Career Planning Class Overview for Gian Fiero, Adjunct Professor Of Career Studies & Professional Development, San Francisco State University

1. Career Planning Course
Overview
Designed & Conducted by Professor Gian Fiero

2. About Professor Gian Fiero
 Gian is an Adjunct Professor of Career
Studies & Professional Development
at San Francisco State University
where he designed and conducts a
highly applauded vocational course on
Career Planning. He has also held
positions in education as a teacher for
Oakland School for the Arts, and as a
Montessori teacher training instructor.

3. History & Overview
 This Career Planning course was designed
in 2005 for San Francisco State University’s
College Of Extended Learning to assist
students in the establishment, development,
and advancement of their careers.
 The class caters to undergraduates,
postgraduates, certificate students, and
those seeking personal growth.
 With a Socratic teaching format, students
learn how to accurately identify their values
and signature strengths in order to create
and contribute value to others; which are key
factors in work and career fulfillment.

4. Course Objective:
To provide students with the tools they need to build successful careers & lives
Accomplished through a successful intelligence based curriculum.
Successful Intelligence is the ability to achieve success in life;
i.e., the “real world.” It revolves around the integrated use of 3
intelligences:
 Analytical intelligence - The ability to solve problems
effectively.
 Creative intelligence - The ability to come up with
new ideas, and innovative solutions.
 Practical intelligence - Common sense, i.e., “street smarts.”

5. Focus: The Existential Aspects Of Careers
 This course draws upon the theories
and philosophies of renowned
psychologists Abraham Maslow, Albert
Bandura, Carol Dweck, Edward Deci &
Richard Ryan, Harry Harlow, Howard
Gardner, Martin Seligman, Mihaly
Csiksentmihalyi, Viktor Frankl, Robert
Sternberg, and others.

6. Grading & Essays
 This is an essay writing course.
Essays are used as a barometer
to develop and evaluate student
comprehension of the reading
assignments and course content.

7. Tests
 Because tests, generally speaking,
only test one’s ability to succeed in
taking tests, they are not given in
this class. Students who take this
course acquire the skills and
knowledge to pass the real tests
that they will inevitably encounter in
the real world.

8. Joint Venture Project
 Students, like professionals, must
learn to work together in order to
reach goals and achieve results.
The joint venture project is a staple
of this course. It is designed to
cultivate research, communication,
and presentation skills, while
stimulating entrepreneurial thinking
and ideas.

9. 7 Minute Thesis Presentations
The “final” is a 7 minute thesis
presentation that requires students
to verbalize what they learned in the
class, and how they intend to apply it
in the real world. It’s worth 50% of
your final grade.

10. Human Needs & Aspirations
 Autonomy
 Competency
 Relatedness
By helping students become aware of the intrinsic and
extrinsic motivations that underlie (and sometimes undermine)
behavior and choices, students are taught self-determination
theory to align their behaviors, activities, and supporters with
their true motivations and goals to have rewarding careers,
and lead authentic lives.

11. What Students Learn
 Intrapersonal intelligence
 Interpersonal skills
 Soft skills
 Collaboration skills
 Personal branding skills
 Self-marketing skills
 Presentation skills
 Entrepreneurial skills
 Analytic skills
 Research/Writing skills
 Success formulas

12. Student Testimonials

13. Student Testimonials
 “This class has been unlike any
other college course I've taken. It
might be because it forced me to
get engaged...I'm finally ready to
take what I've learned here and
apply it to something greater
than previously imagined.”
~Natalie Wilson

14. Student Testimonials
 “Most pedagogy has been structured
where students receive information
with little direction as to how to apply
what is learned, leaving students
unable to bridge the gap and harness
the power that is knowledge. The
Career Planning class succeeds
where others fail.”
~Nailah Young

15. Student Testimonials
 “This class has been one of the most
engaging and applicable courses I
have taken in my college career. I have
really appreciated the candor with
which all of the lectures and
discussions have been conducted, and
it has been a serious challenge to
examine myself so thoroughly.”
~ Jacob Winik

16. Student Testimonials
 “This course has helped me
without a doubt to convey my
skills, abilities, and talents
clearly. It has been the best
$600 bucks I have spent in a
very, very long time, and I
believe that it is a terrific
investment in my future. ”
~Erica Stichbury

17. Student Testimonials
 “You are an excellent professor that
actually knows how to teach and involve
your students. Your title as a "Growth
Expert" fits you well, as you have not
only helped increase my industry IQ, but
you have helped me grow as an
individual, and for that...I thank you.
~Anthony Mays

18. Student Testimonials
 “I have learned how to network, market
position myself, and transform my
ideas from concepts to realities.”
~ Timothy Foster

19. Student Testimonials
 “While I’ve gained a lot of insight
from taking this course, I think what
has opened my eyes are the
concepts that I learned about self-
marketing and personal branding,
and how those skills can actually
have a profound affect on your
success, or lack thereof.”
~Warren Duprey

20. Student Testimonials
 “This class opened my senses to
the daily details that make
individuals successful - no matter
what field they work in. The
sayings, the steps, and strategies
we went over will stick with me for
the rest of my business life.”
~Fabian Washington

21. Student Testimonials
 “A good grade is just a
letter; an epiphany is
what I truly got from
taking this class.”
~Tim Johnson

22. Student Testimonials
 “One of the most empowering
aspects of the class was not only
learning about the different paths
out there to take, but that with the
right planning and attitude, you
can create a vocation for
yourself.”
~Nicole Gillihan

23. Student Testimonials
 “I have learned quite a bit about
myself through introspective as well
as retrospective analysis, allowing me
to make a more accurate and realistic
judgment of where I want to be, how
to get there. I also learned why my
previous efforts have not been
successful.”
~Andrew Marsters

24. Student Testimonials
 “Many thank you’s for teaching an
awesome class! I learned so much and
left with not just knowledge, but insight
into my motivations and strengths, and
even more importantly, a direction…your
spirit is fantastic and infectious.”
~ Katherine Heinz

25. Student Testimonials
 “My experience is that the Career
Planning class has helped me
plan, prepare, and position myself
for a successful life…it has
prepared me for the real world.”
~ Hisham Dahud

26. Student Testimonials
 “The class has helped clarify
meaningful and personal questions
about myself; some about self-
discovery, others about career
options. It has been a surprisingly
difficult, yet delightful experience as it
has forced me to take a deep look
into myself, my needs, my wants, my
strengths, and my weaknesses.”
~ Jessica Barua

27. Student Testimonials
 “This course has been tough
throughout, but the information that
has stuck with me is more valuable
and immediately useful than any class
I have previously taken.”
~ Chris Bruce

28. Student Testimonials
 “This course has helped me zone in
on my unique qualities. It has taught
me so much about how to take
everything I have learned, and apply it
to working towards, and eventually in,
any career path I choose. You really
don’t get any of this in a lot of college
courses. So, THANK YOU!”
~ Alyssa Aragon

29. Career Planning Class
A bridge between academics and professional success.

30. Contact Info
Professor: Gian Fiero
Course Title: Career Planning
Email: professorfiero@gmail.com
Website: www.gianfiero.info
Phone: 510.924.6079