senior spotlight: B- choosing a path
As we begin this blog, we would like to remind students and families to view their lives as one long story, with post-secondary being a single chapter. Many adults change position within a career field, or change career completely. Family, illness, wealth, travel, and technology can play a role in changes to our plans. Creating a path with multiple options is in the best interest of many students.
If you have already chosen a path, review your answers from the last blog. Do these answers align with your plans? Do your current senior year plans best support this post-secondary path? Hopefully, the answers to these two questions are yes. Congratulations! You have put great consideration into your plans. Be sure to prepare for success by practicing independence senior year. Find balance with work and play, being sure to soak up quality time with family and friends.
For those of you in a different boat, consider why your answer may not support your current path. Make a pros and cons list for your current path, then find an objective adult to discuss these thoughts: relative, friend’s parent, mentor, religious leader, school counselor or therapist.
For those of you struggling to make a decision regarding what come next, take your time. Yes, it’s senior year so it’s easy to get caught up in the intensity of making decisions right away. Yes, SOME options have a time limit attached and we will address these circumstances in the coming blogs. First, take a breath, LITERALLY. Everyone’s situation is unique. Maybe you help take care of family, maybe you are a foster youth, maybe their are family business expectations, maybe you haven’t found a passion, maybe you have physical or mental health challenges. Remember the only person who can set the timeline is you!
We will address direct to career paths, career/vocational training, community college, and university in these blogs. The best way to prepare, is to begin having conversations with family and friends. Start thinking about who you admire in your life and why. If you could jump into someone else’s shoes tomorrow, who would it be? Now ask yourself what is appealing about their life. Is it family, financial stability, travel, career, or general lifestyle you admire? Ask them about their life journey and how the factors you admire came to be.
Then begin trying new things! Volunteer at an event, join a club, find a job, take vocational classes or career training; all things that can be done for free.
Check out this article for members:
