Being a high school student can be a confusing time, particularly when you need to start thinking about future career decisions. When you don’t have all that much life experience, figuring out what you want to do with your adult life can be a very scary prospect. But the good news is that as a high school student, there are plenty of things that you can do to learn new skills, figure out your strengths and weaknesses, discover your passions, and find out more about career options that might be suitable for you.
Remember that you can always change your mind later on. Many people change careers much later in life, so if you decided that you wanted to go into politics like Steve Rothman but now you’re not all that sure, don’t worry, it’s completely normal.
Here are some of the best things to do to help you figure out which direction to take your career in.
Discover Your Passions:
What are you passionate about? What do you really enjoy doing? The best thing is that there’s a career for everything, and no matter what you are passionate about, there’s likely to be an option for you that will allow you to turn it into your source of earning a living. If you really love cooking, you might want to consider a career as a chef, or if you’re into gaming, you could get involved with work as a games designer. The options really are endless, and you want to choose a future career where you’re going to love going to work.
Try New Things:
If you’re really unsure about what you want to do and don’t have any passions or interests that you want to follow a career in, the best thing to do is get out there and try some new things. Join hobby groups, research things to do in your area online, volunteer your time, and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Don’t worry too much if you try something and don’t enjoy it – now you can cross that one off the list of future career ideas.
Develop Your Skills:
For many high school students, it’s a lack of workplace skills that gets them worried about what is going to happen in the future. Yes, while you might go on to go to college, earn a degree, and gain plenty of new skills there, you might have heard stories about graduates struggling to find work and wonder if you’re ever actually going to be able to get your dream job. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to boost your skills right now.
The Conservation Corps, for example, is a really good organization that you can join to get real-life work experience and develop some workplace skills that are going to give you an edge over other applicants once you’re in college or graduate. And, getting actual work experience can give you a clearer idea of what to expect from certain career paths and help you decide what’s right for you.
When you’re in high school, making decisions about your future career can be scary. Consider what you’re good at and get out and experience new things to help you make the right decision.