Over the course of their lives, students today are expected to change jobs and/or careers several times. To have many options available to them in the job market, they will need some type of education or training after high school.
How do you help create a roadmap to their future?
ASPIRE volunteer mentors walk students through the process of identifying interests and selecting a career, major, and school. It all begins with these steps:
- Identify Interest Areas. Many students may not be sure what they want to do after high school. For these students, ASPIRE mentors will help them identify interests and skills they want to develop.
Use these tools to help find occupations that match skills and interests of students.
- Research Career Profiles. There are endless job titles and career paths out there. Along with encouraging students to take advantage of job shadowing opportunities, helping them research and read career profiles is a great way to determine if a specific field piques their interest.
Use these resources for helping students research career profiles.
- Select a Major. While many students will select a major before they enter college, it is not uncommon for students to finalize a major after their freshman year of postsecondary education. Sometimes majors change even after they’ve plotted their path. Either way, choosing a major can be an important factor in determining what type of schools students apply to and select.
Use the previous research of identifying interests and career profiles to help a student with major selection.
- Choose a School. There are many options for education after high school, and although students may have preconceptions that this means only attending a four-year university, it may not be the best option to achieve their goals. Below are different types of schools to choose from:
- Four-Year Public Universities
- Four-Year Private Universities
- Community College
- Technical/Vocational Programs
- Career Schools
- Apprenticeships
To learn more about the noteworthy features of each type of school, review this list with students to help narrow their focus.
Tips From The Team 