What do you want to be when you grow up?

How many times have people (including me) asked you what you want to be when you grow up? I often see many students stare back in a look of pure panic because they really don't have any idea what they would like to do when they are out in the "real world." Don't worry! It is normal to be uncertain of what career you will spend the rest of your life pursuing, but it is important that you start exploring different career fields and considering different jobs that might be a good fit with your strengths, needs, and interests.

I have been working with a committee of parents, teachers, students, and other staff to help gather additional resources to assist you as you explore different careers. The first major part of this effort was launched today - a survey for professionals in all different career fields to complete about their job. We will then use their responses to create a Career Resource Handbook for the WKHS Counseling and Career Center that students can access and use. We are also planning a Career Fair for this fall which will give you the opportunity to interact one-on-one in an informal setting (WKHS) with a variety of different career professionals. I know that in addition to my students, many parents read this blog - and I would sincerely appreciate it if you could help with this project by completing the career questionnaire and I would also love it if you could forward the survey to any of your family members, friends, neighbors, or colleagues - especially anyone with unique careers!

In the meantime, for students who still are at a loss and wouldn't even know a broad area that you might be interested in considering for your future, perhaps it would be worth your time to take a few Career Interest Inventories.

The Ohio Career Information System (OCIS) has an online assessment that the district provides access to for WKHS students. You will need to know the username: Worthington and password: ohiocis03

I previously blogged about another career interest inventory from Ohio Mentor that I had found and really liked. This is a link back the previous blog posting regarding this site. (No use re-inventing the wheel... right?!?) :-)

Here are a few other sites with career related information that you can explore:

Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

O*Net (Occupational Information Network): source providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. This site also includes a Skills Search section for students to complete as a self-assessment.

Enjoy exploring these different sites and learning about careers and opportunities available in your future!