YouScience

YouScience is a great assessment tool that lets you learn more about yourself while also highlighting careers that would be a good potential fit.

YouScience is a measure of aptitudes.  Aptitudes are your natural abilities to do things.  It is not about saying you are good at math or science - it is more about the specific strengths that cross over to various subject areas.

When you take this assessment it is all online so you can do it from any computer or chromebook.  The entire process from start to finish is about an hour and a half, but you can split it up over however many settings that works best for you.  The assessment consistents of a variety of different small computer challenges (also known as "brain games").  Each of these challenges is timed and you just do the best you can on each one of them.  When you start any of those timed tests, you have to finish that piece before you could stop and save to return later.

I took the assessment and was fascinated by all of the information it was able to say about me just from doing these fun tests.  At the end,you will receive an email with links to your results.  There were 3 main things I liked best about the results.  1, there is a multi-page personal summary that can be downloaded that talked about things that are easier or harder for you based upon your results.  2, there is a discussion summary guide which is a great resource to help you for use in recommendation letters, resumes and college essays.  3, the career specific information is interesting.  I really liked that the career information could be divided out so that you could look at it based upon which careers fit for people with your aptitudes, for careers with your interests, or for careers that overlap well with your aptitudes and interests.

Tomorrow, all 9th and 10th graders will be starting the YouScience assessment during your academic prep periods. If there are any 11th or 12th graders who want to take it, you are definitely welcome to do so - just be sure to stop and see me so I can give you an access code so that you don't have to pay to take it. I can't wait to hear about which brain games you thought were easier and which ones you thought were harder along, of course, with the results and what you think it says about you!

Pathways & Possibilities Day

Tomorrow is Kilbourne's "Pathways and Possibilities" Day and I am so excited for it! During lunch periods all students will have the opportunity to interact with dozens of career professionals to learn about alternative pathways or possibilities for your future. 

We have intentionally targeted inviting job representatives that do not typically require a 4-year degree in order to work in the profession. You might wonder why. Well, there is so much time and attention spent in helping students look at 4-year colleges that we want to make sure that ALL students are getting support even if continuing on to a traditional college isn't in their plan. But it is more than that. There are a lot of jobs that you can get a certificate or other credentialling and be able to begin working where you will make more money than you would in just the typical high school diploma jobs.

My niece, Carly, is a perfect example of this option. Carly is a senior at the University of Kentucky. During the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of college she got 2 certificates - one in phlebotomy (drawing people's blood) and one to be a nursing tech. Then, from her sophomore through senior years of college she has worked part time at the UK Medical Center making far more money (and requiring way less hours of her) than she would have earned if she worked at a restaurant or store. Even more importantly, this clinical experience helped Carly have an even more impressive application when she was applying to med school. Let's be honest, did she want to be a phlebotomist or nursing tech for the rest of her life? No. Are those great career paths for some people? Absolutely! But it still was an important part of Carly's journey and has opened up more great opportunities for her in the future.

My hope is that EVERY student will take a few minutes out of your lunch periods to walk through the tables which will be set up in the commons and hallways to talk with the different career professionals. You never know about the various jobs that might peak your interest. Perhaps you will find something that will be a great pathway for your future or there might be jobs that can give you better paying possibilities. At the very least, please take a moment as you walk past our guests to say Thank you to them for giving their time to come and share with all of us!

It's Still Work

There is a famous Confuscious quote, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."  I suspect many of you have heard it.  Confuscious is a famous philosopher and far smarter than me, but I have to tell you, I think he got it wrong with this quote.

I absolutely LOVE my job, but I work incredibly hard at it.  In fact, because I love it so much I probably pour even more of my time, energy and effort into what I do each day.  I have a part-time job that I also love.  I can assure you - they both require hard work, time and dedication.  But, they are both incredibly rewarding and meaningful.  My guess is that was probably the point Confuscious was trying to make.  The reality is that as human beings, we can endure almost any circumstance if we feel the end outcome will be worth it.

