CAREER PLANNING WORKSHOP

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CAREER PLANNING WORKSHOP

• What comes after high school?

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YOUR HS DIPLOMA

• Types of diplomas Regents Advanced
  Regents Advanced Regents with Honors
• What do they mean?
• What do colleges want?

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What does high school prepare you for?

• College
• Military
• Career/Technical Training
• Work?
• Keep in mind, a high school education without
  marketable skills prepares you for only the
  lowest paying jobs.

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Requirements for career success

• Academic skills
• Commitment to and focus on a goal that is
  realistic

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Defining success

• For those who go on to college, success is
  entering college without the need for remedial
  courses, graduating on time and then finding
  employment that is related to the level and type
  of education pursued.

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The Present Reality

• Virtually all barriers to attending college
  (including academic ability) have been removed
  for our children
• We have historically been fixated on getting
  students enrolled in college without much focus
  on how that relates to their career success
• Many teenagers who attempt college fail either by
  not graduating or by not finding commensurate
  employment upon completion.

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Why do students leave college?

• Poor academic skills
• Lack of money
• Feelings of alienation at college
• Lack of a clear cut goal or reason for sticking
  it out.

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Who succeeds in college?

• Students enrolled in occupation specific programs
  indicating a specific career interest and a
  reason for attending are statistically more
  likely to graduate. (Kostelba 1997)
• It is important to know why you are going to
  college.

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What To do

• All students should ask
• What am I passionate about?
• What am I best at?
• Where can I get paid well to do what I am
  good at and passionate about?

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Developing Career Maturity

• High school students need help understanding the
  importance of narrowing career interests as a
  basis for secondary career planning
• By grade 10 students should ideally have
  identified one or more career interests AFTER an
  objective evaluation of their likes and dislikes,
  aptitudes and market projections.

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• By the end of 12th grade, students should have
  ideally engaged in activities related to these
  choices and developed a post high school plan.
• Developing career maturity does NOT mean
  making a decisions at age 18 about the one best
  career for you.

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• The goal is that much of the narrowing down
  process will take place during the high school
  years and not while incurring great expense in
  college or enduring disappointments in the labor
  market.

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Our Goal Post Secondary Success

• Every student will graduate from high school
  having developed a post secondary plan that has a
  high probability of success

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It is time to stop counting how many go to
college and ask instead how many succeed
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Goal Setting

• Not having a career goal, does not permit your
  student to escape from making a decision.
• Procrastinating often results in
• poor pay
• job dissatisfaction
• working multiple jobs to make ends meet
• no health insurance
• no retirement benefits
• Dont end up behind the curve and then rush to
  make a career decision. Career Development is a
  process.

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Selecting a College Major

• 1)What are your students interests aptitudes?
• 2)How much schooling is he/she prepared to
  commit to?
• 3) How much /loan debt is your family
  able/willing to incur?
• 4) Are the skills that your student will learn in
  this major useful and marketable in todays world
  of work?

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Selecting A College

• Community College Vs. University
• Career vs. transfer programs
• Private vs. State Colleges
• Some factors in deciding 1)Selectivity of
  admissions 2) Cost (COA) 3)
  Location/size 4) Programs available

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What Tools are available to Students?

• Choices Planner (web based career guidance
  program)
• Career Fairs
• Talk to alumni/current students
• Visit! Visit! Visit!
• Seek information from
• Family
• Friends
• Counselor/teachers

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More tools!

• Job Shadowing
• Internet
• Career resource library at school
• College fairs/open houses
• http//www.pembroke.k12.ny.us/hs/teachers/Beahant/
  counselinghome.htm

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Education and the Military

• Branches
• Army
• Navy
• Air Force
• Marines
• Coast Guard
• Air/Army National Guard

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Options

• Direct Enlistment
• active duty vs. reserves
• variable lengths of commitment
• develop personal discipline
• Learn a skill
• ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp)
• Scholarships available 1-4 years
• Graduate as a Second Lieutenant
• Post graduate commitment
• active or
• reserve duty
• Program available on many campuses

• Military Academies
• Army-West Point
• Navy-Annapolis
• Air Force Academy
• Must be a top student and athletically fit
• Application process begins in Junior year
• All expenses paid education
• Post graduation military commitment

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Factors In College Admissions

• Academic performance (grades, course selection,
  Rigor of HS program)
• Standardized Tests (SATs, ACTs , Regents
  Exams)
• Extracurricular activities
• Personal Qualities
• Essays
• Recommendations
• Interview
• Demographic, ethnographic factors
• Special talents athletics, music
• Early decision

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WHAT MATTERS TO YOUR STUDENT?

