Career Planning Tips
Important things to do throughout your Junior year if you are planning to go into the workforce immediately after high school.
Fall Junior Year:
- Career Exploration
- Determine a Career Pathway that will be a good fit for you.
- Major Clarity is a great tool that we will use in high school. Consider exploring this program throughout your Junior and Senior years in an effort to get the most accurate information from it.
- Establish a professional email address
- Use this for any professional communication with potential employers
- Get certifications, if available
- Take advantage of opportunities to get certifications that could help you in your future career
Spring Junior Year:
- Ask your Counselor about potential apprenticeship opportunities offered through Roanoke County Public Schools
- Information about these will be pushed out to students through the email provided in Major Clarity, through announcements, and various classes.
- Senior year course registration
- Ensure your classes for Senior year are challenging and appropriate for your intended career.
- Electives are a great way to learn a new skill set and to develop contacts with teachers that can become references for you to obtain a job in the future.
- Determine if you will need any post-graduate education or training to get a job in your chosen career
- Example: Virginia Western Certification programs, on-the-job training, registered apprenticeship
- Determine how you will get that training or education
- Keep your grades up!
- Your grades speak volumes about your work ethic and show that you are learning meaningful skills in your classes.
Summer before Senior Year:
- Internships, Job Shadowing, part-time job
- Devote some time in summer to working in the industry that you plan to work in following high school. This gives you an understanding of the requirements of the job on a daily basis.
- Can be a great way to network and develop contacts that you can use in the job search process.