Future Prep for Students Part 1: School Website Solutions for Career Exploration
Job Searches
One school website solution for career exploration is job searches. Schools can help their students learn more about the different jobs that exist through the use of career match quizzes such as The Gladeo Quiz. The Gladeo Quiz is a resource that students can use to explore possible careers based upon their personality and interests. By using career match quizzes such as this one, school websites can assist their students in navigating the job market. Since the list of careers is so broad, career match quizzes are a great way to narrow that pool so that it is more personalized. School websites can include links to resources such as Gladeo so that students have easy access to sites that simplify the career exploration process.
Internships and Job Shadowing
Internships can be very beneficial when exploring careers because they allow students to gain work experience in that particular field. I was fortunate enough to have gotten this internship here at Edlio where I have learned so much about marketing and maturing my writing. I think that it is important for schools to recommend internship programs because they provide students access to opportunities that we might not have had otherwise. For me, interning at Edlio has solidified my goal to go into journalism or communications because I get to write about important topics and provide other people with meaningful advice. More students should get the experience to explore their career fields of interest, which is why school websites should provide updated internship information that their students can take advantage of.
Career Fairs and Networking
School websites can also assist their students with career exploration by organizing career fairs and networking events. Schools can invite the parents of students to come and talk about their careers and how they got into them. Career fairs are a very helpful way for students to learn about different jobs and also communicate with individuals who work in those fields.
Networking events would differ from career fairs because they would be more intimate and enable students to interact with a smaller amount of professionals. School websites could post links to upcoming networking events where interested students could sign up to attend. Both career fairs and networking events allow students to become more acquainted with the job market and to not only learn about the responsibilities that some jobs contain, but also explore how people achieved those positions.
Career Testimonies
Another school website solution for career exploration is career testimonies. Every month school websites can post articles about different parents reflecting on their careers. These testimonies would allow students to read about how individuals feel about their jobs and their experiences in that field. Testimonies are helpful when exploring possible careers because students can refer back to them when they have any questions about a certain job. School websites can use career testimonies to connect their students with the network of working parents and the different careers that exist within the school community. Career testimonies are important for career exploration because they provide personalized insight on jobs that students might not have known about before.
Professional Development Workshops
Professional development workshops would help students prepare for entering the workforce by providing them with the necessary skills and information. I think that it would be useful for schools to offer workshops such as financial literacy and workplace etiquette because they would help students learn about navigating professional environments. Financial literacy is especially important because we will need these skills for the rest of our lives, and unfortunately students my age do not often learn about being smart financially. Schools can hold these workshops themselves or invite individuals to teach these workshops on campus. Professional development is important because they are skills that students can apply and utilize regardless of what career they decide upon. Many students do not get the opportunity to learn about professional development, so schools can bridge the gap between students and career preparedness by offering these workshops.
Importance of Career Exploration
For many students, including myself, it is very important for schools to create an environment where we can explore the vast amount of careers that exist. Career exploration is especially important for students who are preparing to enter college because they will soon have to make the decision about what career they want to pursue. If schools begin the career search process early, then they can help ease some of the uncertainty that students feel about the job market. The above school website solutions for career exploration are all ways in which schools can support their students when it come to planning and preparing for their futures.
ABOUT RAVEN
My name is Raven Lawson, and I am a seventeen year old high school senior at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES). I am a writer and designer for my school’s Yearbook and I am one of the Presidents of our Black Student Union. Through my school’s college counselor I learned about a summer internship opportunity. I applied in early February, and had the fortune of being selected as one of eighty-seven interns. I then joined the team here at Edlio as a marketing intern. After highschool, I plan to pursue a career in journalism or communications, and I am looking forward to utilizing the skills I learn at Edlio in the future.