Prepare Now for Education and Training After High School

Decisions about a future career used to take place in college, but with the significant expense of postsecondary education — four-year college or otherwise — those decisions should be made much earlier so they are cost-effective for students and families.

Why Now Is the Right Time

Planning takes time.
With a little more than two years of high school remaining, your student has time to explore various career options with hands-on learning and job shadowing opportunities.
Core requirements need to be taken in high school.
The majority of career options have certain requirements to meet. Two- and four-year colleges have admissions standards, and certificate programs have testing requirements for their applicants. In Iowa, the Regent Universities use the Regent Admission Index (RAI) to determine admission. Learning doesn’t end with the receipt of a high school diploma.

What Your Student Can Do Now

Know what it takes to graduate.
With the school counselor’s help, your student’s four-year academic plan should be in place to fulfill state standards for high school graduation. Your student has more than likely discussed a career goal with the counselor, who has helped your student plan coursework progression during high school. Counselors and educators in Iowa are well-versed in the Iowa Core standards for earning a diploma, as well as the minimum requirements for acceptance into Iowa’s three public universities. If you don’t live in Iowa, check your individual state’s department or bureau of education website for graduation standards. Your student’s annual meetings with the counselor are the touchpoints for planning the career or college path, but it doesn’t hurt to touch base more frequently than that.
Check into skilled trade careers.
There is a need for skilled labor in the country right now. Specific career and industry training can be received from on-the-job training, apprenticeships and through career-focused certificate and degree programs at a career training center or a community college.
Determine the desired degree.
One of the biggest decisions when attending college is deciding on a major. It’s the starting point to researching, visiting and deciding on the college that will offer the best return on your student’s investment. If your student’s tentative career options require a college degree, ISL Education Lending’s Return on College Investment tool indicates what jobs are held by graduates of a selected major. The tool also provides job probability, the starting salary and how many new jobs will be needed in future years.

What Your Student Can Do Later

Find ways to get hands-on training.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are on the rise in Iowa high schools, especially as a result of the Future Ready Iowa initiative. Other states might have similar initiatives. Agricultural, automotive, business, technology, construction and engineering are only a few of the programs found in high schools. Through the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning, businesses and organizations participate with schools by offering project-based learning opportunities to students, which can include virtual projects, internships and apprenticeships, giving students valuable knowledge of the career’s day-to-day life.

What You Can Do

Encourage your student.
Periodic discussions with your student about the career or college pathway will create a partnership while also lending your guidance and expertise to a very important life decision for your student. Stress the idea that the first career will not be the last, as most people have an average of five to seven career changes during their working life.
Be honest about your financial support.
The decision-making process is not easy, and it’s most likely impacted by the level of financial support you can offer, especially toward college costs. Setting clear expectations now will eliminate future misunderstandings and assumptions when critical deadlines approach for admissions and financial aid applications.

Registration is open now for a scholarship for Iowa high school students, not just seniors. The scholarship awards $1,000 College Savings Iowa deposits, which can be used when your student is ready to pay educational expenses. Register at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/ScholarshipSignUp.

Next Steps

Be sure to complete the survey questions at the end of this article to be entered into the 529 deposit giveaway!

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