SHS Guidance Department - Career Exploration

Choosing a career is a daunting task for many, but should be viewed as an opportunity to grow in self-awareness and engage in goal setting. Students and parents should be aware of an important trend in careers – namely, that whereas years ago, individuals had one career and perhaps only one or two jobs in their lifetime, today, students have on average four different careers and seven different jobs throughout their working life. This is a significant change and has the result of allowing students to try several different career areas, all of which they may like.

The self-assessment step involves the student thinking carefully about his or her likes and dislikes, as well as his or her abilities and aptitudes. Guidance has several assessment activities that students can participate in that will help them through this self-assessment step. There are also a number of internet sites that support self-assessment. For your help, we have listed these below.

There are hundreds of possible careers against which the individual must weigh his or her specific interests, abilities, and aptitudes. To learn about career fields, the student should:

read about the careers of interetst using the Occupational Outlook Handbook, other career materials in the SHS library or guidance, and various internet sites.

talk to people about the career. The more people the student talks to, the more varied the information and the more insight will be gained.

experience the career firsthand by seeking a job shadowing experience, volunteering within the career, or seeking part-time employment. Guidance sponsors a job shadowing program for juniors (FOCUS) and offers a number of volunteer opportunities through various school clubs and courses. Periodically, we also post job vacancies on the bulletin board outside the main office.

Students and parents frequently ask which career fields are hot. Presently, three of the hottest career fields are health care (reflective of our aging population), education (increasing numbers of school-age children and large numbers of retiring teachers), and technology ( of increasing important in almost every other career area). The outlook for specific jobs can be ascertained by accessing the Occupational Outlook Handbook on the Web.

Finding a specific career match is not as difficult as many people think. It is rather like choosing the type of ice cream to buy. There are several different flavors and you can like many of them. Indeed, you might choose to buy chocolate today and vanilla tomorrow. Similarly, what appeals to you today may not be right for you tomorrow. That is perfectly OK. You just have to be careful to commit to one goal at a time, to make your choices based on information available to you today, and to only switch careers after serious thought and a comprehensive self-assessment.

There is no shortcut in the process of career selection. While we are in a period of transition due to building renovations, guidance does have a career center that features state-of-the-art computers as well as files of scholarship information, catalogues, college applications, and resource books for student and parent use. These materials may be borrowed and are helpful in post-secondary planning.

Use some of the sites below to help you in the career search and remember that counselors are available to help you through this process. Please keep us posted on your search and utilize our services as frequently as needed.

VISION AND MISSION	CAREER EXPLORATION	SELF-GROWTH	POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS
COLLEGE PLANNING	FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIPS/AWARDS	PROGRAM OF STUDIES	COLLEGE SUCCESS
STANDARDIZED TESTING	SPECIAL PROGRAMS	ACADEMIC PATHS	SHS PROFILE