Missouri Connections is a website that students can use to help determine and prepare for a career. You will be using this website to complete a budgeting exercise called "Get a Reality Check" to learn more about career choices. You must complete the assignment on the Missouri Connections website and also complete the Missouri Connections Quiz in Blackboard to receive one hour credit. However, feel free to use all of the resources in the website. To use Missouri Connections, Cookies must be enabled on your computer. For IE users open up Internet explorer, choose Tools, Internet Options, Privacy, and slide the Internet Settings all the way down to Accept all Cookies. To begin you need to log on to the Missouri Connections website. Go to www.missouriconnections.org Use the username and password that you received from your teacher. Type in your username and password and click sign in. Username: Password: Student14 Remember to write down the new username and password! After you log on, you will see the home page.
To get started click Assessment and then choose Reality Check (see circled links). REALITY CHECK So many choices! Do you ever wonder where your money goes? How much money do you really need to cover your expenses? Which occupations will support this lifestyle? No problem! Click the "Get a Reality Check" link to get started. To begin click on the start button to watch the Video! Now click "Get a Reality Check" In this step you will go through and figure out your monthly expenses and a possible career that will help you achieve your goals.
REALITY CHECK Choose a Missouri city or region to get started. Click the Next button (or red arrow) at the top of the screen. You will now go through all your expenses and estimate your monthly cost. Select one of the options or enter your own amount. For the utilities page choose all utilities that apply. Click the Next button (or red arrow) to continue. Continue to move through the remainder of the screens with the different expenses and make your choices. Remember, you must click the Next link (or red arrow) in the upper right hand corner to continue. After you complete your expenses, you will see a final page that shows your monthly expenses. Choose the Next link (or red arrow) at the top to continue.
Now you can choose an occupation that will have a salary that will cover your expenses. You must select the following: Choose the length of time you plan to attend school. Most associate degrees require two years of full-time attendance, while a bachelor's degree requires four years of study. Choose the occupation fields you find interesting. Click the Next link (or red arrow) at the top to continue. A list of occupations that fit your choices and salary will be shown. If you click on one of the occupations listed, it will give you more information about this career and the salary. You can click Previous to explore more careers. You may also click the more information link to see more detailed information about this career. (see link circled in red)
Your Portfolio After you have finished exploring careers, you must SAVE your information. Click the SAVE button. Type a comment about what you learned and hit SAVE INFORMATION. Your Portfolio As you explore the website, you will be saving your information in a Portfolio so you can refer back at any time. In order to receive credit for this assignment, you must do the following: 1. Complete the "Get a Reality Check" exercise and save your comments in your portfolio. 2. Return to Blackboard and complete the Missouri Connections Quiz, in the Blackboard classroom. 3. Email your teacher that you have completed the Missouri Connections assignment and also the Blackboard Quiz. Remember, you can log back into Missouri Connections at any time to explore more of the exercises, but you will not get credit unless you complete the Reality Check assignment and also the Blackboard quiz. Hopefully after completing this exercise in Missouri Connections, you feel more prepared to make smart choices about your future!