President's Letter: Four Tips for Career Readiness

Happy New Year! I hope that you have found time to reflect on 2017 and look forward to what is to come in 2018. There is something refreshing about the new year and I thank you for the opportunity to serve as President of MSCA.
 
This month’s issue is focused on career readiness. Career readiness is, in my opinion, somewhat of a daunting task – it has no limits. There is so much you can do, there are so many different industries and it is always changing. How do we stay up to date?
 
I have found a few things helpful when providing career readiness to students. My four tips are:

1. Start early
2. Repetition
3. Know where to find the resource
4. Get parents involved

Start early: Talking about the process and choices for life after high school is something I discuss with my seventh graders. Getting them to know the different levels of education, the different industries in the world of work and how their interests fit different careers is where we start.
 
Repetition: Teenagers are mostly concerned about the here and now and their social lives. In order for these big picture, long term ideas to stick, we repeat these options and resources so they have heard them many times and are to a point of being sick of hearing the terms FAFSA, application, etc.
 
Know where to find the resource: Helping students learn how to navigate their questions about jobs, resumes and college is very important. Having students search for colleges and careers and talk with individuals from those companies or colleges is vital in their learning how to advocate for themselves. When students learn where to find the information, that is success.
 
Get parents involved: At a recent counselor meeting, we discussed careers with a few representatives from different industries. We learned a lot about the changes and the needs. One piece we discussed was educating parents on the changes that are happening in the work world so they can be more supportive and understand the options their student has. I am hoping to provide an educational event on this for parents this spring.
 
Please share any tips of your own on the listserv. Helping our students learn more about themselves and their skills, strengths and interests is critical in helping them be successful in whatever it is they want to achieve in life.
 
Keep up the hard work!
 
Contact Leah Zimmerman, MSCA president, at leahkent@isd593.org