Learning Essential Skills As A High School Student Can Help With Career Prep And Development
By Tyng Kam, Stride Career Prep Success Coach
Career readiness refers to the process of preparing students, usually high school and college students, with essential skills for their career path ahead. It can also mean helping them to be in a position to succeed in the workplace. I believe career readiness begins with the understanding of oneself. Finding out which attributes are your strengths and weaknesses, what values are important to you, and developing a deeper understanding of your own personality are key areas. Having awareness of your strengths and weaknesses helps you to identify careers that allow you to leverage your natural abilities and apply what you are good at in your job. This awareness can also aid you in recognizing areas that you need to further develop. For example, some individuals have a natural ability to connect with people and will most likely succeed in customer-facing roles. Meanwhile, some of you are better at building things, discovering new medicines, or working with animals. Knowing what you are good at, and what you enjoy, helps you to find careers that lead to better fulfillment and professional success.
Career readiness behaviors also include the desire to develop goals and make progressive plans for your future career, beyond high school and college. You should be curious to learn about professions that you are interested in, make plans to obtain relevant information through research, speak to industry professionals, and ultimately land an opportunity to gain real-world exposure through job shadowing or an internship position.
Stride Career Prep offers courses to help students discover their strengths and interests, while learning about modern careers. Each student starts their career pathway with an exploration course, like Information Technology (IT) or Criminal Justice. These project-based learning classes then guide students through the jobs they would encounter in a modern career field. It helps high school students to gain an in-depth understanding of their natural abilities, and how these abilities may apply to a career. Students can also learn about a career from industry professionals, through a technological platform called Nepris, through field trips, and even from the wisdom gleaned from guest speaker events. Students discover career opportunities that match their personality and strengths, and they gain the confidence needed to map out their chosen career path.
Communication, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, leadership skills, professionalism, teamwork, technological literacy, financial literacy, and equity and inclusion are career readiness competencies identified to be critical skills to succeed in modern workplaces. These are transferable skills that you can apply in most professional jobs and are often more desirable than technical skills, because it often requires a much longer time to develop these soft skills. You may be able to learn how to use Microsoft Office Suite after a six-month intensive class, but it can take years to develop a strong ability to communicate your argument effectively in a teamwork environment. The good news is that as a high school student you can start developing these critical competencies now. Proactively participating in classroom discussions can help you to develop communication skills and the overall confidence to speak in public. Leadership experience through student clubs or interest groups offers you the ability to lead and collaborate in a team environment. Personal projects like building your own PC and writing reviews on technological products are great ways to develop and showcase critical thinking skills and technological savviness.
Find out more about Stride virtual clubs and online extracurricular activities, like Esports and enrichment programs, here. And, remember, it takes time to truly be career-ready, so start early. Optimize your high school career now to prepare yourself to succeed in life after graduation.
If you are uncertain about future career choices and feel like you need help in Finding Your Path, then career success coaching may be for you!
And, be sure to check out the article, How To Optimize Your High School Years For Career Readiness, to learn even more from another Stride Success Coach!
To learn more about Stride Career Prep Success Coaching for teens and what it offers, be sure to visit this site: https://www.stridelearning.com/career-prep/career-exploration/student-success-coaching.html