Petersons - Teens Guide to College & Career Planning

What Can This Book Do forYou?

Within a few years, your high school experience will lead you into a new world of college, military, work, travel, and more. This book is designed to give you guidance, ideas, and answers about the many options life offers and the steps youll need to take for each.

What First?

Take a few minutes to claim ownership of this book. Write your name in it. In pencil, lay out your career and life goals as you see them today. Consider the obstacles you may have to overcome to achieve your goals. If you dont have a formal plan, thats OK. Answering these questions will spark your imagination and help you make one. The first steps might not be easy, but luckily there are no right or wrong answers. As you continue working through this book, refer to these goals and feel free to fill in any blanks you left or to change your ideas.

What Next?

Your needs, goals, ideas, and talents are unique to you. What is right for you may not be right for others. But the steps in the process of choosing a career direction (and understanding what education you might need to get there) are the same whether you aspire to repair car engines or design the next generation of space shuttles.

Think of This Book as a RoadMap

Knowing where you want to go and what roads will lead you there are the first steps in the process. You can always change your destination and chart a new course. Were providing the map. The rest is up to you.

GETTING A JUMP ON THEROAD TO SUCCESS

Name______________________________________

Age_______________________________________

Grade______________________________________

Date Started________________________________

My current goal after I graduate from high school is to: __________________________________________

At school, to reach my goal Ill need:
Curriculum planning:
__________________________________________

Clubs, teams, associations: __________________________________________

Career research: __________________________________________

Outside school, to reach my goal Ill need:
Volunteer work:
__________________________________________

Shadowing/mentor program: __________________________________________

Job experiences: __________________________________________

Extracurricular activities: __________________________________________

Challenges my goal presents: __________________________________________

Ideas to overcome these challenges: __________________________________________

A LETTER TO STUDENTS

A MESSAGE FOR PARENTS

P reparing for the future may seem daunting and overwhelming, but it doesnt have to be. Your teen can pursue a variety of options after high school: getting a job, entering the military, or seeking further education and training. Learning about the choices and creating a plan will help put your teen on the path to success. You can help your teen navigate these options and prepare for the future by using this book, Teens Guide to College & Career Planning.

Preparing for the Future

With this comprehensive guide for high school students, Teens Guide to College & CareerPlanning, you and your teen can learn how to explore career options, plan a career path, and find the colleges and career schools that will help your teen reach his or her goals. In addition, the TeensGuide offers alternatives to traditional four-year colleges, facts about many of the standardized tests your teen may be expected to take during the next few years, and information about how you can finance your teens education or training.

As you are getting ready to read through the TeensGuide, discuss these options with your teen:

• Going to college. A college education allows students to exercise their minds and learn critical-thinking and analytical skills. Another bonus: studies show that college degrees lead to higher incomes. The United States alone has thousands of two-and four-year colleges, each of which offers dozens, sometimes hundreds, of majors that can lead to exciting careers. Today, everyone can pursue a college education, and youll find out why in the Teens Guide.
• Enlisting in the military. The U.S. military is the largest employer in the nation. It offers training and employment in more than 2,000 job specialties and provides service-people an opportunity to see the world. Plus, joining the military is a great way to finance a college education.
• Getting a job. College and the military arent the only options out there. Your teen may want to experience the work world first and go to college as an adult student. In fact, students over the age of 25 compose more than 30 percent of todays campus population.
• Alternatives. Higher education isnt limited to traditional two-and four-year colleges. Apprenticeship programs, career schools, and technical institutes train young people for work as carpenters, auto mechanics, medical secretaries, computer technicians, and more.

Using the Teens Guide

The Teens Guide is designed to help you and your teen through the process of preparing for life after high school. The basic organization of the book is as follows:

Part 1: Youre Going to Be a Freshman
While the main focus of the Teens Guide is planning for life after high school, just making the transition to high school can be overwhelming. This section addresses all the questions and fears looming out there as your teen moves from middle or junior high school to high school.

Part 2: Jump-Start Your Future
This section contains exercises and information to encourage your teen to pursue higher education and explore career opportunities.

Part 3: The Road to More Education
Here youll find the many educational opportunities available to your teen: traditional colleges, career schools, technical institutions, apprenticeship programs, and the military. Part 3 contains information about searching for and applying to schools, preparing for standardized tests, and locating financial aid.

Part 4: You and the Workplace
While many people go on to higher education right after high school, it isnt always the right option for every person. This section explores how your teen can succeed in his or her first job and offers essential survival skills.

Forming a Plan

When thinking about your teens future, you have so many things to consider: career training, military service, college searches, standardized tests, and financial aid. Where do you begin? What should you and your teen be focusing on over the next few years? Forming a plan and staying organized will help you guide your son or daughter through the process of getting ready for a job, further education, or the military.

To get started, check out the Planning Your Education While in High School chapter of the Teens Guide. It contains detailed planning time lines for students to follow in each grade. These time lines can show you what to do next and help you stay on track.

Communication Is Key

The most important thing you can do as a parent is to sit down and talk about your teens future with him or her. Open communication allows each of you to discuss your expectations, hopes, and concerns. Approach your conversations with a positive attitude, ask questions, and listen. The last thing you want is for your teen to dread talking to you about his or her future!