For most students, the first thing they want to do after graduating from high school is to prepare their curriculum vitae, hoping that it would be their stepping stone to a successful career. If you want to make a meaningful contribution and be recognized, you need to know what you want to do and you need to enjoy what you do.
Entering the job market can be an intimidating experience for a young person, more so if they’re not quite sure what career to follow. Whether fresh out of high school or finishing up with tertiary education, as a teacher there are ways you can help your students to explore different careers, and we look at a few.
See where their talents lie
You know all your students because you’ve seen them nearly every day for a year. They’re excited about embarking on a new phase of their lives but also stressed because they can’t make up their minds about a career to follow.
One good strategy is to review marks for assignments and tests throughout the year. You’ll no doubt see they have earned consistent grades with some subjects and battled with others. Good grades aren’t always indicative of a student’s interests, but they are certainly a guide and you can point this out to your students.
From there, you can go into discussing what will be required to earn a degree and what kinds of jobs will be available to them with this qualification.
Suggest the Internet
Once a student has their CV ready, they can access the internet and search for work online. For those who don’t have a computer, there are computers with Internet connections at Internet cafes and different libraries.
While online, they can check out company websites too because many businesses have career pages on their company websites and they feature vacancies. There is no point in wasting time looking at websites that offer positions for work that the student doesn’t like. Look at the websites of companies that do the kind of work the student is interested in.
Encourage
If a student has failed, is older than the other students and demotivated in their final high school year, encourage them. Tell the student that just like anyone else, they were born with the abilities and capacities necessary to perform a purpose, especially if the student has a natural interest.
Take time to think about and observe where their interests lie. Just because a student failed once doesn’t mean they should give up. There are jobs that offer ‘on-the-job-training’ – a career that will be their calling and their mission in life.
Trade school careers in demand
Trade schools are sometimes referred to as technical schools and these post-secondary institutions are great for equipping students with skills that will prepare them for a specific occupation.
At TradeSchoolCareers.com, you can find valuable information about getting a qualification in all kinds of occupations that are of critical importance to life in the 21st century. These careers can be an automotive technician, nursing, health sciences, plumbing, medical- and dental assistants and many more.
Most times you can get a degree in certain fields of training, but with other programs, you’ll get a diploma or trade certificate.
Career fairs
Towards the end of the year, career fairs and shows are held to attract students into certain careers. These fairs are great as students can get some background information on a particular career and ask focused and specific questions. The idea is to get there early so that the career counselor is fresh and enthusiastic to give them all the information they require.
Students should always drop by the career fair reception table for questions and brochures. Advise them to take notes and write down the names and contact details of people who are representing a line of work they’re interested in.
