Interactive Station 8 – Occupation: What Do You Do?

When we are children, our parents often tell us that we can be anything we want to be as long as we work hard and apply ourselves. While there is some truth in that, we all have certain skills and interests that make us succeed at some things while we struggle with something else. This ties back somewhat to Interactive Station 2 – Genes, but your genes don’t always guarantee success at a specific skill. For example, my father has written books on chaos theory and the method’s application in the fi- nancial market.388 Despite our genetic connection, my own math skills are just one step above using my fingers when I add or subtract. While this interactive station does not address the dependence on apti-

386

“Star Wars Identities Exhibition Catalogue,” 101.

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Although this station is numerically next in the character creation process, geographically it was located after Interactive Station 9 while Identities was at Telus World of Science. This change was made in order to accommo- date the space, and such alterations to an exhibition’s flow are common when on tour. To avoid confusion, I have decided to discuss the stations in numerical order in this breakdown of the exhibition. However, I wanted to make sure that the order as I experienced it was documented in this study’s notes.

388

See: Edgar E. Peters, Fractal Market Analysis: Applying Chaos Theory to Investment Economics (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994); ---. Chaos and Order in the Capital Markets: A New View of Cycles, Prices, and Market Volatility (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996); ---. Complexity, Risk, and Financial Markets (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001).

tude or draw any connections to the earlier station, it does address how our occupation impacts our identity. As the text states, “how we choose to spend our time says a lot about us.”389 Furthermore, “whether it’s a calling, a career, a pastime, or a job, any activity in which we engage on a daily basis con- tributes significantly to the way we see ourselves and the way others identify us.”390 While the saying “you are what you do” may not be an accurate assessment of the ultimate importance that a job has on an individual’s identity, it does have some degree of impact.

Interactive Station 8 follows a similar layout to several previous stations in the exhibit, and fea- tures a wall of touch pad sensors linked to specific careers that are depicted with corresponding pic- tures. To emphasize the roleplaying component of the exhibit, these pictures are of specific, iconic Star Wars outfits (without a head) rather than of specific characters from the saga. However, while there are countless potential careers (many of which with specializations of their own) in both Star Wars and real life, Interactive Station 8 only provides seven options for visitors. Furthermore, these options parallel many of the major characters seen in the franchise. The available careers include: Senator, Farmer, Fighter Pilot, Musician, Jedi Knight, Merchant, and Bounty Hunter. While many “upper class” jobs like Doctor and Lawyer are missing, there are also no options for creating a working class character beyond a Farmer. Absolutely no options are available for a character with an aptitude for mechanics or engineer- ing, and there is surprisingly no way for a visitor to create a member of the military beyond a Fighter Pilot. These selections place an emphasis on certain roles within the Star Wars universe that parallel many of the major characters, while ignoring others (Soldiers, Smugglers, etc.). Musician was most likely included since the Bith is a species option, and members of that race belonged to the band in Episode IV: A New Hope’s iconic cantina scene.

Consequently, the exhibition is effectively pigeonholing visitors into selecting specific career paths deemed appropriate for adventures in a galaxy far, far away. In terms of role-play potential, this

389

“Star Wars Identities Exhibition Catalogue,” 102.

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severely limits the sort of lives that these characters can have, while also limiting the level of diversity available. At the same time, this mirrors the basic core rulebooks for RPGs, which only provide a few specific “classes” that players can choose from. The aforementioned 2014 Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook has 12 potential classes,391 and the Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook, like Identities, has 7.392 Players can purchase “expansions” for these games that provide additional classes and “special- ization classes” that provide additional levels of customization.393 So in some ways, the limited selection in the exhibit can be seen as part of Identity’s “core rulebook” while the activities in the Educator’s Re- source Book are part of an “expansion pack” (from an educational standpoint), where developing skills and assessing abilities are factored into the process.

The activities section for Quest 8 divided into three overarching categories that have, as was the case with previous units, additional Alberta-oriented subcategories that assess different topics. Two of these categories, “Occupation” and “Units,” work towards enhancing the skill sets of the students (the former with job searching skills and the latter with mathematics skill sets like statistics and probabil- ity).394 The other category, titled “Star Wars Shipwright – Design a Starship,” uses Star Wars specifically to tie in with Art and Science classes.395 The Science activities are divided into grade-specific categories, with a 6th grade Science unit on “Flight” (exploring the differences between aircraft and spacecraft) and

391 _{In this edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook, the available classes include: Barbarian, Bard,}

Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. – Dungeons & Dragons Play- er’s Handbook (Renton: Wizards of the Coast LLC, 2014).

392

The available classes in Star Wars: Age of Rebellion include: The Ace, The Commander, The Diplomat, The Engi- neer, The Soldier, The Spy, and Recruit. – Star Wars Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook, (Roseville: Fantasy Flight Games, 2014).

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For example, an earlier Star Wars RPG titled Star Wars: Edge of the Empire had sourcebooks that expanded on character classes found in the core guide, and provided new materials that could be incorporated into the game. For more information, see the Explorer class sourcebook: Star Wars: Edge of the Empire – Enter the Unknown, (Ro- seville: Fantasy Flight Games, 2013).

394

“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 101-102.

