Most people have a solid understanding of their family tree, but how many of us have ever stopped to consider what career paths our relatives have chosen? Some career callings run strong—for instance, if there is one educator in the family, chances are good that there are many!

This activity is a way for you to explore your past to make connections to your future. Learning about family history, especially as it pertains to careers, can give us new perspectives, help us learn more about choices other relatives have faced, and discover how others have dealt with America’s changing work environment.

The sample Career Tree download is the simplest way to format your tree. Given the diversity and complexity of American families, use your creativity to create structures that work for you.

Directions

Create a family tree that stretches back at least three generations. For each person, include all the jobs or careers s/he held throughout their life. Students will learn a great deal from this activity, including:

• What careers run in the family?
  • Is/was there a family business?
  • Were children ‘expected’ to follow in their parents’ footsteps?
• How many relatives held one stable job throughout their lifetime?
• Did anyone shift careers often? By choice or were they forced to by their circumstances?
• Are there many entrepreneurs in your family? Consider:
  • Side jobs such as selling material from catalogs.
  • Volunteer efforts that pursue a passion like political activism.
• Many generations of women may have stayed at home to take care of the family. Remember, that is a career of its own!
• If you can go back far enough to when women started joining the workforce, did your relatives work for financial security or personal reasons? Were they able to work in positions that interested them or were they pigeonholed into ‘women’s jobs’?
• What resistance or barriers did your ancestors face and were they able to overcome them?
  • Racism, sexism, ageism, lack of education?
• If jobs were made obsolete, were they able to get training for new careers?