How does one go about finding a career?

In My Humble Opinion
1

This may belong in general questions and a mod may move but not only am I looking for answers I am looking for peoples own experiances as well.

When I graduated high school I joined the work force full time. College or a trade school was just not on the table. It was never discussed and I knew my parents did not have the money anyway. No school counselor ever talked to me about it or the process to go through. I moved from job to job working in fast food, gas stations, deli counters and grocery stores until I got lucky and landed a ground floor office job. I am still there fifteen years later and I make decent money. I got lucky. In this day and age I don’t think I would have been so lucky.

The problem I have now is I have no idea now how to instruct my daughter into figuring out what type of career she might be interested in. She is currently working on her GED (homeschooled). I have asked her several times what she thinks she may want to do so we can look into what is required for those fields but she just does not know, not unusual for her age. She is seventeen. I have brought up several careers I think she might be good at and got some information on them but she just really does not know.

Is there some type of free career counseling we can go to? Do community colleges have a career director of some sort? Is there some type of testing she can take that would steer her in a direction that might suit her likes and abilities?

Also how does financing for community college or trade school work? I am not rich by any means and I can’t afford to pay for it all. I am sure I can help scrap money together for books and such but not the actually tuition. She is currently working part time. We have about a year to get all these type of things together so it is not a rush at this point but I think a year is a enough time that we should start planning for these things now.

Any information or your own personal experiances are welcome. I just want some direction on where to begin.

2

Some universities have a ‘career center’ (may be called different things at different places). Here a person can invesitage different careers and talk to guidance folks about what path they may wish to choose. Of course, they are going to be giving you the hard sell about attending that school, but let them know y’all are undecided at the moment.

I don’t know where you are geographically (assuming US), but community college is a great bargain in our state. If your daughter were to score 20 or above on her ACT, she would be eligible for free tuition. Supposing that the CC were close enough to you for her to commute, she would only have to pay for her books. Once she got her 2-year associates degree, she could transfer to a 4-year college. Our 4-year Universities here are ‘linked’ to all of the CCs, so that transfer is seamless - and scholarships available for those with associates’ degrees. This is what our youngest daughter is doing (she’s also 17 :slight_smile: ). Your daughter could take her ‘core’ classess at CC; during those 2 years she can figure out more about what she’d like to pursue.

Our oldest daughter went to CC also (totally free except for books, as well) then went to a 4-year Uni. The Uni awarded her some scholarship $$ which whittles her tuition down to an amount which is easily covered by student loans. I help her out with books as I can - she also works part time. She will graduate in 2 semesters.

I suggest that you go looking on the web sites of colleges and universities near you - the programs are detailed under Financial Aid sections.

Good luck!

3

Has she taken any of the big standardized tests (PSAT, SAT, ACT)? Her scores there make a considerable difference about what her choices are.

4

Well, she has to start working, see what she enjoys doing and is good at, saving some money and establishing financial independent status.

Some good jobs during her first two years [while she is concentrating on the basic requirements] are:

Waitressing [fast-pace, detail-oriented, lots of contact with people]
Landscaping [out-doors, physically-demanding, machinery]
Temporary office work [office politics, communication skills, ambition]
Private transcription [personal motivation, minimal contact with others]

How she responds to jobs like those will indicate where she wants to go in a chosen field.

5

Community colleges probably have good resources to address this type of question. Around here (NC) that’s where I’d suggest she start. University career offices are more geared toward advising students already at the school on careers that use their degrees.

Taking the SAT is a great suggestion. If she does well, that can help her get scholarships.

The best known book on finding a career you like is called What Color Is Your Parahute? Your public library probably has several copies, as well as lots of other books on career decisions. If you are “directing” her homeschooling, you can start having her do some assignments related to career choice. I had a class called “Careers” in high school, tell her you’re making that a new requirement for graduation :slight_smile: . If she likes researching on the Web, this site has tons of information about careers, what they require, jobs available, etc. online.onetcenter.org/

6

[QUOTE=NinetyWt]
Some universities have a ‘career center’ (may be called different things at different places). Here a person can invesitage different careers and talk to guidance folks about what path they may wish to choose. Of course, they are going to be giving you the hard sell about attending that school, but let them know y’all are undecided at the moment.

I don’t know where you are geographically (assuming US), but community college is a great bargain in our state. If your daughter were to score 20 or above on her ACT, she would be eligible for free tuition. Supposing that the CC were close enough to you for her to commute, she would only have to pay for her books. Once she got her 2-year associates degree, she could transfer to a 4-year college. Our 4-year Universities here are ‘linked’ to all of the CCs, so that transfer is seamless - and scholarships available for those with associates’ degrees. This is what our youngest daughter is doing (she’s also 17 :slight_smile: ). Your daughter could take her ‘core’ classess at CC; during those 2 years she can figure out more about what she’d like to pursue.

