PART I – Start thinking about it Life After High School PART I – Start thinking about it

Do you know what you want to do after high school?? How many of you know what you want to do after high school? What about 5 years from now? 10 years from now?

What is your plan? Go to college? Get a job? Take a gap year? Join the military? Sleep?

You need a goal and a plan! Having a future goal doesn’t mean it is set in stone. Your career goal may start out in one area and end up in another, but usually they are similar. Don’t rush to make a career decision – it is a process. Having a plan and being prepared will help you feel less stress about the future.

Where to start Ask yourself… What am I passionate about? What skills do I have? What talents do I have? What values are important to me? What am I good at? What jobs do other people have that seem interesting to me? How much money do I need to make to have the life I want? How can I get the skills/education needed to achieve my dream job?

Things to consider to help narrow your focus… The amount of training needed for the specific careers Cost to obtain the training/education The occupational outlook of the career The location of the greatest opportunity Does the career meet the two greatest requirements: You love it Money (can you live comfortably)

Get a sense of the room Turn to a partner and discuss: What path are you considering taking right now right after high school? What’s your “Plan A”, “Plan B”, etc or if you don’t have one, what’s your dream plan? Share out what your partner said with the group

Don’t Stress If choosing a career feels like too much pressure, pick a path that feels right today by making the best decision you can and know that you can (and probably will) change your mind in the future. Just ask your homeroom teacher…what did you originally think you wanted to do?

Did you know? Most people change careers 5-7 times throughout their working life. A recent study showed that millennials expect to stay in a job about 3 years – meaning you may have 15-20 different jobs over your lifetime! So, it’s not about finding a forever job – it’s about making a plan and working toward it!

Looking ahead to next week… Next week, we’ll look at a bunch of different options for things to pursue after high school