What are you thinking about doing after high school?

“What are you thinking about doing after high school?” As a former high school counselor, I have probably asked that of high school students a thousand times. Usually the response is: “Go to college.” Then I follow up with, “And what do you want to do in college?” And the majority of the time I get back a blank stare, an irritated look, or a sigh with a deep breath, “I have no idea.” I would estimate in my school counseling career in interacting with high school seniors only 20% really had a good idea of the kind of a career path they wanted to pursue. With college costs rising every year, it is very important to get a good answer to this question.

I want to present my thoughts succinctly, and I will do this through asking questions:

1. Have you considered all types of post-high school educations options? Those would be four year colleges, two year community colleges and transfer, career and technical programs in community colleges, apprenticeship programs, training options in the military, on-the-job training.

2. Have you completed career assessments in your high school career information system or in My ACT? Answering questions about your interests, abilities, and values won’t give you the answer, but it might make you think about options you might have.

3. Ask yourself this question, “If I ended up getting a job in Setting X, how would I feel about that? Would you like sitting at a desk all the time? Would you like working with people all the time? Would you like working with machines all the time? Would you like working outdoors all the time (especially in January in Iowa)? Would you like working with numbers most of the time?

4. What is the future for the career area you are considering? Will jobs be growing in the future in your area of interest? Will your earnings allow you to pursue the reasonable lifestyle you would like to have? Check out this information at www.bls.gov/ooh.

5. Have you ever looked at academic programs of study on a four year college or community college website and considered the classes you would take in certain programs? Would that give you some clues?

6. Do you like to work and learn with your hands? Have you considered apprenticeship training or career and technical programs?

I recommend exploring and thinking about these questions now in high school before you really pursue post-high school education. Too many young people omit this piece of the puzzle, and it can unnecessarily cost you money and time. 

 Steve - ICAN Council Bluffs Center