The reason I am even talking about this though is that I think there are a LOT of high school students (and probably some adults) who struggle trying to figure out what they want to do in life and are constantly searching for the job that they will love so that they don't have to work.  And I believe that is setting you up for failure.  Find a job that you will be good at, that you will feel you can contribute and use your personal gifts and talents to benefit others and pursue it with everything you have inside of you.  But know that there will still be days or at least parts of the job that will most definitely be struggles and feel like hard, demanding work.  Adjusting that expectation can change everything because if you are able to go into the work world with the awareness that you won't love every part of your job and that there will be hard days that you dread (and yes, I can assure you there will be plenty of both), then you will be far less likely to beat yourself up and fall into the mind trap that there must be some other job out there that will be better for you - that you won't feel like work.

There is already so much stress and pressure that you experience as high school students, adding the extra level of stress that you must find the PERFECT job that you love is a pressure you don't need to add.  We have so many career exploration opportunities for you and I want you to do them all, but I also want you to understand that you are far from done learning and growing.  You will find and explore new paths ahead of you and all of it will contribute to you finding your right place in this world.  So try to take the pressure off and enjoy the learning process.

For now, start thinking ahead a little bit.  Juniors, don't forget that tomorrow is the Junior Seminar on Choosing Careers/ Majors in Room 201 from 8:15-8:35am.  For students in all grades, do you have plans for Spring Break?  That would be a great time for you to head out and make college visits, but they are also ideal days to ask a neighbor, friend, or extended family member if you could spend a day shadowing them to learn more about what they do each day.  The summer is also a great time to try to get some experience out shadowing and learning about what some of the job possibilities are that exist in the world today so you can start now thinking about what experiences you might like to observe.  It doesn't matter to me if you are shadowing someone for one day or doing a full senior project experience, but my hope is that you will ask the people you are spending time with what they love about their jobs, what they don't like, and if they feel like they work hard at what they do... because I suspect you will find that in every job there is definitely a LOT of work involved!

ASVAB

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a test that serves as a qualifying exam for students interested in a military career and is also a helpful career based assessment to help students identify personal strengths and areas of interest for the future.  Information about the ASVAB is available at: https://www.asvabprogram.com/.

While many people know the ASVAB is a test used for military enlistment and classification, the ASVAB Career Exploration Program (CEP) is much more than a military test. The ASVAB CEP can be taken by all students in 10th grade and above, regardless of their future career plans. Students can have no intention of entering the military and still take the ASVAB as a career exploration tool!

The ASVAB will be administered to interested students next Friday, January 17, 2025 at WKHS.  If you are interested in signing up to take the ASVAB, please see me or complete the interest form that is linked on the counselor website.

DACC and More

Prior to Thanksgiving break students had the opportunity to participate in a field trip to visit the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC).  But I know that many parents are also interested in learning about the programs offered at DACC and so the Family Tours provide a great opportunity to do that.  There is also an open house coming up next week on the 11th for their Senior-Only programs.

As a reminder, if you decide to attend the career center, WKHS students are always Kilbourne students. With most programs you will have the option of attending the career center for full days (where you would take your lab coursework which counts as elective credits and your academic courses all at the career center) or for half days (where you only take the lab coursework at the career center and then return to WKHS for the other half of the day for your academic classes). You still graduate from Worthington Kilbourne and continue to participate on our athletic teams - even if you decide that you want to attend the career center for the full day. 

I strongly encourage you to check out the programs because the hands on opportunities to learn something new while also gaining your required elective credits can be a very appealing option!  Attending the Delaware Area Career Center is a competitive process and students must apply for consideration.  If you are interested, please make sure to start working on your application because it is now open and you'll want to get it submitted so that they can consider you for a spot in their program.  The priority application deadline for optimal consideration is January 17th.

Information about the Senior Only Open House, Family Tours and the application to attend DACC are all located on their website.  

Additionally, while thinking about career exploration opportunities, all students received an email inviting you to sign up for a Healthcare Career Summit which will take place in February, but the deadline to register is this coming Friday, December 13th.  There was a MASSIVE response to the email so I believe we already have more than the 64 students we are allowed to take to the event, but if you didn't sign up and are still interested in trying to attend, please be sure to register asap.  There is a chance we will end up needing to prioritize by grade level since 9th graders would have 3 more years to participate, but Juniors and Seniors have a greater need to attend now with their time available to explore careers running short.  But we won't know what we are going to do for registrations to attend until we see how many people were hoping to try to go.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is such an unfair question.  It doesn't mean that other people (myself included) won't ask it of you, but I just want to acknowledge up front how daunting the question can be for so many different reasons.