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9th grade Science focusing primarily on the technological requirements for “Space Exploration.”396 Simi- larly, the Art units are divided into Elementary (grades 1-6) and Junior High (7-9) subcategories, where students practice making quick sketches via “direct observation” and sculptures in the former, and more advanced techniques of drawing and composing images in the latter.397 However, the first category, which shares the Quest’s title “Occupation,” is the best example of the three at how the educational supplements resemble the RPG expansions mentioned above, and ties in specifically with the CALM cur- riculum.

Quest 8: Occupation is geared towards teaching students about choosing a job after completing high school that will “best suit their identity.”398 The Guide references a classification system known as the Holland Codes, which were developed by John Holland. The Holland Codes “connects occupation to personality according to six occupational fields”: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.399 In the Codes’ original publication – a pamphlet titled Understanding Yourself and Your Career, published by Consulting Psychologists Press in 1977 – Holland proposes that the code system was developed to supplement Holland’s Self-Directed Search (SDS),400Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI – also created by Holland),401 and the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory.402 Holland’s original pam- phlet tasks each participant with completing three questionnaires that “estimate how you resemble

396 _{“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 102} 397 _{“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 102.} 398

“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 58.

399

“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 58.

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John Holland’s SDS is now available online at http://www.self-directed-search.com/.

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According to the John Holland’s biography page on Holland’s Self-Directed Search website, the Vocational Pref- erence Inventory (VPI) was created in 1953 and is the predecessor to SDS. It was known for “its inclusion of occupa- tional lists and its organization of items into scales” that differentiated VPI from similar tests at the time that were considered less specific due to “long scoring times, inadequate client information, and the absence of an organized occupations list that coordinated with test results.” – see “John Holland, PhD,” John Holland’s SDS – Self-Directed Search, http://www.self-directed-search.com/what-is-it-/john-holland.

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each of the types.”403 Each of the six types is represented on a hexagonal chart, which is used to “show the similarities and differences among the types, among jobs, and between people and jobs.”404 The hexagon is also used to measure the consistency of job requirements in relation to each type, and serves to “estimate the degree of fit between a person and a job or between a person and each of several jobs.”405 The pamphlet notes that “people develop and different rates and make decisions about their careers at different times.”406 If we apply this same statement to the fictional characters Luke and Ana- kin Skywalker, each decided to be a Jedi at a different point in their life. In the case of Anakin, he decid- ed later to turn to the Dark Side and become a Sith since that “career path” led him to his ultimate goals.

The Holland Codes are still used in career assessment tests today. A link to the Holland Codes checklist at the University of Manitoba website is provided in the Guide, which explores the six catego- ries in detail.407 For example, the “Realistic” occupations category relates to “practical, hands-on tasks” involving things like plants, materials/tools/machinery, animals, etc.408 These Realistic jobs often require “working with things,” a high degree of “motor coordination,” and people who fit into this category “see themselves as practical minded and concrete and they are curious about the physical world.”409 Alterna- tively, people who fit into the “Investigative” occupation category enjoy “working with ideas and require lots of thinking (e.g., analytical activity), learning and knowledge.”410 This is an area where academia is a possible career choice.411

403 Holland, 2. 404 Holland, 4. 405 Holland, 5. 406 Holland, 7. 407

“Holland Codes: Career Interests,” University of Manitoba, (December 31, 2014): 1 –

http://umanitoba.ca/student/careerservices/media/Holland_Codes_Descriptions.pdf 408 “Holland Codes,” 1 409 “Holland Codes,” 1 410 “Holland Codes,” 1 411 “Holland Codes,” 1

With this approach towards career assessment in mind, students are asked to examine four Star Wars characters (R2D2, Yoda, Boba Fett, and Padmé Amidala) and list the skills that make each charac- ter succeed at their chosen occupation (Mechanic, Jedi/Teacher, Bounty Hunter, and Queen/Senator respectively).412 After examining each of these fictional beings in detail, the students are then tasked with determining their own job skills using the aforementioned University of Manitoba link, as well as additional resources at the Alberta Learning Information Services,413 quizzes and tests from a Govern- ment of Canada website.414 These resources are designed to help students find a career path that best suits them during the next stage of their lives. If a teacher decides to further delve into the topic of choosing an occupation, the Alberta sub-activities for “Occupation” tie into the K-9 Health general out- come “Life Roles and Career Development,” where students are asked to: “relate personal interests (skills) to various occupations”; identify what knowledge/skills are needed to succeed in those jobs; and “update a personal portfolio to show evidence of a range of interests, assets and skills” that also “[re- lates] evidence to knowledge and skills required by various career paths.”415 Unlike the Career station in Identities, the educational supplement takes into consideration how a person’s own abilities and experi- ence factor into their chosen field.

While not directly related to Star Wars, these sub-activities expand upon the importance that a career has on a person’s identity found in the exhibition, and provide worthwhile experience needed to achieve a student’s goals and help them successfully pursue a career that they will find fulfilling and ex- cel at. Using easily recognizable careers seen in the films as a launching point, Identities establishes the impact that a person’s career can have on their identity, both for themselves and in how others perceive them. Despite only presenting visitors with 7 career choices in the exhibition, this lesson illustrates how

412

“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 58-59.

413

“CAREERinsite…start building your future here!,” Alberta.ca, http://careerinsite.alberta.ca/careerinsite.aspx

414

“Welcome to the National Occupational Classification 2011,” Government of Canada.ca,

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/Welcome.aspx

415

important it is to begin planning for their future career while they continue to develop skills and discov- er new interests.