Define your own road in life. College Planning & Career Exploration

Introduction o Life decisions begin with an understanding of yourselves as individuals. o What would give your life meaning? o Have you ever given any thought to your future and what you see yourself doing? o What are interest and things you are passionate about? (music, the arts, learning, sports)

Find Your Passion!

Thinking about college. Even though you haven’t even started high school, you should start thinking about how college can lead you in a direction that is a reflection of your true self.

Where do you start? You start with YOU. -What makes you, you? -What do you value? -We define our values by asking questions such as: 1. What is important to me? 2. What do I believe in? 3. What interests me?

By focusing on the things we value, your ideas that you believe in and that you live by, you will begin to discover that your life is not about following the crowd. It is about heading in the direction that reflects who you really are.

“At some point in your life, you have spent all your heart and soul following the kind of activity about which you are absolutely passionate. One of the great privileges is we have the opportunity to follow your dream.” ~ Dr. Jim Kim

Set Point o Your set point is what you know about yourself and your goals for the future. o You will use your set point to measure your growth as you continue to define your own road in life.

Exercise 1 In a word document: establish your own set point by describing the thoughts, feelings, concerns or ideas you have now about your future. Ask questions you might ask yourself like: 1.What am I being told my future should look like? “You’re going to be a doctor,” “When you grow up you should be a lawyer,” “You know politicians make a lot of money,” “You should keep playing baseball so you can play in the Major League when you grow up,” etc.. 2.What do I want high school to be like? 3.What are my biggest fears about entering high school?

4.What special interests do I have and want to try but have not before? (maybe you want to play an instrument or a certain sport or join a certain club but you don’t because you fear what people will think of you, or you lack your parents approval. 5. Write anything that comes to mind related to your future. * Make sure to use complete sentences and write at least two paragraphs per answer

Exercise 2 Take this quick aptitude test to see what careers may suit your interests. (Remember that just because the test says you might be good at one thing, it doesn’t mean you cant succeed at something else.)