1. You are in high school.  You're still trying to figure yourself out let along what you want to do for the rest of your life.

2. You only know what you have been exposed to in your 14-18 years of life.  How would you know if you might love anthropology or ecology or philosophy if you haven't had a chance to learn anything about it yet.  There is so much to learn in front of you!

3. The careers you might end up selecting and pursuing may not even exist yet.  With the way that AI has stormed into our lives, it is hard to imagine what all of the future technological changes will look like and how you, as a future adult in the working world, might be in careers that are new and evolving.

So why do we even both asking what you want to be?  Well, part of it is likely an excitement over the future of the possibilities in front of you.  Adults may be curious to see and hear what you are interested in and what excites you as options for the future.  They also likely know that your future plans will change over time, but just having an idea of where your passions are currently is fun for those who care about you. 

If you find yourself surrounded by extended family over the holidays and they start asking what you want to be when you grow up, you can share whatever you are currently thinking.  You can tell them that you aren't sure, but are excited to start dreaming about and exploring all of the opportunities ahead of you.  Or you can flip the tables on them!  (Which is one of my favorite suggestions.)

If you are flipping the tables on them you can start asking them about THEIR career path, what they wanted to be when they were in high school, what they studied, what their first job was, how they transitions to various jobs or additional responsibilities over time, what they like about their job, etc.  This is often nice for students because the pressure is taken off of you and the feeling that you need to have your whole life planned out.

But you can use your extended family members for potential contacts.  If you know that you are interested in pursuing a career in a particular field you can share that information and then ask your family if they know anyone who works in a similar job.  This can be incredibly valuable information because oftentimes students can benefit by talking to someone in their desired jobs or shadowing for a day.  If your family members know of someone who works in a job that you're considering for their future, ask if they would help connect you with that person.  Often your aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, or family friends are thrilled to be able to be a resource to help support you on the way towards your future path.  Plus, even if they don't know of anyone off the top of their head, you never know who they might meet or come in contact with that could connect you in the future.

Delaware Area Career Center

When students enter 9th grade, many are excited about the different choices and opportunities available in high school. Unfortunately, the reality is that the first two years of high school really don't have all that many choices. There is, however, a great deal of flexibility as students reach their junior and senior years. One of those options includes the possibility of attending the Delaware Area Career Center.

Today, all sophomores had a chance to listen to a presentation about the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) and the programs they have available for students. Attending DACC is a great opportunity to earn your elective credits in an area that interests you rather than taking electives that you are selecting simply because they will fill up your schedule.  It was interesting to hear about all of the different programs that are available for students to explore. There are some unique experiences and opportunities available that can really stand out to colleges. 

If you are interested in participating in the field trip to the DACC, remember that there are 2 steps required to complete the process.  The first step is to fill out the Google Form by following the QR Code on the DACC packet.  The second step is to turn in your permission slip signed by a parent to participate in the field trip on Friday, November 22nd.  If you are interested in exploring this option more, please be sure to fill out your google form and return your permission slip to the tray in the front of the counseling center.

Pre-Apprenticeship Opportunities

Are you someone who isn't actually sold on the idea of college being your next direct step after high school graduation?  There are a lot of students who don't love school and can't imagine going directly on to college, but don't always know the options that are available in our community that isn't a direct to college pathway.  This year, helping make sure students and parents know of the range of opportunities available is a goal for us.

To help start sharing that information with students and families, next Monday, October 14th at 6pm in the Auditorium we will have a Pre-Apprenticeship Night.  

The Pre-Apprenticeship Night will allow families to learn about, hear directly from, and meet the staff at the Pre-Apprenticeship locations which Worthington Schools have a partnership with for students to be able to work and earn credit at the same time.  These locations include: Worthington Enterprises, Worthington Steel, Simpson Strong Tie, and Performance Columbus Drive Direct.

