Juliana Mariah -

In this post can find 9 steps to help you start career planning in high school.

If you are graduating high school soon, you want to be well prepared to plan for your career in high school.

Have your teachers, parents, teachers, or friends talked to you about college? College may or not be for you, but career planning in high school is SO IMPORTANT!

The last thing you want to do is settle for a job doing something you do not really like, have a family, and then get stuck in that career.

You might feel too young, uneducated, or like nothing is meant for you out there BUT, that IS NOT TRUE!

By the time junior year rolls around, you have gone through enough experiences in high school that you can start career planning in high school. Successful career planning in high school will help you find the career of your dreams, but there are a few things you need to do first.

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9 Step Career Planning Checklist

Step 1:

Start thinking about what your current interests are. High school is the time when you know what you like to do and do not like to do.

Step 2:

Think about what subjects you have done well with or passed in high school. Have you liked learning about computers, science, or biology? Or are you good at art, baking, or writing? These are all subjects that you can learn more about in college. If you are a great writer, you can become a journalist and major in journalism. The sky is the limit in college. There are many degree programs and non-degree programs to help you get to your career.

Step 3:

Have your parent’s careers influenced you in any way? Maybe your parents have not gone to college, so you feel like you shouldn’t go. Always strive to be better than your examples so you can have a successful career. Or maybe your parents are teachers, so you may want to major in the educational field. Either way, you need to start career planning for your future!

Step 4:

Do not plan your job in high school or after high school around your career. Plan your career around your job. For example, after high school, I became a teacher’s aide so I could make enough to pay my bills and take full-time college courses. You do not want to worry about making a lot of money so young. Keep your bills small. Don’t get into a lot of debt, and make sure you have time right after high school to focus on your career.

Step 5:

Make a list of careers you have heard about or think may be a good fit for what your current interests are. If college is not for you, that is okay. But, find what careers make more than 4,000 dollars a month. In high school, 4,000 dollars seems like a lot of money, but when you have a spouse and children, you will realize you need to make more to support your family.

Step 6:

Once you make a list of careers, figure out how much money those careers make a year. Take a look at if the careers you chose offer benefits for health, vision, and dental. Take a look at how long the schooling or training is for that career field, and be realistic if that seems like something you are willing to do. If high school was a huge struggle, you may decide that you are a hands-on learner and want to do a few weeks of school, start a business, or go to a trade school.

Step 7:

Talk to your counselor, peers, friends, or family about the list you made. Go on YouTube or see if you know someone who will let you job shadow them in the field. Before I wanted to become a nurse, I worked as a volunteer in the emergency room area. I also talked to why parents who knew a forensic scientist I could job shadow. There are ways to shadow someone in the field of your interest. Maybe you can shadow your parents at their jobs, or if you want to be a cop, they may let you do a ride-along.

Step 8:

Make a list of questions you want to know about each job. That way, when you job shadow, you can ask the person you are shadowing questions. A question you may want to ask is, what do you like about your job? These questions are important because you do not want to find a career that makes great money, but you do not feel like showing up every day!

Step 9:

Decide if college is something for you early on. If you decide early on that college is not for you because high school has been a struggle, then see what trade schools you can attend or what careers you can move your way up in. Starting a business might even be a good fit for you, or maybe you have the opportunity to take over a family business.

Once you have narrowed down a career, research more about the career. You will want to take a look at the steps it takes to get to that career. Figure out how many months of training you will need and what I would be expected of you in that career. Everyone is meant to do something. In my master’s program, I read an inspiring story about a boy named Michael Bonner who struggled to find his career after his initial plan had failed him.

Michael wanted to play professional basketball out of high school, but his career path changed. He grew up in a place where opportunities were limited, so he depended on his physical skills in basketball to carry him through college. Michael went through a period in his life where he self-reflected on what experiences positively impacted his life so that he could be successful.

College is not for everyone, and that is okay. Make sure you have done these nine steps to plan the right career for you after high school.

I promise you do not want to wait until after high school to start planning your career. Plan in high school right now. Because if you wait, you may never focus on your career, and you don’t want to sell yourself short!

9 Steps to Kick Start Career Planning in High School for High School Students