Our oldest daughter went to CC also (totally free except for books, as well) then went to a 4-year Uni. The Uni awarded her some scholarship $$ which whittles her tuition down to an amount which is easily covered by student loans. I help her out with books as I can - she also works part time. She will graduate in 2 semesters.

I suggest that you go looking on the web sites of colleges and universities near you - the programs are detailed under Financial Aid sections.

Good luck!
[/QUOTE]

We are in the US. Cleveland area to be more specific. We have the Tri-C Campus about 25 miles from us. We also have Kent State university about the same distance just in the opposite direction.

We also have tons of trade schools in the area but I am thinking it may be best for her to take clases at a CC and get a feel for that rather than a “set” trade. That way she can mingle more and see whats out there.

[QUOTE=Manda JO]
Has she taken any of the big standardized tests (PSAT, SAT, ACT)? Her scores there make a considerable difference about what her choices are.
[/QUOTE]

No. The last time she attended public school was the first semester of seventh grade. She was an excellent student then and still is. I removed her due to what I felt was the violence and social enviorment that was not a part of an education that was going to do her any good.

She is studying now for her GED. Do you know how she can take any of these tests? Do colleges offer them free or even for a small fee?

[QUOTE=j666]
Well, she has to start working, see what she enjoys doing and is good at, saving some money and establishing financial independent status.

Some good jobs during her first two years [while she is concentrating on the basic requirements] are:

Waitressing [fast-pace, detail-oriented, lots of contact with people]
Landscaping [out-doors, physically-demanding, machinery]
Temporary office work [office politics, communication skills, ambition]
Private transcription [personal motivation, minimal contact with others]

How she responds to jobs like those will indicate where she wants to go in a chosen field.
[/QUOTE]

As I stated in my post, she is working. She has been working part time in a farmers market as a cashier for several months now. She enjoys it and it has helped her become more social in a lot of ways. For a girl that was so “vocal” at home but not in public, she has learned to speak up for herself, ask questions and seek help if needed.

[QUOTE=Harriet the Spry]
Community colleges probably have good resources to address this type of question. Around here (NC) that’s where I’d suggest she start. University career offices are more geared toward advising students already at the school on careers that use their degrees.

Taking the SAT is a great suggestion. If she does well, that can help her get scholarships.

The best known book on finding a career you like is called What Color Is Your Parahute? Your public library probably has several copies, as well as lots of other books on career decisions. If you are “directing” her homeschooling, you can start having her do some assignments related to career choice. I had a class called “Careers” in high school, tell her you’re making that a new requirement for graduation :slight_smile: . If she likes researching on the Web, this site has tons of information about careers, what they require, jobs available, etc. online.onetcenter.org/
[/QUOTE]

We will check out that book and that site. We have a great library here which connects to all libraries in the county so we can get just about anything we want.
I want to Thank you all for your responses. They give me insight into what steps to take.

7

[QUOTE=SomeUserName]
She is studying now for her GED. Do you know how she can take any of these tests? Do colleges offer them free or even for a small fee?
[/QUOTE]

You can find all the info about the SAT here. If she’s only going to take one test, that’s the one to take, as most colleges require it, and even the ones who prefer the ACT will accept it. It’s not clear that the SAT benefits anyone except the company who administers it, but if you don’t take it, your options for college become a lot more limited.

8

Some people shoot for a certain career and follow a specific path, like doctors and lawyers. I was a generalist, learning something about darned near everything as an undergrad, which suited me exceptionally well and still does to this day. People like me tend to bop around, have various adventures and then fall unexpectedly into a certain career by default.

And as windy as my road has been, I doubt I would change a thing. (Well, not too much anyway.) It’s all about the journey.

9

[QUOTE=ultrafilter]
You can find all the info about the SAT here. If she’s only going to take one test, that’s the one to take, as most colleges require it, and even the ones who prefer the ACT will accept it. It’s not clear that the SAT benefits anyone except the company who administers it, but if you don’t take it, your options for college become a lot more limited.
[/QUOTE]

To add to this: the SAT is offered by a private company and isn’t given to anyone through their high school, though high schools are sometimes used as testing sites. So her status as homeschooled won’t affect anything.

There is a fee for the SAT ($50ish? I am not sure), and their are waivers avalible for low-income households.

Lastly, even if your daughter is homeschooled, she is probably entitled by law to whatever services the local schools offer. They have conselors that do advising–you might call and see if they will talk to you and your daughter about what’s avalible.

10

[QUOTE=ultrafilter]
You can find all the info about the SAT here. If she’s only going to take one test, that’s the one to take, as most colleges require it, and even the ones who prefer the ACT will accept it. It’s not clear that the SAT benefits anyone except the company who administers it, but if you don’t take it, your options for college become a lot more limited.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that site and the information. I will check it out.