Current seniors can explore the options from Worthington Enterprises, Worthington Steel, and Simpson Strong Tie for the 2nd semester of THIS year! (They are semester only programs.)

Performance Columbus' Drive Direct Pre-Apprenticeship program is a full-year long program and so current Juniors who are interested should attend to learn about this program for next fall.  (Applications and interviews will be held in the 2nd semester of this year.)

We are excited and grateful for these partnership experiences that are available to our students.  If you have ever thought about something like a pre-apprenticeship or, maybe you haven't but are curious to try to see if it might be a fit, I strongly encourage you (and your parents) to come and check out the presentation next Monday night.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Job Shadowing

Can you believe we are just 3 weeks to the start of the new school year? It is rapidly approaching, but you can still accomplish a lot in these remaining 3 weeks to help set you up for success in the future and one of those ideas would be to go out and shadow someone in their job.

The summer is an ideal time to try to job shadow because you won't have to miss school and most jobs have consistent responsibilities throughout the entire calendar year.

By spending time shadowing individuals who are working in fields that are potentially interesting, you will be gaining a behind the scenes look at what the career really entails.  You will also have the opportunity to network and make connections with people who can, potentially, help guide and mentor you in your own future career path.  But, because so few students actually take the time to arrange for job shadowing opportunities and follow through with it, what I like best about is that it allows you to have a leg up on everyone else when thinking about this as a potential future career.  You know just a little bit more about what a day in the life would feel like, what the stressors and high points are in the job, and you will more clearly have an idea of if this is truly a good career fit for you.

If you are interested in setting up a job shadowing experience, start by identifying the job you would want to shadow.  Consider asking family members and the family members of your friends if they know anyone working in that field to see if they could help give you a contact name to reach out to about spending a day following them to learn about their career.  If you cannot find anyone who knows of someone within that job field, you can always contact companies that have that field as a career and asking blindly if they would allow you to shadow someone.  If you are making a blind contact, you might start by reaching out to their Human Resources department.

When your day arrives to job shadow I have a few hints for you...
1. Dress appropriately for the job.  (If you are unsure what approrpriate attire would be, ask when you are setting up the visit.)
2. Be on time.  (This is your first impression.  Don't blow it by being late.)
3. Smile, shake hands, look people in the eye and maintain a positive attitude.  Ok, that is a lot in one hint, but the way you approach the people you interact with throughout the day will be important.
4.  Leave your phone in your car.  Seriously.  I know, it is a challenge to have your phone far beyond the stretch of your arm, but here is the thing... you end up checking text messages, social media, or the time just out of mindless, random habit.  You don't want to do that when you are shadowing.  So, for this one day, leave your phone in your car.  Or, if that truly is going to send you into withdrawl, then turn your phone OFF (not just do not disturb) and put it away and only turn it on during your lunch break or when you are in the restroom.  But, again, please, let me stress to you the value of just leaving your phone in your car!
5.  Come up with some questions you'd like to know about the career professional who you are shadowing and their job as a whole.  Throughout the day, spread out those questions and give them the opportunity to share with you their career path and experiences.  It's important to remember that your day there isn't just about interviewing them - they have a job to do, but having a few thoughtful questions or developing additional questions in response to things you are observing in the day is a good use of your time and of theirs.
6.  Bring something (notebook and pencil) to jot down thoughts and questions as they come up throughout the day.  Remember, no phone means you won't have access to the Notes app on your phone so you have to go old school on this one.
7.  Keep track of anyone that you meet throughout the day - especially anyone who helps share insights or information with you that helps further develop your understanding of the job field.  Most professionals will have business cards that they can share with you or you can write down their names in your notebook. 
8.  Later, after your visit is over, send a thank you note to the person who allowed you to spend the day shadowing them.  But also consider sending a note to any of the people you identified in point number 7 above.
9.  For yourself, jot down some notes - a few sentences or bullet points are fine.  But take the time to reflect back on what you thought of your time at the job.  Did you like it?  What was the best or worst part to you?  What surprised you?  By having those brief notes, you will potentially be able to use it for yourself when you are writing a college essay, filling out your application, or trying to remember some piece of information a year or more from now related to the visit experience.  I know that it seems as if you won't forget any of it, but I promise, it will not stay as fresh in your mind as you anticipate, so just write a few simple thoughts and reflections down before you leave the experience behind.

