Think Career !! – Prepare for the Job You Will Love
During this time, you can experiment with your likes and dislikes, do research, accept entry-level jobs without having
to worry about bills, and seek advice from professionals, in occupations, that interest you. The major concern with today’s youth is that they assume that going to college is the sole answer to achieving a great career. This is not true. Yes, having a college degree will help you qualify for various jobs, but gaining experience and expertise is what the goal should be. In reality, being knowledgeable about different career options and gaining those skills early in life, will allow you to be more competitive and better able to secure a career path that fits you.
When searching for potential careers, The Bureau of Labor Statistics’
Occupational Outlook Handbook, not only provides you with different occupations, but also the needed training and education, earnings, expected job prospects, job tasks, and average working conditions. Each of these characteristics of a job is important to a person’s overall success and happiness. In addition, one should observe current job boards, such as indeed.com, simplyhired.com, monster.com, and many more. This will allow you to see what skills and experience employers are looking for and the types of companies seeking new talent. Lastly,
The College Board, provides students with information, regarding creative ideas for careers and how to match interests with educational opportunities. This is important because it allows students to start choosing an educational route that is linked to their ideal career.
Think Career !! The Young Person’s Guide to Career Planning in the Real World, introduces a new realistic approach to career planning. By changing the motivational focus from “you have to go to college” to “you need to have a plan,” it has created a shift for effective career planning to occur, as early as high school. It is important that teens know that there are people in college without a plan, creating unnecessary debt, as well as successful people with great jobs that did not go to college. Having a diploma or degree without any hands-on-experience will limit your chances at getting your ideal job. Some jobs only require certifications and some require master’s degree, along with years of experience. It is vital that you develop the skills needed for the particular career that you want and start building your personal brand. Below is a career assessment that analyzes your reactions to everyday situations. It will suggest careers to that you probably have never considered before. This can help broaden your career outlook and examine careers for how they match your personality and passions.
http://www.high-school.devry.edu/personality-profile/questions.htm
Overall, career planning is like a project. You have to have a plan to reach successful completion. There will be several milestones and critical steps along the way, that are needed to get you to the desired outcome. One must be open to putting in hard work, volunteering and interning, accepting lower salaries, becoming educated, gaining experience, and networking to eventually get the job that will make them happy. Some of us are lucky and get into a career, early in life, others have to put in more time, building a resume. Remember any passion can be made into a career. Know the skills and education that are needed, early in the race. This will help you be competitive in today’s global market.
Nicole Quarles-Thomas is the author of Think Career !! The Young Person’s Guide to Career Planning in the Real World. She believes that by learning the essential keys to planning and forecasting your future, anyone can have a better chance at success.
“Buy a hat today to avoid a beaming sun tomorrow.”
can learn and grow so much from being in
different social situation. Learning from
your parents is great in a lot of ways but, learning from your own mistakes is
more impactful! 
