Education

By Nicole LaMarco

Get ahead in your college education now, while you are still in high school. You should start planning your future career in the ninth grade. This will give you an advantage over your future competitors. You mist explore your areas of interest and skill.

Do you want to work in medicine, information technology, retail, or something else? Where does your passion lie? If you love helping animals you could volunteer at an animal rescue organization to explore that excitement further. What you are interested in now could very well be something that you will have an interest in for the rest of your life. Choosing a career path that is based on that will help you obtain happiness in your work. Learn about yourself, get ahead in your career, and discover your strengths and weaknesses.  

Social Skill Development 

Throughout high school you will develop personally, learn important socialization skills, discover things about yourself, and learn vital life skills. These skills will help you determine the areas of ability in which you are most proficient. Building strong organizational and time management skills will build a solid learning foundation for your career employment. 

Subjects, Courses and Extracurricular Activities  

Examine which major(s) in college will best suit your interests and benefit your future career. Your guidance counselor is a great resource to you for planning your career in high school. She or he will have information about colleges, majors, and helpful resources. Make an appointment with your guidance counselor and ask to borrow a book about different majors to get you started.

Randy Loren, author of “Climbing the Money Mountain: The Young Adult’s Guide to Reaching Your Financial Peak”, recommends learning, “basic money management skills (understanding debt, making a budget, investing 101, retirement planning, etc.)”, as well as, “basic competency in self-marketing (resume writing, job hunting, interviewing, public speaking, etc.)”. Randy recommends taking the following classes: basic computer science, bookkeeping, marketing, personal finance, business communication, and career planning.

The best way to get ahead in planning your career is to start your college education while you are still in high school. Begin earning college credits now. Gina Ng, a career counselor with CareerCounselingToday.com, recommends taking some Advanced Placement (AP) classes while in high school. “Not only can you gain college credit and get a head start on your studies, you can save money as well,” Gina says. She recommends taking classes you are interested and even curious about. High school is a great time to explore your studies.

Join a sport and club in your school. Colleges prefer students who get involved in extracurricular activities, especially sports, math clubs, debate teams, drama clubs, and other school teams. Through these sports and clubs you’ll enjoy school more, develop well socially, and walk away with skills you’ll use in business such as teamwork, group communication and work ethic. Check out what your school has to offer and try them for yourself.

Work and Volunteer Experience 

Consider a volunteer opportunity or a part-time job that will help you learn about your passion hands-on. Places to volunteer or work could include animal shelters, hospitals, clinics, soup kitchens, childcare centers, police stations, libraries, fire departments, your high school, and more. It all depends on what you are interested in doing. 

Set yourself up for some job shadowing opportunities. This will put you side-by-side with a professional working in an industry that you are interested in. You will have the chance to ask questions and witness what the job is like. Speak with your high school guidance counselor to determine where you can job shadow.

Career and College Educational Events

Visit a local career fair. Attending a career fair is an excellent opportunity for you to get a glimpse of your future career opportunities. You’ll get to observe the many different types of companies and careers available to an employee and ask questions, bringing your focus to a career goal.

Research different colleges of interest and attend college orientation days. Taking part in relevant college orientation presentations will help you decide on a suitable college location, giving you a better feel for college requirements and help develop your career education goals further. 

The bottom line, according to Justin Honaman, author of “Make it Happen! Live Out Your Brand”, and Director of Customer Intelligence with Coca-Cola, is to secure good grades now. Every school has a system and you should figure it out. Work with teachers who enjoy providing extra help outside of class. Justin advises to make good grades because it will help you get a top career in your chosen field, not just get into a top college. “GPA, undergraduate activities, work experience, ability to learn, and leadership skills are the core measurement areas that colleges and future employers are looking to evaluate when interviewing candidates,” states Justin. 

About the Author: Nicole LaMarco is a full-time freelance writer with 8 years of experience. She specializes in ghostwriting and copywriting. Her areas of expertise are business, career, education, health, fitness, environmental science, green living, animals, and finance. Nicole teaches a class for beginner writers (Get Paid to Write: Become a Freelance Writer) located here: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html#NicoleLaMarco. Visit her website for writers here: http://www.writingpays.biz.

Sources:

Randy Loren, Financial Advisor and Author

www.randyloren.com

Email: Cathy Lewis clewis1333@aol.com

Gina Ng

Career Counselor

www.careercounselingtoday.com

Email: ng.gina@yahoo.com

Justin Honoman

www.honoman.com