Your Career Path Starts In High School

Debbie Richardson https://jobapplicationpoint.com 4m 952 #career

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

How To Get More Familiar With The Working Field

Preparing for your career in high school by volunteering in your working field can help you take the first step in becoming a professional in your ideal job choice. Without proper exposure with experience in your career field, you may not have a good idea in the direction you are going. In the guide below, we will go over the top recommended tips on becoming familiar with the working field. After all, your career path starts growing in high school.

1. Research Your Field and Prepare Yourself
The first step on becoming more familiar with your working field is to first research it. From there, you can set aside a list of pros and cons to decide if it’s the right career choice for you.

If it is, you can start preparing yourself for the next set of steps you have to complete down the line. This includes our next section, consulting your school’s guidance counselor.

2. Consult a Guidance Counselor
Talking to your guidance counselor can benefit you in more ways than one. Not only can they put you in the best classes to suit your future career, but also talk to you about the career path you have chosen. Even better, they can also help you narrow down your decision on which job path to follow.

Consulting a school guidance counselor can put you on the right track in extracurricular volunteer work as well.

3. Work on Networking Skills
Even though networking is a great method to connect with industry professionals, poorly networking can damage your reputation and reduce your likelihood of progressing in your career.

There are a variety of free online classes can take online, but we suggest consulting your guidance counselor on networking courses offered by your school. However, there are plenty of organizations that hold sponsored events that can help you better network within your field.

4. Participate in Volunteer Work
Who says volunteering doesn’t pay off? In fact, participating in volunteer work can help benefit your resume and help you gain irreplaceable experience that can build up your career. Most high schools even offer learning credits for the amount of time you spend volunteering in your field.

5. Part-Time Work
To help you gain even more experience, some high school students work part-time jobs to get paid the money they need to get relevant experience and hands-on knowledge. When most people hear part-time job, they may imagine working a retail or restaurant job. However, this does not necessarily need to be true. With a little bit of searching, you may be able to find a part time job working in the industry you want to.

6. Internships
Some businesses offer students internships to help them learn firsthand and gain the necessary experience for their career field. Internships are expected to last a couple weeks to a few months at a time. Students can sign up help from their teachers or guidance counselors.

7. Business Tour
If you are interested in working at a specific company or in an industry, you may be able to take a tour of the business that you are interested in. You can contact the human resources department of the office directly or you may be able to work with your guidance counselor to set up a tour. This way, you can see the office space, experience a regular workday, and learn about the industry directly. You can also ask any specific questions you have. This will help you to dive deeper into your field of interest and actually determine whether you want to work within it.

8. Informational Interviews
After the tour, if you decide you still do want to work in the industry, you can set up an informational interview. During this time, you can talk directly with people who work for the company and ask any questions you may have. Beforehand, you should prepare a list of questions you want to be answered about the company, the job, and the industry on the whole.

9. Job Shadowing
You can also contact a business and ask if you can job shadow someone who works at the company. This way, you will truly experience what working in your chosen field is like. You may ask your guidance counselor to help you set this up or another adult in your life. This may be the next step to take after taking a business tour and attending an informational interview.

10. Freelance Jobs
Depending on the career you want to begin, you may be able to complete freelance work in your field. There are plenty of freelance opportunities for writers, artists, designers, virtual assistants, coders, and more. To begin, you may need to advertise your services for cheap or free in order to get work without much experience. This is a great way to build up your professional experience and gain references for future work. Jobs can entail full-time hours or small, simple projects, it all depends on what the client needs.

As a high school student, you may believe that your options are limited when it comes to gaining job experience. However, there are so many ways that you can become familiar with the industry that you want to work in. From informational tours to volunteering to paid work, you can easily jump start your career while still in high school.

About the Author

Debbie Richardson discovered her passion for writing a few years ago when she started her first blog. She likes to think that her 5 years of experience as an HR Manager can provide some real background in the job application field. Writing for JobApplicationPoint fulfills her desire to help other prospective employees tackle the hiring process.

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