Course Syllabus

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Let’s get started! The program is self-guided, and we have put together the following curriculum to be completed over the next few weeks. You may proceed at your own page, keeping in mind program closing dates and any upcoming deadlines for the NAFOA Leadership Summit.

Please remember to read and sign the NAFOA Institute Community Values and Honor Code and Restrictions of Use before getting started.

INTRODUCTION TO CAREER BASICS: PERSONAL FINANCE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Timeline Suggestion: Day 1
Average completion time:  1-1.5 hours


The introduction to Career Basics is designed to provide you with an overview of the two core areas covered in the program: Personal Finance and Career Development. In this session, you will be required to:

 

 

Personal Finance Basics: Creating a Budget

Average completion time: 1.5-2 hours

Budgeting is an essential tool in your framework for making sound financial decisions.

Maintaining a budget is a great way to be diligent about your spending and saving habits. While creating and adhering to a budget may seem daunting or fruitless, the process is easier and more useful than you think. No matter your age or the amount of money that you have, it is never too early to start planning your income and expenses. In this session, you will be required to:

  • Read “Personal Finance” and watch "Building Your Squad: Family Conversations for Financial Well-Being." 
  • Complete the Personal Finance Quiz, which includes questions designed to stretch your knowledge of core personal finance concepts.
  • Create a budget so that you can stay on top of your expenses and begin to plan for your future.
  • Bonus: Read Rule of 72 to learn about a foundational investing formula. 

RESUME AND COVER LETTER CREATION

Timeline Suggestion: Day 2
Average completion time: 1-2 hours

A resume and cover letter are essential tools during your professional journey. You need to make sure that both documents are accurate and powerful reflection of your story. Everything from the content to the template needs to be outstanding. In this session, you will be required to:

CULTIVATING A PROFESSIONAL PERSONA

Timeline Suggestion: Day 3
Average completion time: 1 hour

Social networks are an unparalleled way to connect with almost anyone, making it easier to find personal and professional opportunities. Being professional (e.g., dressing for success) isn’t just important during in-person encounters; you’ll need to put your best face forward online, too. In this session, you will learn about how to manage your online professional persona. You will be required to:

  • Read “How to Use LinkedIn" and "Twitter for Professionals" to develop a general understanding of how to ensure that your online profile presents your best self to the external world.
  • Create profile content through an exercise that includes a template so that you can start revising and optimizing your own LinkedIn profile.

 

STARTING A PERSONAL NARRATIVE

Timeline Suggestion: Day 4
Average completion time: 1-2 hours

Whether you are interviewing for a full-time job or campaigning to be captain of the soccer team, being able to market yourself is a critical skill. You must be able to make a case for… yourself! You are the protagonist of your job search, the author of your goals, and the publisher who promotes your story to your audience – potential mentors, employers, and a network of people who can help you reach your aspirations. In this session, you will start to craft your own narrative, create an elevator pitch about yourself, and learn how to master interviewing. You will be required to:

 

BUDGETING OVERVIEW

Timeline Suggestion: Day 5
Average completion time: 1 hour

In the Introduction section, we provided a template for you to create your own budget. In this session, we will dig into some of the budget items (e.g., income, housing-related expenses) and share tips, considerations, calculation strategies, and more. Budgeting is an essential tool in your framework for making sound financial decisions.

In this session, you will be required to:

 

SUCCESSFUL REMOTE WORKING

Timeline Suggestion: Day 6
Average completion time: 30 mins

In the past year, virtual and remote work has become the norm - how do you ensure you are successful and maintain professionalism when you're working from home? First impressions certainly matter and, more importantly, you want to make sure that you are always putting forth the best version of yourself. Depending on which industry you enter or the job you take, certain aspects of your appearance will be an important factor in your success. 

In this session, you will be required to:

INTRO TO ECONOMICS AND CAREER SPOTLIGHTS*

(optional)

Timeline Suggestion: Day 7
Average completion time: 1-2 hours

The economy is related to the production and consumption of goods and services. An economy exists to satisfy the needs of its participants (e.g., producers make goods and decide their own prices, and consumers decide what to buy and how much willing they are to pay for goods). The United States is characterized as a market economy whereby producers and consumers determine what is produced and sold. In this session, we will explore different types of economies and the participants that comprise them. The goal of this session is to provide you with an economic lens in which to study behaviors, interactions, and strategies in your personal and professional life.

Also in this session, we will focus on the core business function of strategy. Regardless of industry, strategy is a key component for operating a successful organization, and it provides a vision that drives your goals and outcomes.  

In this session, you will be required to:

NEGOTIATING *

(optional)

Timeline Suggestion: Day 8
Average completion time: 30 mins

Negotiating is a core skill that requires practice. Honing this skill will be important for a myriad of reasons, such as ensuring that you effectively advocate for yourself at work (e.g., when seeking a promotion) and navigating difficult conversations in both your personal and professional life. In this session, you will learn the basics of negotiating including terms like BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement). We will ask you to apply these tools by participating in a practice negotiation with a peer, using an exercise that we have prepared.

 

* These modules are optional and do not count towards the completion of the program.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due