What Are They? How are they Helpful?

Simply put, a Venn diagram is a visual representation of similarities and differences amongst sets of objects. Objects are things you want to compare such as people, cars, or jobs; similarities and differences are characteristics of each of the objects.

For example, Figure 5 shows and example of a Venn diagram showing three different groups of people:

1. People who are unaware of basic social cues and norms
2. People who talk to themselves.

   

3. People who wander carelessly into traffic

Types of people in the groups are also shown e.g., math professors, two-year-olds, and philosophers. Where the circles overlap it indicates something common between the people and their characteristics. In other words, the space between the overlapping circles represents similarities or common elements between objects.

In the example, the three circles overlap around cell phone users . This means that the common characteristic of all three groups of people is that they all use cell phones.

Learning Activity 6: Identify Multiple Careers and Jobs

In this learning activity, you will use a Venn diagram and information from the WorkBC website to help you identify skills that are common to more than one job. By doing so, you will be able to see how the skills that you have can lead to multiple career paths.

Instructions

1. Working in small groups, create a Venn diagram to compare the skills required by two or three different jobs.
2. Select the jobs from the WorkBC website, or from the list you made earlier. Select the skills from the “Duties” section for each job. Try to include skills that you may already have.
3. See how many skills you can find that overlap between the jobs. This will help you identify which skills sets may qualify you for more than one potential career path.