Congratulations ...
YOU'RE IN THE JOB CORPS !!! . . .

. . . on your way to becoming a very unique, got-it-together, on-your-road-to-success person in your own right, no longer dependent on your family as when you were a kid.

But, now you're facing some really tough choices, such as ...

Now that I have a chance to start a new chapter in my life in the Job Corps, what kind of an academic, social, personal and sexual reputation (or "brand identity") do I want to build and maintain for myself?
What kinds of guys and girls should I choose to hang around with here in the Job Corps. . . and who should I choose as my closest friends that I can really trust?
And, what about my friends that I left back at home ... is there a place for them in my new life after the Job Corps, and if so, what should it be?
Now that I'm in the Job Corps, what kind of a new relationship do I want to start building with my parents? And, what kinds of things will I share with them . . . and what will I keep to myself and my closest friends?
What's really most important to me in my life now, and how do I actually live what's most important to me in my everyday life?
What am I really interested in doing with my life, what skills am I really good at, and what trade would be a good fit for me?
After leaving the Job Corps, should I get a job in my chosen trade right away, go into the military ... or should I go to college? And, if college ... where could I go, could I get in, and how would I pay for it?
But, maybe most of all, how do I deal with all the stress and competing pressures I am feeling on me now?

so, why should i build a growth plan

while i'm in the job corps?

Reason #1: Successfully make the tough choices you're facing right now. As a part of building and implementing a personal Growth Plan you will identify and begin living your everyday life grounded in your own distinct SELF-IDENTITY, LIFE-PURPOSE, and LONG-TERM DIRECTION for your life ... thus helping you succeed and be personally pleased with your life right now while you're in the Job Corps. Plus, knowing and believing deeply in "THE UNIQUE YOU" will make it much easier for you to successfully make the tough choices you're facing right now ... or that are just ahead of you, like the ones listed above.

Reason #2: Avoid or move away from a "street survival" mindset and lifestyle. While it may not be true for you, many youth today live their lives with what we call, a "street survival" mindset and lifestyle. This means that they tend to have a negative, "live for the moment" mindset, and a fear-driven, "just go with the flow" lifestyle. Put another way, while they love to dream and talk confidently about their future, they lack the self-motivation, self-discipline, and the skills to plan, prioritize, and actually achieve their desired future. In short, they're all talk and no action! Using our 35 Growth Planning Mindset & Lifestyle Indicators, you will continuously work to measurably move step-by-step away from a "street survival" >>>>>> towards living your everyday life with a "growth planning" mindset and lifestyle, as illustrated below.

Reason #3: LEAVE THE JOB CORPS READY FOR SUCCESS in your entire life. First, let's be clear right upfront what growth planning is all about - it's a self-identity, mindset & lifestyle change and development process. So, by building and implementing your Growth Plan while you're in the Job Corps, you will learn, practice hard everyday, and then begin to actually live your everyday life with an optimistic, positive, & future-focused MINDSET and a proactive, self-motivated, & self-disciplined LIFESTYLE. Taken together, this new growth planning self-identity, mindset & lifestyle will enable you to (1) continuously improve yourself as a person, (2) set and actually achieve your goals, and (3) leave the Job Corps ready for success in all areas of your everyday life. [NOTE: building a Growth Plan makes sure that your Job Corps PCDP (Personal Career Development Plan) covers your entire life ... and that it can actually be achieved after you leave the Job Corps.]

how would i go about

building and achieving my growth plan?

Step #1: Take 12-stop online journey. It will take about 36 hours to build your Growth Plan and to train you in "the art, skill, and power of growth planning." To create your Plan, working in a small group of students and sometimes working alone, you will be guided by your personal Growth Plan Coach in taking a 12-stop online interactive journey in your private Growth Plan Data-Center on this website. At each stop, you will complete one of Our 12 Growth Planning Worksheets, two of which are optional. Each is a mental exercise, stretching your mind to think deeply, honestly, and imaginatively about where you are now in your life, and where you want to be in the future. [To see a description of the 12 Worksheets, click the Job Corps Students tab at the top of this page.]

As you complete each stop, your key planning data is automatically combined into a Growth Plan you can print out and frame. Along the way, you'll take two online personal assessments -- the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory. Each helps you understand better who you are as a unique person ... as well as what you want to do with the rest of your life. After you complete stops #1 thru #10, your Growth Plan draft is complete. Stops #11 and #12 help you implement your Plan.

Step #2: Learn And Apply Life-Skills & Bio-Sketches to your everyday life. You will also learn and begin applying Our 10 Growth Planning Life-Skills and Our 30 Bio-Sketches to your everyday life. Each Life-Skill is needed to develop a growth planning mindset and lifestyle.

And, each Bio-Sketch shows how that person used one or more of the Life-Skills to help them overcome challenges and succeed in life. [To see a description of the 10 Life-Skills and 30 Bio-Sketches, click the Job Corps Students tab at the top of this page.]

Step #3: Form & begin using your Support Network. In stop #11 of your 12-stop growth planning journey, you form and then begin learning how to use your own personal Support Network. Support Network members offer their advice and help as you do the hard, day-to-day work of reaching for your stars, achieving your goals, and realizing your future vision. Members could include a parent, favorite teacher, coach, clergy, relative or family friend, your best friend, or a career mentor whom we'll help you identify. You'll give them access to your private Growth Plan Data-Center so they can see and comment upon your Growth Plan and offer their help.

Step #4: Begin benchmarking your step-by-step progress. At the beginning of each quarter of the year you'll use growth planning journey stop #12 to select your Quarterly Performance Progress Benchmarks to really focus on in the next three months. They are called benchmarks because you use them to mark your step-by-step progress towards achieving your 5-year and longer-term goals. Special emphasis is put on making each benchmark is measurable. Included in your benchmarks that you work on each quarter is at least one of the 35 Mindset & Lifestyle Indicators described above. Benchmarking is a critical life-skill to learn and master since it helps you develop the self-motivated discipline you need to succeed right now while you're in the Job Corps ... and throughout your entire life.

how long can i use this website?