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CAREER EXPLORATION PROCESS

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Career exploration is a continual process that requires gathering information about yourself and information about careers. Whether you are just beginning to think about a career, or have a good idea of where you are heading, make sure you engage in self-assessment, career research, and experiences that enhance your skills and build upon your strengths.

Think of career planning in three steps. These steps include:

Step One: Understanding Yourself and Self-Assessment. Knowing about yourself is the basis of career decision-making. What are your interests, skills, your values? What is important to you about your work? What are your personal traits and characteristics?

Step Two: Gathering Information about Careers. Learning about the careers, types of jobs, educational requirements, and job functions are important in understanding the careers that fit your interests and goals.

Step Three: Integration. This step requires you to take what you know about yourself and piece it together with the reality of the work world. You begin to evaluate career options that are practical for you.

Career/Life

Career decisions will include more than considering which job to take after graduation. Your career is the value of all the work and experiences you develop over time. In making career decisions, the work you choose to pursue will have a direct impact on the way you live your life. Your values, interests, past experiences, and lifestyle choices are all part of career development

Developing an Action Plan

Planning is an essential component of the process that requires setting goals about work and lifestyle and developing specific objectives that will help you meet them. Regardless of where you are in the planning process—from completely unsure to having somewhat of an idea—you will need to set goals and set strategies to move forward in the process. Gathering information will help you establish clear goals and objectives. Many sources of career information and support are available to help you along.

Making Career Decisions

Your career plan will not be the result of one decision, but rather a series of decisions throughout your lifetime. You will go through the steps in career planning several times because as you continue to grow and develop as a person, your interests, skills, and values will change. The job market will also continually change. So, “process” implies a dynamic aspect of reflection and knowledge to develop satisfying and successful career and life plans. Don’t be alarmed if you feel uncertain about career plans – now is the time to explore, question, and wonder.

 
 
solomon

Solomon, Class of '22

Next year I will be going to the United States Airforce Academy. This was a very long process to get into this school. It took a lot of hard work, SATs, ACTs, a lot of recommendation letters, and help from people at this school.  I'm proud to say I received an appointment for the United States Airforce Academy. And I will be serving my school, my God, and my country there next year.

COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID

Financial Aid can be an overwhelming and confusing process.  The positive thing is that you are not alone in making decisions and understanding what financial aid is. Federal Student Aid is financial aid from the federal government to help you pay for education expenses at an eligible college or career school. Grants, loans and work-study are types of federal student aid. You must complete the FAFSA to apply for this aid. The office at a college or career school that is responsible for preparing and communicating information on financial aid. This office helps students apply for and receive student loans, grants, scholarships and other types of financial aid. Please see that attached information for guidance:

FAFSA is about applying for student aid: It’s a Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA). Student Aid is an office of the U.S. Department of Education. Both are resources that work together.

Helpful information:

-Apply to the college or career school before applying for financial aid.

-The student will need help and guidance from their parent when completing the application.

- Once you are accepted to the colleges you have applied to, you can add those schools to receive financial aid award offers from when you file your FAFSA. It is possible to file your FAFSA before applying for admission to a college, but the schools will generally not package an award offer for you until you have been admitted to their school. So the FAFSA information will be sent to the colleges but you will not receive an award offer until you are admitted.

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES

StudentScholarships.org . MyCollegeDollars.com . Fastweb.com . Scholarships.com