Career Development
If you’re only in middle school, should you already know what career or professional field you want to pursue? No… but you may want to begin exploring the different fields that exist so you have a better idea what courses you want to take later and to help you narrow down your educational choices beyond NorthView IB.
Getting Started:
Start by exploring the information available on CFNC. Create a User Account so that you can utilize all that they have available. Click on the blue Career Center Tab. Select the Information for Students and Parents. There you can explore different fields and check out fast growing careers. Try taking a career interest inventory. There are a couple that you can take on CFNC. But you will need a username and password, so go ahead and start a user account. One inventory is available through the Career Key under the blue Career Center tab. The other can be taken by entering Bridges through CFNC. When entering Bridges, make sure you click on the Choice Explorer Tool for Middle School or the Choices Planner for High School Students. Whichever is appropriate. Under the heading of “Work” click on the Interest Profiler and follow the directions to begin.
Researching/Exploring Careers:
Once you have an idea of what you want to do, you need to further research that career. You will want to know the answers to the following questions. What exactly does this job involve? What kind of skills do you need? What kind of schooling or training will you need? How available is that type of job? How much money will you make? Answers can be found by researching the career in several different ways.
Interest Inventories:
If you took the interest inventories through CFNC or Bridges, you can learn more about the different careeres that match your interests. Click on the different careers to learn more information about each.
Job Shadowing:
Another way to learn more about a career is to job shadow. Job shadowing involves finding someone in the career of your interest and following them around for their day. This can be a great way to learn all the little things that each job entails.
Summer Programs:
There are many programs that run over the summer allowing students to participate in hands-on learning. Most programs range from one to five weeks in length. Check out the College Preparation Opportunities link on the CFNC website to find some of these programs. Do NOT wait until the last minute. Some of these programs have early deadlines for applications.
Volunteering:
Volunteering may help you gain experience that you would not otherwise be able to get. Volunteering can be more flexible with your time and hours than a paid position or set program. You can sometimes use volunteer activities for Community Service hours and they also look great on your college and scholarship applications.
Career Training:
If you are going to college to prepare for your career, make sure you pick a college that offers the major and degree you need. To find schools that offer the degree you want/need visit degreedirectory.org.
