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How can I decide what is the best Career path for me to pursue?

I'm a sophomore in High school, and my High School opens up many options for it's students to pursue possibilities in careers they may one day want to have. I am very passionate about writing, politics, and culinary arts. Is there a way for me to determine which is the best for me to pursue as my future career? #career-paths #high-school

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Ken’s Answer

You asked a very important question. It all depends upon how your personality traits relate to people in various career areas and then talking to them to determine what they do, how they got there, and what advice they have.


These sites will allow your to view your choices after high school:

Should You Go To College

https://medium.com/the-mission/high-school-is-over-should-you-go-to-college-b5b6db6f6712

Value of College

https://medium.com/the-mission/the-value-of-the-college-degree-is-crashing-heres-how-to-fix-it-cd7a1e116396

My Biggest Regret: Going to College

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
• It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .
The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Thank you comment icon Also, here are some important tips on reducing costs in college. Too many people spend too much on an education and end up with unnecessarily high debt: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/paying-for-school/ways-to-pay/reduce-college-costs.shtml Ken Simmons
Thank you comment icon Also, it really does not matter what school you attend, as the most important factors are how well you do with the school work, which is an indication to an employer about what kind of employee you will be, and the effort that you put forth in your networking to set up networking connections that will help you throughout your education/career journey. Here is an important video for you to watch: ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education ## Ken Simmons
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Nathan’s Answer

Hi Isabella,
It's so great that you have many interests! My question for you; is it possible to combine them and have a career that uses more than one of your passions? My career now is a blend of three different passions I have; technology, sales and managing people. Hope this question helps you to discover some other options that interest you.
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Angie’s Answer

Hi Isabella - It's so great that your high school encourages students to explore different career paths. I found two things helped me the most to determine what career path was the best fit.

1. Try to find a career quiz that you can take online - there are many that are free - to better understand what motivates you, what type of work interests you, what gives you energy, etc. vs what may not. It sounds like you have a great starting point in knowing that you have a passion for writing, politics, and culinary arts, so this step may not be as helpful, but it could help highlight which one is a better fit based on your motivations

2. Try to see if you can intern or shadow someone in these fields. I found this was the most practical way to 'test' if I enjoyed the work. By interning or shadowing someone, you'll be able to see what an ordinary day in that field looks like.

Best of luck to you!
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