Getting Educated
Once you have decided on a career field, the next step is to determine how to get training to enter that field and how much training to get. You have several options available to you:
As you can see, education is your route to a career. School and work are not two separate paths. Your school path is your career path. How far along that path you travel, and the direction in which it leads you, is up to you. Your counselors advise that you simply do something after high school. Get a certification. Take an apprenticeship. Go to college. Anything. Get some kind of credential. It is currently hard to get a good-paying job with only a high school diploma, and it will only get more difficult in the future. Do something to make yourself marketable.
- Entering the workforce directly after high school. This option is the fastest way to a job, and it also places you on the lowest end of the skills, training, and pay scale. Jobs available to high school graduates are located in Job Zones One and Two and include occupations like taxi drivers, amusement and recreation attendants, counter and rental clerks, construction laborers, continuous mining machine operators, waiters/waitresses, sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, physical therapist aides, salespersons (retail), and tellers.
- Getting a vocational certification or associates degree. This option requires some time commitment to education and training after high school, and it offers a greater variety of job choice, more job security, and usually better pay. The extra time commitment via this route may be anywhere from six months to two years. Jobs available to graduates of certification and associates degree programs are located in Job Zone Three and include food service managers, agricultural technicians, nurses, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
- Taking an apprenticeship. This option requires a bit more time commitment to training after high school (often 3-5 years), and it offers the opportunity to make money while learning marketable trade skills. Jobs available to those who complete apprenticeship programs are typically located in Job Zone Three and include electricians, plumbers, some automotive and construction workers, carpenters, HVAC technicians, painters, pipefitters, roofers, and mechanics.
- Getting a bachelors degree. This option requires four years of further education after high school, and it gives you considerable preparation for either entering a career field or pursuing further education. Jobs available to graduates with bachelors degrees are typically located in Job Zone Four and include accountants, sales managers, database administrators, teachers, chemists, environmental engineers, criminal investigators, and analysts.
- Getting a graduate or post-graduate degree. This option requires six or more years of further education after high school, and it gives you extensive preparation for entering a career field. Jobs available to graduates with graduate or post-graduate degrees are located in Job Zone Five and include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, wildlife biologists, school psychologists, counselors, surgeons, controllers, and administrators.
As you can see, education is your route to a career. School and work are not two separate paths. Your school path is your career path. How far along that path you travel, and the direction in which it leads you, is up to you. Your counselors advise that you simply do something after high school. Get a certification. Take an apprenticeship. Go to college. Anything. Get some kind of credential. It is currently hard to get a good-paying job with only a high school diploma, and it will only get more difficult in the future. Do something to make yourself marketable.
resources
Apprenticeships - This site is offered by the state of Indiana, and it offers information about finding getting accepted to apprenticeship programs in the state.
Four-Year Colleges - This is a listing of several four-year colleges in the state of Indiana. Click a logo to be taken to that college's website.
College Navigator - This site allows you to search for institutions that award certificates, associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, and advanced degrees. To do this, you simply search by "Level of Award" on the left-hand side of the screen.
Area 30 Career Center - Offers programs for high school students in many career areas. Speak with a guidance counselor at South Putnam for more information or if you would like to attend.
Four-Year Colleges - This is a listing of several four-year colleges in the state of Indiana. Click a logo to be taken to that college's website.
College Navigator - This site allows you to search for institutions that award certificates, associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, and advanced degrees. To do this, you simply search by "Level of Award" on the left-hand side of the screen.
Area 30 Career Center - Offers programs for high school students in many career areas. Speak with a guidance counselor at South Putnam for more information or if you would like to attend.