It’s Your Life What are you gonna do with it?

It’s Your Life Focus today: “What does a high school student need to do NOW to be successful later?

It’s Their Life Are they ready? Most career decision-making is unintentional and uninformed. 65% of 11th and 12th graders never had a one-on-one meeting with their school counselor to discuss post- secondary and career opportunities. 10% of high school students say they have received meaningful career guidance at school. 65% of working adults do not believe they are in the right job (NCDA/Gallup, 2009)

What really happens after high school? 60% of high school graduates go to post-secondary by the age of 24 40% change programs or quit in the first year 50% NOT in jobs related to their major two years after graduation 50% drop out rate after 1 st year

What can we do? Encourage experiences Be a support system Affirm who they are Share information

It’s Your Life What are you gonna do with it?

It’s Your Life The average lifetime includes 100,000 hours at work ! You’d Better LOVE what you do!

(NCDA/Gallup, 2009) Gallup Polls indicate 65% of working adults do not believe they are in the right job. 100,000 work

Life After High School 1. Don’t Care: I don’t want to think about it. 2. Unsure: I’ve given it some thought. 3. Curious: I’m aware of some good career choices for me. 4. Confident: I know all my options Where are you in the process of deciding?

Education “Knowledge is power. Education is paramount to anything you’re going to end up wanting to do. The person that knows the knowledge is the person that is going to get paid.” Is a college degree your only ticket to success? How else can you “get the knowledge” ???

Options 2 and 4 year colleges Technical Colleges Corporate training programs Apprenticeship training Adult education There are many options after high school: On-the-job training Workplace experience Intern/Apprenticeship Military Volunteer/Community Work Entrepreneurship Self-employment

Take a Yourself How do I know where to start?

Natural Intelligences Bodily/Kinesthetic “body smart” Linguistic “word smart” Logical/Mathematical “number smart” Musical “music smart” Naturalist “nature smart” Interpersonal “people smart” Visual/Spatial “picture smart” Every career requires different skills. One way to find a career that suits you is to consider

Focus on your strengths! The secret to achievement What kind of activities have you loved to do since childhood? What can you do that’s as easy as breathing? What sort of thing really excites you? Imagine you were famous in your lifetime, what would it be for? Ask yourself:

What Interests You? (work should be identical to play) Realistic: work with your hands, tools, machinery Investigative: work with ideas with an emphasis on the scientific or technical Artistic: creative self-expression Social: people-helping occupations (teacher, counselor, social, religious) Enterprising: group leadership, management, entrepreneurship Conventional: emphasize precision and accuracy in management of details (accountant, financial analyst, secretary) Can you identify your top 3 interests?

Your work Which color describes your personality? Trademarked under name True ColorsGold?Blue? Green? Orange?

prepare How do I for the future workplace?

Look to the Future How about 3 to 5 radical career shifts in your lifetime? How do you prepare for that? The average employee has jobs over the course of a career. The average job in America only lasts 3.6 years.

Have Skills, will travel Your best defense against the future’s lack of job security is: Know your best skills Get better and better at them Reshuffle your “skills deck” to fit various job opportunities (remember 9 to 13 job changes?) Consider this your “transition survival kit!” Marlowe Embree UWMC 2004

Diversify Pick several skills (3 to 5) that are different yet related (i.e. web development and teaching) Pick skills that represent your natural gifts (what were you good at when you were 8 years old?)

Think Like an Entrepreneur You are not “entitled” to a paycheck! Is your benefit to your employer (as a problem-solver, profit-generator, etc.) greater than your cost (the paycheck)? More simply, what are you offering and why would anyone want it?

Do you have a ‘Plan B’ ??? Can you bounce back from hard times? Can you see the possibility instead of the threat in change? Things in life rarely go as planned. How many times have you been disappointed but things worked out better than you thought?

Out of bed What will get you in the morning?

- Aldous Huxley “Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.”

Balance Work is about three things: Making a Living Making a Life Making a Difference What do those three things mean to you?

Connections Matter because… 1.You can’t do everything (need to swap favors with others who are weak where you’re strong) 2.People hire people they know & trust (or who are known & trusted by people they know & trust) 3.People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.

Motivators Security & Stability Technical Competence Management & Responsibility Autonomy (do it your own way) Entrepreneurship (run your own show) Service to Others Pure Challenge Lifestyle Balance Choose which two of these things are your most motivating and least motivating:

Survive Will you in today’s work world?

“When we hire…we look for someone committed. They have to have a spark for life, they have to get on well with everyone and then have the education, skills and qualifications.”

Checklist Check off the words that describe you:  DEPENDABLE I keep my promises.  ADAPTABLE I don’t freak out when things change.  PREPARED I show up ready as well as able.  PROFESSIONAL I look as well as act the part.  SELF-DIRECTED I get things done on my own.  POSITIVE I pitch in without complaining.  CURIOUS I like to learn more about whatever I’m doing.  PROUD I am courteous to others.  AMBITIOUS I work hard to reach my goals. ____ Total s

88% of top executives said character, leadership and communication skills are better predictors of success than test scores. - National Urban League 2001