Advice from recent successful graduates...

Graduation is always a great time for reflection. When asked what advice they would give students approaching their high school years, recent high school graduates frequently mention these tips:

1. Plan for Your Dream Job:
The secret to finding an ideal career is for students to find something they enjoy doing and turn it into a career, hopefully something that will provide good income.

Enjoyment is a key ingredient in a career especially for today’s youth. Why? Because today’s youth will live longer and work longer than any other generation in history. Some estimate that tomorrow’s adults will work into their 70’s or beyond. While many students may be tired of school after ten or twelve years, this experience pales in comparison with working 60 or 70 years.

Determine what training and courses are needed for your dream job and develop a plan to prepare yourself for this career.

2. Develop a Backup Plan:
Even the best laid plans often go astray. So have a back-up plan in case everything does not go as planned. While this might seem like you are giving up on your dreams, it is the smart thing to do. Successful individuals and businesses do this all the time.

One of the goals that many students have leaving high school is to go to college and earn a degree. The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia recently did a study of high school students in the state and found that out of every 100 high school graduate, 40 enroll in a four year college. However, 6 years after graduation, only 22 have earned a degree! Hopefully, these students had some type of backup plan to help them earn a living.Even if everything goes as planned, high school graduates still may have to work up to 12 years after graduation until they reach their dream job. Unlike previous times, the new age of adulthood has been defined as age 30! Why? Because this is the age that most adolescents do the following:

1. Finish their education
2. Become financially independent
3. Move away from home

Realize that in today’s rapidly changing society, you may have to make adjustments. Develop an alternate plan or path in case everything does not work as planned.

3. Grades and Attendance Do Count!
While recent graduates hate to admit this, they concede that grades and attendance are important. While employers at many low paying temporary jobs do not ask about grades and attendance, the more attractive companies and colleges want the skilled people who have excellent attendance records. Some students even admit that they lost opportunities in high school because other students had better grades and attendance.

Get in the habit of doing your best all the time and show up everyday. Regardless of what profession you enter, these habits will help you be successful.

4. Take Advantage of Free Resources:
Few public school systems offer the resources that are provided by Chesterfield County. With 9 different specialty centers and numerous classes at each high school, there is a class somewhere that can help you reach your goals. Some courses that are offered free to high school students would cost up to $17,000 in the private sector.

Many of the courses provide training that leads to full time or part time employment with wages above the minimum level. Even if a student is planning on attending college, these jobs can help provide supplemental income to cover expenses while in college. Remember that earning a college degree and/or an advanced degree can often take up to twelve years. Specialized training in high school can help students earn wages during this period that exceeds the minimum wages often associated with many part time jobs.

Once students graduate from high school, they have to pay for additional training and education. Do not depend on your Guidance counselor to tell you everything you need to know. Read the information provided by the school and various other sources. Take advantage of the free training that is available while you are still a public school student.

5. Do Not Wait to Get Started:
Students need to develop a plan as soon as possible. The plan may not be for a career that they will want to do for the rest of their life. But at least it will provide them a means of support while they pursue new interests.

Many students delay making plans until they find the ideal career. Unfortunately, this is often too late to take advantage of the resources that are available free in their school career. By waiting too long, there are often schedule conflicts or other circumstances that prevent students from taking advantage of all their school has to offer.

Both in high school and college, this holds true—the longer a student waits to make a career decision, the more time and money it takes to reach his/her goal.

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