Helping Your Child Decide On Postsecondary Career Options

Parents and their children often make the mistake of focusing on a degree rather than a career. Remember that a degree is not the ticket to a career. Planning is the key.

How Should my Child Choose a Postsecondary School?

• Ask your child what he or she hopes to achieve. What are your child’s dreams, aspirations and goals and what type of postsecondary school will help him or her achieve them.
• Research the benefits of attending a college, university, or trade school? Explore how a postsecondary education will benefit your child on reaching his or her goals.
• What classes has your child taken in high school that will transfer to a postsecondary school? Many high schools offer concurrent enrollment classes that apply to postsecondary credits.

With a plan for postsecondary education, you and your child will be better prepared for the time and money that will be required to reach his or her career goals.

What Steps Should I Take to Help my Child Prepare for Life after High School?

Begin today to help prepare your child for life after high school. Together, you and your child can develop a career training plan that will assist your child in making a smooth transition from high school to postsecondary education.

Help your child:

• Identify career interests
• Determine skills
• Explore career options
• Develop a career plan

Encourage your child to take challenging courses in high school and to continue to think about how he or she may want to use education to pursue a rewarding career.

What Should My Child Know About The Importance Of Attending A Postsecondary School?

• More job opportunities. 48 of the 50 fastest growing jobs in the U.S. require some type of postsecondary education.
• Advancement opportunities. People who do not participate in postsecondary training are three times more likely to be unemployed.
• Earn more money. People who spend two years in college earn over $250,000 more in a lifetime.

Choices Planner: Achievement  Starts With A Plan!

Choices Planner is a powerful online career information delivery system available 24/7 to aid in the design of a personal plan for your child’s career success.

Compare, connect, and choose from a vast network of career and education options to build a comprehensive plan in your online portfolio.

Program reports show connections to related programs and careers, as well as colleges, universities, and trade schools.

In Choices Planner you can search from thousands of postsecondary options using characteristics that are important to you and your child with the School Finder. Effortlessly compare two schools side-by-side or compare a school to your personal criteria to see how it matches up.

What Are My Child's Options For Postsecondary Training?

There are many ways for your child to get further training after high school. The training your child will need depends on his or her career goals. Here are some examples:

• On-the-job training. Some careers require completion of a formal, on-the-job training program that is provided by the employer.
• Apprentice training. A work experience in a chosen field helps the apprentice begin to learn the skills required to carry out a specific job.
• Military training. The military trains people in 140 occupations. Many skills learned in the military can be applied to civilian jobs.

What Are Some Other Postsecondary Programs For My Child?

• Certificate programs. Six-month to one-year training programs at a community college, technical school, or trade school, provide a certificate of completion to show that your child is certified to do specialized work.
• Associate degree programs. Two-year degree programs are available through a community college.
• Bachelor degree programs. Four-year degree programs are available through state and private colleges and universities.