[QUOTE=Siam Sam]
Some people shoot for a certain career and follow a specific path, like doctors and lawyers. I was a generalist, learning something about darned near everything as an undergrad, which suited me exceptionally well and still does to this day. People like me tend to bop around, have various adventures and then fall unexpectedly into a certain career by default.

And as windy as my road has been, I doubt I would change a thing. (Well, not too much anyway.) It’s all about the journey.
[/QUOTE]

I see her being this way.

As a kid I hated “office” work, as my daughter does. My mother worked in an office and I could not picture myself being a “paper pusher”. I never saw myself working in an office.

The plain fact is I am good at it.

At seventeen she does not understand that sometimes, even if it is not your “chosen” ambition, if you are damn good at it and the money is good, it can work in your favor.

Any knowledge at a particular task is knowledge and can be used in a variety of jobs.

11

Tri-C is very big on helping students figure out what careers they are interested in. Tri-C has always been a really great option for people in NE Ohio, I think. I went to Kent with plenty of kids who took 2 years at Tri-C for money’s sake, got their early requirements out of the way and then finished at Kent with their bachelor’s.

There’s also the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center in Brecksville. I’m a huge fan of that place. Kids from our high school would go there for their junior and senior years, learn a trade and come out with awesome jobs…many bypassing the whole college thing. I am extremely proud of my cousin who went there and became a mechanic and is probably making more money than I am right now. But of course, they offer more than just that. Check out the site.

Kent has career services and some new resource called My Plan which might be helpful. But it seems to me that they are more interested in helping you plan a career once you’ve become a student. But it’s still an awesome school :slight_smile: I hear it’s more expensive now than Akron (which also has career services)…both are fine schools. Akron is definitely more science/law/psych and Kent is journalism/nursing/design/education. Plenty of options between both schools to fill her needs!

12

Since money is a concern, I can’t let this go by without letting you know about fields with loan forgiveness. If your daughter is interested in teaching or nursing, for example, she could get her education using loans, then promise to teach in a disadvantaged area or something for a few years in order to have her educational loans forgiven.

See here: Loan Forgiveness - Finaid

Hope that helps! I’m actually looking into it right now because I’m going into nursing.

13

[QUOTE=SomeUserName]
Any information or your own personal experiances are welcome. I just want some direction on where to begin.
[/QUOTE]

Given that your daughter is 17, I’d be curious as to what SHE is doing. Not that I’m trying to shoot down any of the good advicew given so far, but

  1. My parents, and most parents I know, offered almost no career guidance at all to me/the other kids in question, because it’s pointless. Actually, I cannot remember my parents providing me any guidance at all; I was expected to go to school and take care of myself and that was about the end of it. A person has to figure out what they want to do on their own.

  2. Most people end up in careers they did not expect to end up in when they were 17 anyway, so planning a career at 17 should (usually) be no more than finding a school to go to, and

  3. If your daughter isn’t taking the lead in finding this stuff out, there’s a good chance your efforts are wasted. If she doesn’t know what she wants to do next, that’s fine; the short term goal of “Get an education of any sort” is fine for now.

14

Does she have any creative activities that she is involved in? Hobbies? Is there something that she is involved in that makes her lose track of time? Those kinds of activities can be a clue to an area that might be developed with a career in mind. It’s the old concept of “Follow your bliss.”

15

You should also look into the One-Stop Career Centers near you. From clicking on the links for the sites in your area, I see that they all have a listing of services that they offer to youth. They are a terrific resource and most of the services are free of charge.

16

Your daughter has to find something she enjoys, then find out if anyone will pay her to do that thing. High school/college clubs can be a fantastic way to discover what she likes.

When I was in high school everyone was pointing me down the science/engineering path. I was good at math, good at chemistry and physics, had the highest PSAT score ever seen at school, so into college I go… and rapidly discover I hate college-level science courses. Lab work was torture, calculus was sleep-inducing, and I had no interest in devoting hours of study to these topics with no idea what the payoff was going to be.

On the other hand, I loved my climatology class, copy-editing the student newspaper, and DJ’ing on the campus radio station. That’s what finally got my pointed toward a career, and led me to become a television news producer. Sure, I could have gone into catering since I love cooking, and I spent time working in restaurants-- but ultimately realized that working in a restaurant took all the joy out of cookin for me.

Your daughter has to figure out what she likes. When she figures it out, she’ll be able to make better choices.

17

Have her fill out the FAFSA. It’s the fedral application for financial aid, and it will determine how much she can get from the government, and a lot of scholarships use it as well. It’s pretty long, and asks all sorts of questions about her income, your income, etc. It’s best to do it right after you get your W-2’s.

18

Thank you all for your responses. A lot of the links have helped and one that led me to another career pages has lists of I think every career and what is sort of education is required for each. Very cool.

I am going to have her start really thinking about what she might like to do and then use these sites so she will know what type of school she may need to go to.

Your advice has helped a lot.