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 you really don't have any idea what you would like to do when you grow up and 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 helpful for you to 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, counselors and other staff to help plan the 2012 Career Fair. Upperclassmen may recall the 2010 Career Fair as this is an effort we hold every other year. The Career Fair will give all students the opportunity to interact one-on-one in an informal setting (during the school day at WKHS) with a variety of different career professionals. I know that in addition to my students, many parents read this blog - and I desperately need your help with this project! We need to find more people to attend the Career Fair and we'd also like additional information about a wide range of careers even if people cannot attend as we will compile the responses in a Career Resource Handbook for students to use as a resource. Adults can help by completing the career questionnaire at www.surveymonkey.com/wkhscareerfair and I would also love it if you could forward the survey to any of your family members, friends, neighbors, or colleagues!

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 Career Interest Inventory.

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: Kilbourne and password: ohiocis03

And for those students who already have an idea about what careers they are interested in pursuing in the future, I'd recommend checking out the Explorer's programs.  You can find out more information about Explorer's on the WKHS Counselor website.

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!