Exploring Options After High School

Having a career goal in mind will help your student make decisions about what classes or activities to participate in during high school and what preparations need to be made to enter the appropriate training or education program after high school.

Why It Matters

Different types of careers require different types of preparation.
If your student is interested in a career that doesn’t require a four-year college degree, preparing for a traditional college path may not be a good strategy. On the other hand, taking health care dual enrollment courses in high school will not be extremely beneficial to a budding engineer. While no education is completely wasted, a target career can inform your student’s choices.
Preparation can begin now.
Your student may be able to take classes in high school that will count toward future training or education requirements, saving time and money later. Activities, job choices and volunteer work can also allow your student to explore careers and refine a path for the future.
Finances are an important consideration.
The various options after high school could cost your family and your student more than $100,000, as little as $100 or somewhere in between. The career options after completing a program also provide a range of expected salaries. Your student will need to make an informed decision about how much it makes sense to spend to earn the credentials for a specific career and its associated earnings.

What Your Student Can Do Now

Explore careers.
Your student may be able to earn a high salary with different types of training and degrees. While looking into various careers, your student should consider the potential demand for new hires by the time education or training is completed, realistic beginning salaries, and the type of training or education required, as well as personal interest. The results of career assessments can provide a starting point.
Match career skills to high school plans.
As your student prepares to enter high school, it’s a good idea to consider the types of classes listed in the four-year plan (April Article One on your personal dashboard) and the skills achieved through that coursework. Consider dual enrollment, technical and other courses with transferrable skills, and potentially credit, that can be used to prepare for a specific career.
Plan for change.
It’s important for your student to realize that few people stay in the same career over time. Changing technologies, economies, interests, finances and geography all impact career moves. Your student may wish to plan for an entry career that will allow a transition to a more advanced path later, such as earning a two-year degree and working for a while before pursuing a four-year or more advanced degree.

What Your Student Can Do Later

Continue to consider all options.
As your student’s interests evolve, they should re-evaluate career plans and associated training and education paths accordingly. If hands-on robotic work is appealing, does an engineering or an engineering technologies degree make the most sense in regard to potential future income, actual job duties and financial investment in education? If your student is interested in health care, is it possible to earn an entry level designation during high school to allow an early entry into the field?
Find out what actual jobs are like.
Many professionals are willing to have students shadow them or to answer questions about what they do every day and the good and not-so-great aspects of their jobs. As your student learns about different careers, talking to those working in the field will help refine their interests.
Communicate with the school counselor.
Your student should work closely with the counseling office to understand the high school track that will lead to jobs of interest. Your student may need to ask about and pursue options to take dual enrollment courses, career and technical classes on or off site, and Advanced Placement classes and tests.

What You Can Do

Be open to different options.
Encourage your student to explore different education and training options while carefully considering financial constraints. While a four-year degree may be the ultimate goal, a less direct path after high school can be wise. Apprenticeships and certificate programs without additional training or education can also be a great option.
Point out examples worth emulating.
You likely know some successful, happy adults who didn’t take a direct path to their current career. Encourage your student to hear their stories and experiences. It might be beneficial for you to connect your student with professionals in different career fields of interest.
Discuss considerations.
Be clear about your family’s ability to contribute toward the costs of education or training after high school so your student has a clear understanding of possibilities. Encourage your student to take or retake career assessments and investigate education and training options for the career results. Your student may already have a log in for I Have a Plan Iowa or another career planning tool from school.

Next Steps

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