• Small class sizes?
• Personal atmosphere?
• Opportunities to participate individually in
  extracurriculars?
• Having a greater number of activities to choose
  from?
• Larger, more sophisticated facilitieslibraries,
  labs?
• Having more course offerings to choose from?
• Going to a school which is well known?
• Gaining skills which will lead to meaningful
  employment?
• Living on campus?
• Admissions selectivity?
• Church or religious affiliation?
• Urban, rural, suburban setting?
• In state? Out of State?
• Cost ?

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Visiting Colleges

• Make an appointment with the admissions office.
• Start early! (Junior year)
• Schedule your visit on a normal school day.
• Request a campus map.
• Request a parking permit.
• Talk to students on campus.
• See the Freshman dormitories
• Check out the dining hall/food plans
• Sit in on a class if possible.
• Ask yourself do I see myself fitting in here?

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College Entrance Exams

• SAT
• PSAT
• ACT
• 1) required for admissions and /or placement
• 2) Most colleges will accept either
• ACT or SAT

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SAT

• SAT
• Scoring 600-2400 range
• Subtests Writing (200-800)
• Math (200-800)
• Critical Reading (200-800)
• Cost 45.00
• Location Regional Centers (Batavia HS)
• Online registration www.collegeboard.com

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ACT

• Scoring 0-36 composite score
• Subtests English (0-36)
• Math (0-36)
• Science (0-36)
• Reading (0-36)
• Writing test (optional but
  recommended)
• Cost 31.00 ACT with writing test 46.00
• Location Regional Centers (GCC)
• Online registrations www.act.org

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How Students Can Prepare

• Students should
• Challenge themselves throughout high school by
  taking rigorous courses, including at least 3
  years of math
• Read and write as much as possibleboth in and
  outside of school
• Familiarize themselves with the SAT so they know
  what to expect on test day
• Familiarize themselves with the different types
  of questions on the SAT, the directions for each
  type of question, and how the test is scored.
• Practice tests available in the Counseling Center

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What does college cost?

• Dont get sticker shock.
• Know the formula
• COA-EFCNeed
• Carefully evaluate the SAR
• Attend our financial aid seminar in January.

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College costsWhat can the family afford?

• Estimate your EFC
• http//apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/ep/step3-1.js
  p
• Find out what each colleges COA will be.
• Talk with your family.
• Decide what your debt tolerance will be.
• Apply to at least one safe college.

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What is financial aid?

• Grants
• Scholarships
• Work study
• Loans
• Tax credits

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Financial Advisors Not all the same
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Financial Advisors

• Financial Aid Administrators college financial
  aid office
• Financial Planners/Consultants-certified,
  generally offer advise on savings, retirement
  etc
• Financial aid Consultant/College Planner-no
  special certification or qualifications required
  in order to engage in this business

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A word of Advice

• Be careful what information you give to a
  Scholarship Search Service.
• Filling the FAFSA form is always free
• Trust very little of what you see on the internet
  unless the site has been recommended by a trusted
  and informed source

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Terms To Know

• SUNY State University of New York
• SUNYASC SUNY Application services center, where
  SUNY applications are mailed
• CEEB Code a unique number assigned to all
  educational institutions by the College board for
  ID purposes Pembrokes CEEB code is 331480.
• GPA an average grade based on grades received
  and the number of hours for each course taken
• FAFSA Free Application For Federal Student Aid.
  The main form for financial aid eligibility.
• COA Cost of Attendance. Each college determines
  its own COA by considering tuition, fees, room,
  board, transportation and misc. expenses.
• EFC This is what the federal government expects
  a family to contribute to a childs college
  education. It is based on information from the
  FAFSA.
• SAR Student aid report. You will receive this
  from each college where you have been accepted IF
  you have filled out a FAFSA.

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Final Words of Advice

• Dont get overwhelmed!
• Start planning early!
• Ask for help

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THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!