profesor fiero's career planning class overview

Career Planning CourseOverview

Designed & Conducted by Professor Gian Fiero

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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


“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


“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


“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


“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


“I have learned how to network, market position myself, and transform my ideas from concepts to realities.”

~ Timothy Foster


“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


“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


“A good grade is just a letter; an epiphany is what I truly got from taking this class.”

~Tim Johnson


“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


“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


“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


“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


“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


“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


“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

Career Planning Class

A bridge between academics and professional success.

Contact Info

Professor: Gian Fiero Course Title: Career Planning

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.gianfiero.info Phone: 510.924.6079

profesor fiero's career planning class overview

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