POST-SECONDARY PLANNING: JUNIOR YEAR

So you want to go to college….. According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education*, PA ranks 5 th in the nation for sending high school students to college PA ranks 45 th in the nation for graduating the same students According to higheredinfo.org, PA colleges and universities have an 80% retention rate (after the first year of school), and 65.7% graduation rate for Bachelor's degrees (graduation within 6 years) According to US News and World Report, 1 in 3 students do not return to college after the first year Collegeresults.org is a great site for checking retention/graduation rates *PDE website

POST-SECONDARY PLANNING : JUNIOR YEAR Retention rates-WHY?

POST-SECONDARY PLANNING : JUNIOR YEAR Academic issues, too expensive, don’t know what you want to do Academic issues Learn how to study now Ask for help/use resources Challenge yourself academically Too expensive Attend Financial Aid events, ask questions, fill out FAFSA form Apply for scholarships Dual enrollment/Transfer Don’t know what you want to do Caution-the undeclared major can lead to spending extra time in college=more money See what supports the school offers undeclared majors “Thinking well to be wise: planning well, wiser: doing well wisest and best of all”

SURVEY RESULTS Career Planning Process: 8% Lost 54% Think they have an idea but unsure 38% Found their career choice Post-Secondary Planning Process 11% Lost 62% Think they have an idea but unsure 27% Found the perfect …Technical school, Community College, Four Year College, Job, Military Branch Survey Results:  Only 197/401 students have researched careers/colleges online-49%  Of those 197, 162 used the College Board website. Only 25 went on career exploration sites. The secret to getting ahead is getting started-Mark Twain

GETTING STARTED Finding a career Planning a path

FINDING A CAREER… What are your interests? What are you good at? What kind of working conditions do you need in order to feel happy? SELF-ASSESSMENT mynextmove.org

FINDING A CAREER… How to use mynextmove.org: Open Choose which option best fits your level of knowledge on future plans. “I’m not really sure,” “I’ll know it when I see it,” or “I want to be…”

Finding a career… Important things to remember about mynextmove.org: If you’re unsure, take an ONET assessment test! Check which word is associated with the profession: Bright Outlook, Green, and Registered Apprentice. Thoroughly look through the profession/career profile page. Check out what skills and personality traits are important in that profession. Find out how much education is needed for the profession. Take a look at the average salary for the profession.

FINDING A CAREER… TIPS: Accept responsibility-opportunities will not come to you Find a mentor Network Join the free agent economy (“Paying your dues”) Use an appropriate address and voice mail message. Think before you post-maintain an appropriate social media presence.

FINDING A CAREER Top ten paying careers: 10. Industrial-organizational psychologist. 9. Computer and information systems managers. 8. Marketing manager. 7. Natural science manager. 6. Architectural and engineering managers. 5. Lawyers. 4. Petroleum engineers. 3. Chief executive officers. 2. Dentists and orthodontists. 1. Doctors and surgeons.

FINDING A CAREER… Top 15 growing fields: Network systems and data communication analyst. Personal care and home aides. Home health aides. Computing applications software engineers. Veterinary technologist and technicians. Personal financial advisors. Theatrical and performance makeup artist. Medical assistants. Veterinarians. Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors. Skin care specialist. Financial analyst. Social and human service assistants. Gaming surveillance officers and gaming investigators. Physical therapy assistants.

SO YOU THINK YOU’VE FOUND A CAREER… Does your expected job fit with your life style? Ask yourself if… You want to spend weekends with your family? You want to work a traditional work day (9am-5pm)? You will be able to afford your lifestyle? Examples: eating habits or shopping habits Does the career match your skill set? Your personality type? Great site for work-related personality type quiz-

SO YOU THINK YOU’VE FOUND A CAREER… See if you can do any of these during high school: Job shadowing Internships Volunteer Go to field related conferences Talk to professionals in the field Bring Your Child to Work Day As many as 1 in 3 students do not return to college after their 1 st year* 1 shadowing experience = 32% higher retention rate in college 1 internship experience = 52% higher retention rate in college *US News and World Report

PLANNING YOUR PATH… You will probably NEED some type of post-secondary education Note-unskilled jobs are disappearing; demand for high skills is rising Decrease from 40% to 20% of all jobs in PA from 1994 to 2011* Your path may include the following: Technical School Community College Four Year College *PDE website

PLANNING YOUR PATH… Annual Income by education:* Less than HS-$12,684 HS Diploma/GED-$27,010 Some college, no degree-$28,000 Associate Degree-$33,969 Bachelor’s Degree (Four year)-$48,500 Post-Graduate Degree-$64,261 PDE Website

PLANNING YOUR PATH… PSAT-all juniors taking on 10/16 Results back in December/Results Night/mycollegequickstart Collegeboard.org for prep, SAT registration Act.org for prep, ACT registration ACT vs. SAT? When to take the tests? What is a good score? 2012 SAT National Average: Critical Reading- 496, Math- 514, Writing ACT National Average: 21.1

PLANNING YOUR PATH… STARTING YOUR COLLEGE SEARCH Think about who you are and what you are looking for in a college: For example, size, location, campus activities/sports Fiskeguide.com has a GREAT survey you can take- Sizing Yourself Up Survey See the resource list for college search sites

PLANNING YOUR PATH… As you develop a list of schools: Go on the individual sites Look up admissions criteria How many schools? Reach/Target/Safety? 5-7 schools is recommended 1-2 Reach schools 3-4 Target schools 1-2 Safety schools

PLANNING YOUR PATH… The application process-preparing for it during junior year Student Recommendation Form Activity resume Essay/personal statement Course selection-choose wisely, explore programs (i.e. dual enrollment) KEEP YOUR GRADES UP!

POST SECONDARY PLANNING JUNIOR YEAR QUESTIONS?