While you may not be able to fit it all in before we return back to school, don't forget that you can shadow several different jobs to get varying perspectives and ideas of different fields that interest you. Plus,there are so many careers (like nursing for example) that have drastically different settings and so even if you have picked out a career that you want to shadow you may be interested in learning from people in a range of different settings.

I can't wait to hear about your experiences as you go out and job shadow!  Good luck and I hope you learn a lot.

ASVAB

I hope you had a wonderful and restful spring break!  I am anxious to see everyone again, but not quite sure I'm going to feel ready when the alarm clock goes off tomorrow morning.  Somehow I suspect I won't be alone in that feeling.

Back in January we offered the ASVAB to interested students.  There has been so much interest in the test since then that we are going to have another ASVAB administration coming up this Friday, April 5th.  Please see me asap or email me if you are interested in taking the test so that I can get you on the list.

As a reminder, while the ASVAB is used for determining military job options, it is also a great tool that can be used for career research for those who have no interest in the military.

As we return to school tomorrow, I hope you will stop by and fill me in on how your break went and Lexi is thrilled to be heading back to school and she can't wait to get all the love and attention that she has missed out on over the last week!

So Many Paths

On my blog I tend to spend a lot of time talking about college related information because there are so many students who have questions about college applications and processes.  But it is important to realize that college - especially a 4 year college - is NOT the only option for students!

In fact, did you know that Columbus State Community College is the most common college for our Kilbourne graduates to pursue after graduating from high school?

Worthington has worked hard to expand opportunities and offerings to make sure all students know that there is a path ahead of them in the future.  I saw this article about options for plans after high school that are alternatives to a traditional 4 year college and I thought it would be something that you might enjoy reading and thinking about as well.  Know that if you are considering something other than a 4-year college, I am still here to help you with making that future path a reality!

Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship

Performance Columbus and the Automotive Maintenance PreApprenticeship Program (AMPP) will be hosting open houses for students and parents to come and learn about the opportunities available at their facility.

The Automotive PreApprenticeship is for students who will be juniors and seniors in the fall of the 24-25 school year.  This program is designed for those who want to learn how to diagnose and repair cars and learn more about careers in the automotive industry.  Participants will engage in hands-on learning, and earn high school credit while gaining career based skills.

The Open House sessions will be held on the second floor of Drive Direct at 2361 Morse Rd. Columbus 43229

Session 1: March 7th, 6:00-7:30PM

Session 2: March 12th, 6:00-7:30PM

 

If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing as a part of your scheduled school day next year, I hope you will go (with a parent) to one of the Open House sessions to learn more about this exciting opportunity.

ASVAB Opportunity

The ASVAB is a career assessment tool that is used by the military to help determine what careers a student would be eligible to pursue in the future.  But it is also a resource with lots of general career based information for ALL students - even those with no interest in joining the military.

We had provided the ASVAB to interested WKHS students last month and last week the students who participated received the summary of their results and the career access information.  The career information that is not specific to the military was actually much more expansive than I had anticipated.

There have been a group of students who had missed the chance to take the ASVAB in January and so we are working to provide a second opportunity to take the test for students who might be interested.  The test date is to be determined based on how many students indicate that they want to take the test.  So, if you are interested in taking the ASVAB in March, please stop by and let me know so that I can add your name to the list.

Your Future & Careers

Throughout junior registration meetings I spent time talking about what students think they might want to be when you all grow up.  Not a fair question, but it's still interesting to me to hear your thoughts and what you picture for yourself in the future.

Sometimes students will talk about being stressed, overwhelmed or worried when thinking about the future and trying to decide what they want to be when they grow up.  I get it, but I have to admit – this kind of makes me sad.  I think that the process of exploring potential careers for your future should be fun and exciting.  It should provide you with the chance to learn more about yourself – what you like, what you don’t like, what you are interested in learning more about, and how you can contribute to make the world a better place in big or small ways.

Yes, I realize that this all sounds like pressure and that is not what I intend.  Let me be clear – I am not asking you to decide today what you will do for the rest of your life.  I’m just hoping that you take a big deep breath, relax and do some career exploration.  Even a little bit now while you are in high school can help give you insights into possible fields to investigate.

Some students have done a Myers Briggs personality test and the codes of your personality can be connected with potential career fields.  If you have never taken a Myers Briggs type test, today is the day!  This website provides a free version of the test.  It takes about 12 minutes to complete… what are you waiting for?  In case it entices you to complete the test, the results will not only tell you about potential career paths you might like it will also highlight some of your strengths and weaknesses, styles of interactions and needs with others, and work habits.  Plus, once you have your Myers Briggs code type (it will be 4 letters) you can do a Google search to find information about top careers for your personality type and that will result in much more detailed, specific career related information.  I also have a summary sheet that outlines lots of different career fields that often fit for people with that personality type, so if you come in to see me and let me know what your code is then I am more than happy to run that summary sheet for you!

Building Career Skills

Some days it is hard to imagine how you will end up in the adult job(s) that you will have in our world.  In part, this is challenging because some of those jobs may not exist yet and, in part, it can be hard to just navigate high school let alone start thinking about the rest of your life.

Did you know that the latest statistics are indicating that most students today will end up having 12-15 jobs over their lifetime?  That is a lot of different opportunities.  And it is hard to imagine what those jobs might look like while you are in high school.  In fact, most adults you meet are not working in the career field that they thought they would be in for the rest of their lives when they were in high school.  So, when you are thinking about what you'd like to do in the future, it isn't setting anything into stone.  It is a place to start exploring.  But, every day you are developing practical skills that will be essential to your future success no matter what jobs you pursue.

These skills include (among others): dependability, teamwork, reliability, communication, adaptability, and critical thinking.  Every single day at school, you are given opportunities to build on these areas to work towards making them a strength in your life.  Dependability might be shown through your homework completion.  Teamwork can be developed through your involvement with sports or clubs or even group projects in class.  Reliability is showing up when you make an appointment to meet with a teacher for extra help.  Building your communication skills comes with the reading and writing you are doing in your classes, but it also is reflected in how you interact with your friends and teachers both in person as well as through emails or other messages.  How we respond when there are changes is a reflection of our ability to be adaptable.  And, of course, critical thinking is something you are building in all of your classes as you try to figure out the new concepts you are learning and applying that information into your own life and figuring out the connections between concepts.

Soft skills (like those shown in the graphic) are actually your Power Skills - these skills are essential to your future success and will help you no matter what career you pursue in the future.  So today and every day as you navigate high school, remember that you are building those skills you need for your future careers.

Simpson Strong Tie

One area that Worthington Schools has been working to build is our partnerships with central Ohio companies who are interested in having students work as interns during their senior year in preparation for potential employment after graduation.  I have previously blogged about Worthington Industries which has been our biggest partner to date.  But I wanted to share information with you about Simpson Strong Tie which is a new partner that will be taking on senior interns next semester.

Simpson Strong Tie is located just off 270 at Roberts Road on the west side of Columbus.  They have a strong culture with many employees working their for their entire careers because they care about the mission and vision within the organization.  As you can see in the photo, what Simpson Strong Tie creates are the metal pieces which create a stronger tie between other items such as two pieces of wood.  Their products are sold at companies like Lowe's and Home Depot as well as directly to construction companies.

Last week I had the opportunity to tour their site, learn about the organization and the opportunities available to a select number of senior students.  I am confident this is going to be a great experience for students who are interested in a manufacturing type of job.  If you think this sounds appealing, we will be hosting a field trip for students next week on December 13th so that you can see the facilities and learn about the organization first hand.  If you are interested, please stop and see me to pick up a permission slip so that you can attend.

