NCDG Website

Welcome to the National Career Development Guidelines (NCDG)

This new website section, created for the 2024 version of the NCDG, offers the original Framework in a more accessible, visible and interactive format.

The NCDG is a framework of career development competencies and indicators of mastery, including a recommended strategy for implementing career development programs for youth or adults.
View the Framework tab above for an introduction to the organization of the Framework, including definitions of domains and indicators of mastery codes.

This dynamic website welcomes your contribution.

Career Development Domain

This domain is defined as meeting career goals through information management and decision-making, while mastering employability skills and integrating world conditions.

 

Click on the linked NCDG code (in green) below to see current examples of that Indicator of Mastery. As more users contribute examples, more will be linked. Click here to learn about and make a contribution.

CD1.K1

Recognize that career planning to attain your career goals is a lifelong process.

CD1.K2

Describe how to develop a career plan (e.g., steps and content).

The Goals and Indicators below are not yet linked.

As more users contribute examples, more will be linked. Click here to learn about how to contribute.

GOAL CD1

Create and manage a career plan that meets your career goals.

CD1.A1

Give examples of how you use career-planning strategies to attain your career goals.

CD1.R1

Assess how well your career planning strategies facilitate reaching your career goals.

CD1.A2

Develop a career plan to meet your career goals

CD1.R2

Analyze your career plan and make adjustments to reflect ongoing career management needs.

CD1.K3

Identify your short-term and long-term career goals (e.g., education, employment, and lifestyle goals).

CD1.A3

Demonstrate actions taken to attain your short-term and long-term career goals (e.g., education, employment, and lifestyle goals).

CD1.R3

Re-examine your career goals and adjust as needed.

CD1.K4

Identify skills and personal traits needed to manage your career (e.g., resiliency, self-efficacy, ability to identify trends and changes, and flexibility).

CD1.R4

Evaluate your career management skills and personal traits (e.g., resiliency, self-efficacy, ability to identify trends and changes, and flexibility).

CD1.K5

Recognize that changes in you and the world of work can affect your career plans.

CD1.A5

Give examples of how changes in you and the world of work have caused you to adjust your career plans.

CD1.R5

Evaluate how well you integrate changes in you and the world of work into your career plans.

GOAL CD2

Use a process of decision-making as one component of career development.

CD2.K1

Describe your decision- making style (e.g., risk taker, cautious).

CD2.A1

Give examples of past decisions that demonstrate your decision-making style.

CD2.R1

Evaluate the effectiveness of your decision-making style.

CD2.K2

Identify the steps in one model of decision-making.

CD2.A2

Demonstrate the use of a decision-making model.

CD2.R2

Assess what decision-making model(s) work best for you.

CD2.K3

Describe how information (e.g., about you, the economy, and education programs) can improve your decision-making.

CD2.A3

Demonstrate use of information (e.g., about you, the economy, and education programs) in making decisions.

CD2.R3

Assess how well you use information (e.g., about you, the economy, and education programs) to make decisions.

CD2.K4

Identify alternative options and potential consequences for a specific decision.

CD2.A4

Show how exploring options affected a decision you made.

CD2.R4

Assess how well you explore options when making decisions.

CD2.K5

Recognize that your personal priorities, culture, beliefs, and work values can affect your decision-making.

CD2.A5

Show how personal priorities, culture, beliefs, and work values are reflected in your decisions.

CD2.R5

Evaluate the effect of personal priorities, culture, beliefs, and work values in your decision-making.

CD2.K6

Describe how education, work, and family experiences might impact your decisions.

CD2.A6

Give specific examples of how your education, work, and family experiences have influenced your decisions.

CD2.R6

Assess the impact of your education, work, and family experiences on decisions.

CD2.K7

Describe how biases and stereotypes can limit decisions.

CD2.A7

Give specific examples of how biases and stereotypes affected your decisions.

CD2.R7

Analyze the ways you could manage biases and stereotypes when making decisions.

CD2.K8

Recognize that chance can play a role in decision-making.

CD2.A8

Give examples of times when chance played a role in your decision-making.

CD2.R8

Evaluate the impact of chance on past decisions.

CD2.K9

Recognize that decision-making often involves compromise.

CD2.A9

Give examples of compromises you might have to make in career decision-making.

CD2.R9

Analyze the effectiveness of your approach to making compromises.

GOAL CD3

Use accurate, current, and unbiased career information during career planning and management.

CD3.K1

Describe the importance of career information to your career planning.

