College Majors and the Career Connection

College Majors and the Career Connection

No matter what grade your are in, it's a good idea to start thinking about your interests and your long term vision for your life. 

• What are some of your favorite things to do both in and out of school?
• What's your dream job?
• If you had to read a book about anything, what would it be? 

Take some time to research Major and Career Categories here. 

Under the Career Categories, you can discover possible job titles. Let me know 2-3 possible jobs you may  be interested in pursuing! 

Click here to watch a few videos about how people made their career choices. There is more than one path to a great career! 

Check out the info below for upcoming job openings! 

Occupations with the Most Job Openings: Graduate Degree

Occupation	Total Job Openings 2008–2018
Postsecondary teachers	553,000
Doctors and surgeons	261,000
Lawyers	240,000
Clergy (Imams, Nuns and Monks, Priests, Protestant Ministers, Rabbis)	218,000
Pharmacists	106,000
Educational, vocational, and school counselors	94,000
Physical therapists	79,000
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists	66,000
Mental health and substance abuse social workers	61,000
Instructional coordinators	61,000

Occupations with the Most Job Openings: Bachelor's Degree

Occupation	Total Job Openings 2008-2018
Elementary school teachers, except special education	597,000
Accountants and auditors	498,000
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education	412,000
Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education	251,000
Computer systems analysts	223,000
Computer software engineers, applications	218,000
Network systems and data communications analysts	208,000
Computer software engineers, systems software	153,000
Construction managers	138,000
Market research analysts	137,000

Occupations with the Most Jobs Openings: Associate's Degree or Postsecondary Vocational Award

Occupation	Total Job Openings 2008-2018
Registered nurses	1,039,000
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants	422,000
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	391,000
Computer support specialists	235,000
Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists	220,000
Automotive service technicians and mechanics	182,000
Preschool teachers, except special education	178,000
Insurance sales agents	153,000
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration technicians	136,000
Real estate sales agents	128,000

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

MORE SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY TIPS!

MORE SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY TIPS! 

Be sure to:

• Tell a story. While it can be hard to your personal history, it is how you 'speak' to the readers without meeting them. Try to connect your story to why you are applying for each scholarship.

• Make a list! When you first read the essay prompt, brainstorm and write down any words and phrases that come to mind that are relevant to your answer to the prompt. Each time you read the prompt, add to the list. These words and phrases can guide the focus of your essay and serve as main points and ideas to include. 

• Write with your voice! What does that mean?! Make sure when you are writing that you allow some of your personality to come out. Remember, a lot of people are writing essays. Yours HAS to stand out. Ideally, one of your proof readers (teacher, friend, me) will read your essays and know that YOU wrote it. 

• Start with a powerful first sentence. You need to catch the attention of the reader and encourage them to keep reading. Use your word to paint a vivid picture of the experience(s) you'll be writing about in your essay. 

• Write an outline! This will help you keep your thoughts organized and on track. 

• When you write your first draft, JUST WRITE. Really let the words flow. Write everything that comes to mind and keep writing. You will probably go over your word count and write some things that you'll just cut out of the essay. But you will get warmed up and maybe come across some great ideas to include that you hadn't yet considered. 

• Rewrite, Revise, Rewrite. Make sure you address and spellcheck issues as well as doing your own reading to check for spelling and grammar errors. 

• Have a few people read your essays. You don't have to make use of all of their suggestions but the more eyes that review your essays, the more errors can be corrected. 

• Be proud of your work!

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College Search Step-by-Step

Take some time to think about the following questions.  Use the link at the end to answer the questions and get some recommendations for colleges and universities! 

Is the kind of college important to you? (2 year, 4 year, public, private)

If so, what kind of college are you interested in?  

Is location important to you? (city, country, suburbs)

If so, how far from home (or another location) do you want to be?

Is a campus' feel important to you? (small- familiar faces...large-city like)

If so, what size school are you thinking about?

How important is cost in your college search?

How important is the learning environment?

Click here to answer the questions about and receive some school recommendations! 

Use the grey arrow boxes to navigate from page to page! 

How to compare Financial Aid Packages!

