Career Prep Has Me Ready For Life Beyond High School
By Andrew Dotson, Stride Student Advisor
Some veterans of the Career Prep program may be wondering what life would have been like if you had never entered the program in the first place. Let’s pretend we’re in an alternate dimension, and we can then explore some questions to see what my life would’ve been like without the Stride Career Prep program. Perhaps it will give others in the program thoughts of their own about possible life trajectories.
I’ve had a lot of success since I’ve entered the Stride Career Prep program; including obtaining certifications and getting the support I needed from teachers and staff. Would I still have all of that without Stride Career Prep? Probably not. I left the brick-and-mortar setting at a young age, and I’ve been at Stride Career Prep since then. If I had stayed in that setting, by the time I got into high school, I most likely would’ve only been able to obtain one or two certifications, at most.
Brick-and-mortar schools have one disadvantage in comparison to online Stride-powered schools, which are the maintenance costs of buildings. An online experience means more money to disburse towards the curriculum, and towards things that are very helpful to the students with future career prep, like certifications.
Would I have figured out what career I wanted, if I had stayed in a brick-and-mortar setting? Probably not until it was too late. I already had a general idea of what I wanted, but thanks to Stride Career Prep, I’ve gotten a lot more specific on my idea of that career, and the overall future I want. Being in brick-and-mortar means I would’ve struggled with what I had thought I wanted for a career, and I most likely would’ve ended up falling behind my peers.
Would I have had the opportunity to get a job while in high school, if I wasn’t at Stride Career Prep? Most likely not. I never imagined I’d have a job while in high school, and I always saw it as an added stress that compounds onto all the other stressors, while in high school. But, here I am today, with a stable job and good grades, all thanks to the Stride Career Prep program. Additionally, the Career Prep program actively works with you, if you do get a job, to make sure your grades stay stable throughout your entire time working.
Would I be as close to my family as I am right now, if I wasn’t at Stride Career Prep? Possibly, but the Career Prep program, if anything, just gave me more time to spend with my family, and to enjoy extra-curricular activities, or just doing anything that I like to do in my free time.
Would I be as mentally prepared for my future as I am right now, if I wasn’t at Stride Career Prep? No. The program, unlike brick-and-mortar settings, gives you flexibility in many things, including when you wake up, when and at what pace you complete assignments, where and how you structure your free time… among other things. This means being well-rested is a guarantee each day, which cannot be said for brick-and-mortar schools, not to mention the bonus of being informed on many fronts with exclusive Stride learning content. This content includes college preparation, financial literacy and planning, and much more!
To answer a final question… Would I have been better off with a traditional on-site school education? Most likely not. I perform better on a computer by myself, in my own surroundings, than I do in a structured on-site setting, with no schedule control. I can safely say that there’s no place that I fit better than here at Stride Career Prep, and it’s clear to me that if I had stayed in a brick-and-mortar setting, it would not have benefited me nearly as much as Stride Career Prep has done.
Check out another post by this Stride Student Advisor about how “A Computer Science Class Motivated Me To Get Certifications.”
You may also like this Stride Insights article, by one of our other Student Advisors, on The Benefits Of Attending An Online School, for additional reading!
To learn more about Stride Career Prep's Student Advisory Council, make sure to visit https://www.k12.com/stride-career-prep/about/student-advisory-council.html