Introduction 

High schools have the potential to be the fulcrum for systemic change, with students leading the way. It often emerges as the place where high schoolers witness quick changes, explore personal ambitions, and achieve career readiness.

Why high schoolers need career planning

According to reports, high schoolers pay attention to the career landscape, which is why 75% of them have a career in mind and 74?lieve it is important to have their career plans determined when they graduate from high school.

Hence, it is important for high schoolers to discuss and explore their future career choices before zeroing in on any one option. Planning the process may seem daunting and intimidating, but breaking it into steps will enable high schoolers to map out their career journey and get a head start on their future. 

How high schoolers can plan their career 

Go through this article to learn how the students of America’s top-ranked high schools are achieving career readiness and preparing for real-world experiences.  

• Identifying interests and talents 

Educationists globally are of the opinion that high school is the ‘right’ place where students should discover their core areas of interest and use their hobbies and natural talents to base their future career choices.

Asking questions like, - Do they prefer to read or code in their free time? Are they interested in sports or extracurricular activities? , etc.—will help simplify and ease the career path search. 

• Listing out the academic strengths 

Often defined as the skills and traits that act as the foundation for excelling academically, academic strengths such as creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, imagination, time management, etc. help high schoolers pursue knowledge-based careers that demand problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Creating a list of their favorite subjects and the subjects in which they perform the best will help generate career ideas and help them choose the most suitable career programs in the future. 

• Recognizing social and personal strengths 

This exercise should be undertaken either by students themselves, or by their teachers, coaches, and friends. Additionally, the online aptitude tests that are scientifically validated and measure the child’s interests and personality traits are an excellent way to move forward and:

1.       Find particular tasks, activities, and even projects they will enjoy 
2.       How to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses
3.       Identify the careers, industries, and college majors that are the perfect fit 

•  Researching trending careers

Keeping in mind the current economic climate, this is an excellent starting point for high schoolers keen to choose a career path. Shortlisting potential careers will allow them to understand the financial aspect as well as the pros and cons of their choice. Additionally, exploring the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ top 20 fastest-growing occupations list, is a good idea to learn about and get a clearer picture of the trending careers.

Being aware of in-demand careers will help high school students gauge market trends and sort out relevant internship opportunities.

• Connecting with online counselors and mentors 

One-on-one consultations with online counselors guide students in a thoughtful direction with their career path search based on genuine interests and potential. 

High schoolers enrolled at InternMart have access to licensed academic school counselors who assist them with:

1.       Academic goal-setting, scheduling, and planning
2.       Personal and social development
3.       Career planning
4.       College planning

Conclusion

Talk to us to know in detail how InternMart, a prominent online career discovery platform, has been expanding the career pathways of high school students for almost a decade.