DACC Application

On Friday nearly 90 WKHS students participated in the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center. I want to remind you that even if you decide to attend the career center, WKHS students are always WKHS students. With most programs you will have the option of attending the career center for full days (where you would take your lab coursework which counts as elective credits and your academic courses all at the career center) or for half days (where you only take the lab coursework at the career center and then return to WKHS for the other half of the day for your academic classes). You still graduate from Worthington Kilbourne and continue to participate on our athletic teams - even if you decide that you want to attend the career center for the full day. 

I strongly encourage you to check out the programs because the hands on opportunities to learn something new while also gaining your required elective credits can be a very appealing option! If you didn't have the chance to participate in the field trip, or if your parents are interested in learning more and visiting DACC with you, there will be an Open House coming up on December 7th.  

Attending the Delaware Area Career Center is a competitive process and students must apply for consideration.  If you are interested, please make sure to start working on your application because it is now open and you'll want to get it submitted so that they can consider you for a spot in their program.  The priority application deadline for optimal consideration is January 12th.

Information about the open house and the application to attend DACC are all located on their website.  

Ohio Means Jobs K-12

The Ohio Means Jobs website features a student section to engage students in grades Kindergarten through 12^th grade to start thinking about their careers.  It is an addition to the OCIS website that some of you may have already used in middle school or previously in high school to complete career interest inventories and other explanation.

If you go to the Ohio Means Jobs website you can take a guided tour on the site.  I encourage you to create an account so that you can save your information and refer back to it in one place in the future.  For example, if you complete career interest inventories or other assessments, the information is all saved in your “backpack” on the site.  All of your information on the site is saved for you so if you started using the site when you were in elementary or middle school it will still be there for you to access and reference when you are in high school.

There are cool features on the site including the opportunity to create a budget including rent or house payment, grocery costs and utilities.  The site also helps you know if the job areas you have indicated that you are considering will be adequate enough to meet your budget.

It is a fun site to get on and explore and can help spark areas that might interest you in your career exploration.

Lots and Lots of Articles

I read a ton.  Fortunately, I love to read - both for enjoyment and to make sure that I am staying on top of ways to help my students and families most effectively.  And while I use the information that I read to my own gain to be able to answer your questions, I know that sometimes it is nice for you to read some of the information that quotes experts directly.  So any time I come across an article that I think is something that I particularly liked or that I think will be specifically relevant for you to read on your own, I save it.  My list of saved articles has grown rather lengthy so it's time to share them - and with it being the start of a long weekend, hopefully that gives you some extra time to read through the list.  Feel free to read through the article titles below to see if there are any which interest you and then check them out for yourself.  Happy Reading!  

Admissions advice from a dad

How to answer 5 common supplemental essay prompts

A guide to writing a great college essay

High paying jobs that don’t need a college degree

Common reasons college applications get rejected

Top essay cliches and how to avoid them

For parents – tips for campus visits

What college rejections can mean

College admissions officers tips for applying

Tips on starting the college application process

4 majors that lead to high paying jobs

Choosing a career in high school

How to write and format college admissions essays

College Admissions Trends for 2023

How career prep programs went from dumping ground to top priority

Top colleges that require test scores

Delaware Area Career Center

Earlier this fall, all sophomores had a chance to listen to a presentation about the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) and the programs they have available for students. Attending DACC is a great opportunity to earn your elective credits in an area that interests you rather than taking electives that you are selecting simply because they will fill up your schedule.  

It was interesting to hear about all of the different programs that are available for students.  With over 25 different programs offered, there are many unique experiences and opportunities available that can give you a jump start on a career and can also stand out to colleges. If you are interested in participating in the field trip to the DACC, please be sure to return your permission slip to the counseling center and complete the DACC interest form no later than this Thursday, October 20th.  The field trip is scheduled for Friday, November 17th.

One thing to realize about the Career Center is that they partner with 15 different districts from across Central Ohio.  So by attending the Career Center you have the chance to meet new people who have similar interests.  Each student is still involved in the activities in their home school such as sports and clubs, but this just extends that network of friends and contacts.  I will also point out that while it is a huge advantage to have that many different schools all working with the career center, it also means that the 25 spots available in each program (except Digital Design which has 50 spots available) are going to be competitive to apply and get a seat.  As a result, if this program interests you, I encourage you to make your visit in November so that you can apply right away after the field trip.