CHIPPEWA VALLEY SCHOOLS
CAREER CRUISING  - CAREER DEVELOPMENT  - GRADES  7 - 12

You have probably heard of the Woodward Cruise, and maybe have been caught in the traffic of the Harper Cruise or the Gratiot Cruise.  Did you know that we are encouraging all Chippewa Valley students in grades 7 – 12 to go cruising?  In fact, we issue each student an official Chippewa Valley Username and Password to start their engines!

During the year, each Chippewa Valley School student in grades 7-12 participates in “Career Cruising”, a very comprehensive, web-based, career development program.  The program comes to us through a grant administered by the Macomb Intermediate School District, and all secondary schools in Macomb County are participating. Our district counselors have identified the activities that are appropriate by grade level, and have created an instruction sheet which both guides students and summarizes the Chippewa Valley Schools Career Cruising / Career Development Program.  Students will spend two class periods and possibly some additional time at home, engaged in the Career Cruising activities: 

  • Creating Your Own EDP – Each student creates a web based “Educational Development Plan” which ultimately includes the following components.
  • Saving Your Matchmaker Results - Students take interest inventories and do a skills assessment leading to related careers.
  • Careers That Interest Me - Students explore occupations of interest accessing current information.
  • Schools That Interest Me - Students explore Colleges, Vocational schools, and scholarships.
  • High School Educational Plan - Students develop a 4-Year Plan to make the most of their years at Chippewa Valley or Dakota High School.
  • Career Preparation and Planning - Students assess their own progress in the area of career development and planning.
  • Abilities, Activities, and Work Experience – Students develop a personal portfolio.
  • Using the Resume Builder - Students create a resume in one of three formats.

We encourage students to extend the work they do in Career Cruising with some relevant personal research, such as:  networking and informational interviewing, job shadowing, volunteer work, part time employment, and seeking the help/advise of a mentor.  Parents, with a larger network, can often help provide these important learning experiences.

Parents, when your son or daughter comes home with their cruising activities, you might ask them to take you for a ride.  (It will be less hair-raising than the 50 hour ride you take to get them a Michigan driver’s license!)  As part of the Chippewa Valley family, you are welcomed to use the Career Cruising program, too.  It is very easy to sign-on to the program: 

This link will take you to the 2-page directions, the summary of Chippewa Valley’s Career Cruising / Career Development Program please print these directions before logging on.  After reading and printing the directions, click here to "log" onto www.careercruising.com.

You may then follow the links to engage in the activities listed above.  You will not be able to save your results unless you print hard copies.  Students have Career Cruising codes that allow them to save results electronically to their own Career Cruising EDP (Educational Development Plan) file.  This allows easy review, updating, and extension of their career development work.

Happy cruising!