book, please feel free to complete the many helpful exercises. However, if you do not wish to write in your book, then all of the exercises and blank tables are provided free as a resource pack. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle." Christian D. Larson

All educators in teacher education want to know what factors contribute to the academic success of undergraduate education majors or pre-service teachers. Teacher educators of eight universities across the state of South Carolina were determined to find out. This compilation is a result of their inquiry. The conclusions of this book are drawn from the contributors and each chapter helps expand teacher educator readers' understanding and informs their practice as they work with initial certification students in educator preparation. A Research Perspective promotes the academic success of pre-service teachers by exploring common research questions posed to education majors of the eight universities in South Carolina. Ranging from historically Black to predominately White, from private to public universities across the state, these institutions serve a diverse body of students who described some insightful contributing factors and challenges to their success. The case scenario begins each chapter that provides contextual snapshots of the myriad choices and obstacles faced by pre-service teachers; the research narratives offer insightful analysis for teacher educators. Though written from the perspective of South Carolina, the lessons learned and recommendations for teacher education are relevant to any state. This is a must-read for all teacher educators interested in student success. This book is most interesting to members of teacher education organizations, especially the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and its 41 state and regional affiliates, including South Carolina Association of Teacher Educators (SCATE) and Southeast Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE). It also has wide appeal to members of other professional organizations, such as National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) and American Educational Research Association (AERA). Finally, it's a good choice for professional learning communities of district personnel and classroom teachers since it provides insights that will strengthen mentoring and support systems provided to student teachers.

Learning to tell a compelling research story can have a significant impact on your career. It can make you stand out at professional conferences, on the job market, or during an ideal networking opportunity. It is easy to tell a research story badly. It takes time and effort to learn to tell a research story well. This compact and engaging volume presents a series of techniques followed by theatre-inspired, field tested exercises that will help you improve your research presentations. Once you've learned how to create a dynamic live performance of your research story, you may find that this professional obligation is no longer something to dread, and may even become a highlight of your research experience.