At a time of year when most students are more concerned with sunshine and playing than with academia, one class is giving them the ability to plan for their future so they don’t miss out on sunnier days.
A job skills and career planning and exploration class taught by Julie Williams, the Wrangell High School counselor, teaches students how to map out a path to prosperity.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, about 8.3 million high school students took some form of career and technology education (CTE) class in the 2020-2021 school year, up by one million students the previous year.
Most of those courses, like Williams’, introduce students to career paths they were already interested in or might not have thought about before.
Federal data shows high school students who complete two course credits in a class focused on a career path have a 95% graduation rate.
Throughout the first and second semester, Williams invited speakers from different industries, whether the medical field, journalism, commercial fishing or others, to give students a first-hand account of what it’s like to work in those fields.
“I found it very helpful to see the point of view of each one and get a different idea of types and not just the same one,” said sophomore Addie Andrews, who has plans to become a music teacher. “Even though some didn’t interest me, I found it beneficial for others that may have found they want to be in that field.”
Andrews added that the speaker series was also beneficial in that students could learn information that could either encourage them to continue on their selected career path or change their minds.
During the first semester, Williams focuses on job skills, where students conduct mock interviews and other lessons to help prepare them for real-world job hunting. The second semester centers on planning for a career and finding out what types of jobs would best suit each student. Students can take both classes but only one semester is required for graduation.
Throughout the year, Williams mixes in things like financial literacy to get students thinking about long-term career planning.
“I’ve integrated a lot of things about applied finance, benefits at company jobs, investing for retirement, those sorts of pieces so that the idea of employment toward an end is there,” she said. “What to ask? Is it a good job just because you make a lot of money but can’t retire when you’re done? Or is it a good job where you make less money but you can retire and retire well and have health insurance and whatever else?”
As part of the second semester, students have to complete a six-year planning document that maps out where they are in high school to where they see themselves in six years. It includes things like their current classes, testing they want to take, extracurricular activities, volunteerism, employment and other areas they want to highlight.
“Do they want to study abroad? Are they going to take any trips? Are they going to showcase themselves as athletes? What do they want to do to strengthen that,” Williams said. It also includes looking at what they’re going to do between graduation and working or continuing their education and where they want to live.
“They actually have to email that report to their parents. They get half the grade for completion, then they have to email and share it with their family, their parents or guardians.”
She said the hope is that if a student has a plan, they can stick to it or deviate from it as necessary, but if there’s no plan, students won’t have a blueprint to work from.
Andrews has already researched her post-high school education and is looking at attending the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. She knows what grade point average she will need (3.0) and what her SAT and ACT scores will need to be.
Williams has also made sure Andrews is aware of the pre-education college class she can enroll in as a senior to get a jumpstart on her career as a teacher.
For students who are set on a specific career, it’s not difficult for them to follow their plan. However, for some it might be a “hard sell,” Williams said, especially when faced with enticing offers.
“When you get Trident Seafoods that’s offering a paid internship and paid tuition and will pay you to do it, it’s really hard to set yourself up to come out of college and be paying lots to do what you’re doing,” she said. “It’s a pioneering program. You’re paid $20 an hour to sit in your college classes. They’re paying for your housing and tuition. You’re being basically employed as a student. That’s a no-brainer for a kid.”
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