Work
Work of one kind or another is the activity that occurs most of our daily hours during the week for almost fifty years after high school. It is the end result of education, training, and part-time work experiences. Should you go immediately to full-time work after you graduate?
NO, if you are just "working until..."
- You make up your mind what to do. Some careful planning and preparation now will make temporary stop-gap jobs unnecessary after you graduate.
- You earn enough money for college. Local college tuitions remain inexpensive enough for nearly everyone who wants to go. You can afford to start college right after graduation by working part-time and continuing to live at home. Also, many grants and scholarships are available.
NO, if you know that you will do better in the long run by getting additional training or schooling now. Don't be forced to stay on the bottom rung of the company ladder for those fifty years if you can start higher and rise faster by getting some training now. In the next century, 80% of the jobs will require technical training beyond high school. Schooling becomes harder later on when you have the responsibilities of a home and family. If you need more training, get it now.
YES, if you are already employed part-time and know that you want to continue with that company. The company may assist with tuition.
YES, if you have a clear idea of the career you want to follow and know that you can succeed without further training or education. However, times and technology change and learning needs to continue with periodic updates for your lifetime.
If full-time work is your best choice after graduation, how can you prepare for it now?
You should do some researching now about the job opportunities in the immediate future and in the long range future. You can learn a great deal about careers by:
- talking with your counselor, who can help you examine your strengths
- taking an interest and aptitude survey
- using the career materials available in the counseling office and in the library such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Dictionary of the Occupational Titles (the DOT, which has job descriptions of the various occupations), cassettes, computerized information, etc.
- skimming through the want-ads in the newspaper from time to time and noticing what jobs seem to be in demand in our area
- preparing a resume
- checking the library for the dozens of books about different careers
- keeping alert to newspaper and magazine articles about careers and future trends in employment
- enrolling in a career investigations course
- asking your counselor about job placement on campus
You should get some work experience to make you more desirable to a future employer and to give you some ideas about the work you might, or might not, want to do. Some possibilities are as follows:
- part-time jobs after school hours
- a career and technology education program that combines school with work: co-ops, internships, and apprenticeships
- summer employment
- job shadowing