By: Cynthia Pan and Fiani Lin, Content Editors
Selecting a potential career for the future might be one of the most important decisions a student can make in their life. For many, it may feel as though society has already established that it is required to know exactly what you want to become at a very young age.
For teens today especially, it can feel overwhelming to not have a conclusive plan of what they want to do for the rest of their lives and therefore what they want to major in in college.
However, it should be relieving for these teens to know that it is perfectly okay not to know exactly what you want to do in the future right now. In fact, it is normal not to. One of the biggest components to establishing a desired career is understanding your own interests and strong traits, which can only be accomplished through life experience.
Vice Principal Mrs. Dena Kelly shares, “I have always been interested and invested in education. I have had so many great teachers, mentors, and leaders throughout my education which organically led me to my current career path.”
Luckily, most universities today will offer an ‘undecided major’, which allows students to further explore different fields of work and interests in college and decide later on which to commit to. On top of this, it is very common for college students to change their major.
There are many steps that can be taken to find a desired career. Below are outlined steps that can help ease the process.
Step 1: Learn about yourself.
Find activities, hobbies, and tasks that you enjoy or are particularly skilled at. This can span from sports, to the arts, to technology.
School counselor, Mrs. Kelianna Bonn advises, “Take courses that you wouldn’t think to take to see if it sparks interest. Take courses in areas you are interested in to confirm your interest in those areas.”
At Foran, there are many opportunities to explore different areas of interest. For example, Foran offers many classes in STEM, humanities, language, career and technical education, student development and wellness, interdisciplinary studies, and more.
Students can also take advantage of resources at Foran such as their guidance counselors, who can recommend and guide them to courses that are relevant to an interested career field.
In addition to this, it is also just as important to understand and reflect what you are and aren’t comfortable with. Consider asking yourself, ‘Do I like working in groups or by myself? Do I enjoy leadership roles or do I like following others? Would I like to be self-employed or work under management?’
Contemplating such questions can narrow down certain careers that may fit into your preferred criteria.
Senior Skyler Agresti says, “My intended future career is an author because I love to write stories. When I was younger I loved to read as a pastime because I loved how it let me escape from reality into a story. As I got older, I learned that I liked to write even more because it allowed me to share the stories I have in my head with others.”
Step 2: Identify and explore potential careers.
Once you have found a notable interest, explore careers related to it. Today, not only do job opportunities require proper education, but also experience. Now more than ever, acquiring a high paying job is in more demand than ever before.
Kelly adds, “Your curiosity, conversations with others, research, and finding opportunities to experience jobs and different career paths will be the best way to make a determination. Try not to limit yourself from any opportunities and remain open to all career possibilities.”
With career competition starting earlier and earlier, it is vital to gain as much experience in a desired career as possible. Not only does this put you a step further from your competitors and improves your resume, but it also allows you to confirm which career field you actually want to go into.
This can be accomplished by getting part time jobs or interning someplace related to the career path you want to pursue.
Foran offers the Internship Program to seniors, which gives them the opportunity to take the month of May to intern at a place of interest, building more confidence in the career path they want. It is helpful to establish whether or not you actually want to pursue a specific career in high school before investing your time and money into it in college.
Step 3: Have confidence and faith!
After further exploring interested fields, and having a career you want to pursue, maintain a positive mindset. People often have a dream career, but don’t think they have the qualifications for it and therefore don’t even begin to pursue it. This however is not the case. With persistent time and effort, you are capable of learning and pursuing any career you want with time and effort throughout college.
