Time to Finalize a Career Choice and Its Corresponding Pathway

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. Your student should be finalizing the pathway that will be taken after graduating high school.

Why It Matters

Planning takes time.
By this time next year, your student will need to make a decision about the direction they will be taking when high school concludes. Junior year offers some 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. Learning doesn’t end with the receipt of a high school diploma.
Register for college admission tests.
Your student should register now if they are planning to take the March SAT or February ACT. Many colleges and universities use these test scores to determine acceptance into their institutions.

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. 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, with more jobs available than people to fill them. 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, the Return on College Investment tool from ISL Education Lending indicates what jobs are held by graduates of a selected major. The tool also provides the recommended education for a chosen career, 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. Agricultural, automotive, business, technology, construction and engineering are only a few of the programs found in high schools. Through the 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.

Next Steps

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