CD3.A1

Show how career information has been important in your plans and how it can be used in future plans.

CD3.R1

Assess the impact of career information on your plans and refine plans so that they reflect accurate, current, and unbiased career information.

CD3.K2

Recognize that career information includes occupational, education and training, employment, and economic information and that there is a range of career information resources available.

CD3.A2

Demonstrate the ability to use different types of career information resources (i.e., occupational, educational, economic, and employment) to support career planning.

CD3.R2

Evaluate how well you integrate occupational, educational, economic, and employment information into the management of your career.

CD3.K3

Recognize that the quality of career information resource content varies (e.g., accuracy, bias, and how up-to-date and complete it is).

CD3.A3

Show how selected examples of career information are biased, out-of-date, incomplete, or inaccurate

CD3.R3

Judge the quality of the career information resources you plan to use in terms of accuracy, bias, and how up-to-date and complete it is.

CD3.K4

Identify several ways to classify occupations.

CD3.A4

Give examples of how occupational classification systems can be used in career planning.

CD3.R4

Assess which occupational classification system is most helpful to your career planning.

CD3.K5

Identify occupations you might consider without regard to your gender, race, culture, or ability.

CD3.A5

Demonstrate openness to considering occupations that you might view as nontraditional (i.e., relative to your gender, race, culture, or ability).

CD3.R5

Assess your openness to considering non-traditional occupations in your career management.

CD3.K6

Identify the advantages and disadvantages of being employed in a non-traditional occupation.

CD3.A6

Make decisions for yourself about being employed in a non-traditional occupation.

CD3.R6

Assess the impact of your decisions about being employed in a non-traditional occupation.

GOAL CD4

Master academic, occupational, and general employability skills in order to obtain, create, maintain, and/or advance your employment.

CD4.K1

Describe academic, occupational, and general employability skills.

CD4.A1

Demonstrate the ability to use your academic, occupational, and general employability skills to obtain or create, maintain, and advance your employment.

CD4.R1

Assess your academic, occupational, and general employability skills and enhance them as needed for your employment.

CD4.K2

Identify job seeking skills such as the ability to: write a resume and cover letter, complete a job application, interview for a job, and find and pursue employment leads.

CD4.A2

Demonstrate the following job seeking skills: the ability to write a resume and cover letter, complete a job application, interview for a job, and find and pursue employment leads.

CD4.R2

Evaluate your ability to: write a resume and cover letter, complete a job application, interview for a job, and find and pursue employment leads.

CD4.K3

Recognize that a variety of general employability skills and personal qualities (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, resource, information, and technology management, interpersonal skills, honesty, and dependability) are important to success in school and employment.

CD4.A3

Demonstrate attainment of general employability skills and personal qualities needed to be successful in school and employment (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, resource, information, and technology management, interpersonal skills, honesty, and dependability).

CD4.R3

Evaluate your general employability skills and personal qualities (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, resource, information, and technology management, interpersonal skills, honesty, and dependability).

CD4.K4

Recognize that many skills are transferable from one occupation to another.

CD4.A4

Show how your skills are transferable from one occupation to another.

CD4.R4

Analyze the impact of your transferable skills on your career options.

CD4.K5

Recognize that your geographic mobility impacts on your employability.

CD4.A5

Make decisions for yourself regarding geographic mobility.

CD4.R5

Analyze the impact of your decisions about geographic mobility on your career goals.

CD4.K6

Identify the advantages and challenges of self-employment.

CD4.A6

Make decisions for yourself about self-employment.

CD4.R6

Assess the impact of your decision regarding self-employment on your career goals.

CD4.K7

Identify ways to be proactive in marketing yourself for a job.

CD4.A7

Demonstrate skills that show how you can market yourself in the workplace.

CD4.R7

Evaluate how well you have marketed yourself in the workplace.

GOAL CD5

Integrate changing employment trends, societal needs, and economic conditions into your career plans.

CD5.K1

Identify societal needs that affect your career plans.

CD5.A1

Show how you are prepared to respond to changing societal needs in your career management.

CD5.R1

Evaluate the results of your career management relative to changing societal needs.

CD5.K2

Identify economic conditions that affect your career plans.

CD5.A2

Show how you are prepared to respond to changing economic conditions in your career management.

CD5.R2

Evaluate the results of your career management relative to changing economic conditions.

CD5.K3

Identify employment trends that affect your career plans.

CD5.A3

Show how you are prepared to respond to changing employment trends in your career management.

CD5.R3

Evaluate the results of your career management relative to changes in employment trends.