Choosing a career after high school is one of your child’s most important decisions. Parents and teachers must know how to provide career resources for high school students to help them prepare for the future.
High school is a time of rapid change and personal exploration for many students. It’s also a great time to start thinking carefully about potential future careers and taking steps to work toward those careers. While considering student career courses in Oregon might seem daunting, career exploration for high schoolers doesn’t need to be stressful. By breaking the process down into manageable steps, students can consider their options and prepare for future opportunities.
It is also essential to remember that while career preparation in high school can be precious, not everyone chooses and then pursues a single career starting in adolescence, and that’s okay, too.
How do you prepare high school students for a successful career?
It is never too early for high school students to begin exploring career ideas, but they may need help with where to start for career readiness. If you are a parent or guardian, use some crucial steps as guidance to provide career advice for high school students.
When considering potential career options, it is worth taking the time to remember positive, meaningful experiences in your lifetime. Creating a list of these experiences where you felt pride in an accomplishment or satisfaction from doing an excellent job on a test or a project can be meaningful. Pinpointing these moments where you felt real accomplishment and that made you happy can help highlight different careers that can provide similar experiences.
Identify the topmost personal or social strengths of the students
To expand on this exercise, have your student create another list of their top five most significant personal or social forces. It’s sometimes difficult to identify one’s strengths. As a helpful starting point, your student can ask other people in their life for key traits to get them started.
If your child’s strengths and abilities need more clarification, your student can ask their friends, teachers, or coaches to pick the traits that best describe them. Your high schooler can also take aptitude tests that can help pinpoint their strengths.
Gaining knowledge of the job market
The job market is different today than it was a few decades back. Things are changing constantly, leading to changes in the kinds of careers available. It is best to research in-demand jobs to see the wisest career moves. If a career that you want is no longer viable, there are ways for you to get creative and fulfill your interests in other ways. For example, perhaps you always wanted to be a travel agent, but you know that travel agencies are becoming a thing of the past. Consider looking at becoming a travel writer instead. You may have an excellent idea for how to revive travel agencies for the modern day and want to start your own business. Understanding the current job market can make these decisions more transparent and effective. In this regard, a career guidance tool like Checking Out Career Paths with Chaz can help. This tool can guide students to understand which career path is right for them and also what learning, training, or courses need to be undertaken to follow that particular career path.