I know you've completed your FAFSA and acceptance letters are rolling in from your colleges of choice. YAY, you! 

It's time to REALLY start thinking about $$$ and your final decision on where to attend college. It can be a bit overwhelming, right?! 

I'd suggest watching and reading through this information. It lays the ground work for what you'll see from the schools where you've been accepted. You'll also learn how to compare and contrast your aid packages to make the best choice for your college experience! 

The "financial fit" of your college is a HUGE factor! You'll want to make a choice that you can afford throughout the length of your degree without causing overwhelming stress about $ or overwhelming debt. 

Once you have all of your award letters from your top schools, you can use this awesome tool to help you compare the awards. Just enter in the requested info and VOILA! 

The "Family Share of Cost" is what you'd be expected to pay for each college. Remember, just because something is less $ doesn't necessarily make it the best choice. But do consider our conversations about loans versus scholarships and other types of aid you do NOT pay back! 

I've done some college research but...

" I've done some college research but..." 

• I don't remember what schools I looked up.
• I liked some of the schools I looked at but forget why. 
• I researched so many schools, they are all running together.
• none of them are in a city. 
• etc, etc. 

Remember the research grid some of you completed last week? Well, here is something similar in digital form SO YOU WON'T LOSE IT and you can update it regularly. As you do your college (re)search, keep this document open in another window and ADD the answers as you look through college webpages. Then the info is ALWAYS available to you. Fill in as much info in each box as you can! 

Make sure that when you open this google sheet, you opt to make a copy of it and save it to your own drive. Once you open the document via the link below, click file and select "Make a copy..."
If you have questions on how to do this, just let me know! I'll check your "My College (re)Search" sheet next time I see you, so get started TODAY! 

Here's the link to the sheet.

Hey, Juniors! What time is it?!

COLLEGE TIME! 

I know you have a lot going on RIGHT NOW and it may be hard to make time to think about college...but let's start the process. 

Believe me, it'll save you some stress next year. Just as your current Senior friends!

This should be a fun process as you explore your opportunities. I know most of you have some great ideas about where you'd like to go and what you'd like to do (I'm super impressed, by the way). There are SO many options out there though. Take a few minutes to answer some questions and see if you learn anything new! 

Click here to get a few recommendations just for you!
Try this link too for some other ideas! 

Take some time each week to research colleges and post-secondary training programs near and far. Make sure you keep track of what you find. I'd start a google doc/sheet where you can save school names, weblink and other important information. Maybe rank schools you've researched on a scale of 1-5 starts. Be creative! Whatever works for you! 

Check out these tips for building your college list. Now is the time to brainstorm so write ALL of your ideas down. Want to go to college in a far away state or even another country? Want to go to Stanford but aren't sure how to make it happen?

WRITE IT DOWN! 

When I see you next, I'll want to see your brainstorm list of colleges and post-secondary programs you'll consider. Fill up a page and HAVE FUN EXPLORING! 

Second Semester Senior Year! What do I do?!

Hey Seniors! The countdown is ON! You are in the final months of your High School career. 

So, what's important now?! 

Check out the list below and consider setting reminders and deadlines in your phone's calendar. Trust me, it works! 

• Visit colleges that you are considering attending if you are able
• Make a final decision about which college to attend and notify the school of your decision 
• Give your school counselor/DSF Advisor a copy of your college acceptance notice 
• Keep track of all college deadlines for fees and paperwork 
• Notify the schools that you will not be attending 
• Continue to search and apply for scholarships opportunities 
• Remember your 2nd Semester grades DO MATTER! 
• Give your school counselor/DSF Advisor a copy of any scholarship award letters
• Continue to keep track of important financial aid and scholarship deadlines 
• Check you email for your SAR (Student Aid Report), if you haven't already
• Compare financial aid packages from different schools
• Create a Pros/Cons List for your possible colleges to help you decide where to attend
• Get in touch with the Financial Aid office at your school (or schools) of choice 
• Talk to your peers and trusted adults about the whole process
• Let your school counselor/ DSF Advisor know which college you will be attending so they can send out your final official transcript including 2nd semester