Planning your career 'trip'

Sometimes it’s fun to get in the car and take off with no real plans, reservations or destination, but good vacations and business trips require planning to make the best use of time and resources. Your generation has the advantage of sophisticated planning tools. The Internet and global positioning systems allow you to determine a turn-by-turn route to your destination and make all reservations online.

Planning the road trip to your future career is no less important, and there are just as many sophisticated planning tools at your disposal. KnowHowVirginia.org is just such a tool! Launched in 2004, this robust Web site has had more than 13 million hits in less than two years. Check out how you can use it to plan your “trip.”

• What can you do and what do you enjoy? — SELF ASSESSMENT is the first activity you should choose. Whether online or in your guidance office, learn what jobs best match your abilities and interests. The average person works 35 to 40 years. Make it something you’ll enjoy!
• Travel Agent — Check out the HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND section for options for pathways to building a successful career.
• Destination — Explore 16 different career clusters and hundreds of jobs at EXPLORE CAREERS.
• Learn More — INVESTIGATE in the cluster to get an overview or details about careers you’re considering.
• Packing for the Trip — GET READY shows the courses you can take now and after high school to prepare for your chosen career.
• Side Trips — visit ACTIVITIES and RESOURCES to see what’s going on around the state or to enter your own suggestions.
• See Celebrities — read SUCCESS STORIES for profiles of 40 young people — all recent graduates of high schools in Virginia — who got started in their chosen fields through high school career and technical education programs. You’ll see examples of different pathways chosen, some with four-year degrees, some with two-year degrees, some with apprenticeship training, some with industry certifications, and some who went straight to work after high school with their employer funding their advanced studies. You might even know some of them!
• Sponsor — The Virginia Career Education Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that promotes career and technical education and related careers, sponsors the Web site. It is a great starting place for “planning your road trip” to the future.

You have more choices for careers and more ways to gather information than any generation before you. Make informed decisions! Best wishes for a successful “trip!”

Next Step
Got a good idea of what you’re looking for? Your next step is to find outlets where you can learn more and gain practical experience. Read up on apprenticeships, experience-based learning and industry certification to get ideas on how to jumpstart your future.