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Career Exploration for High School Students: How to Identify Your Interests and Goals

Identify High-School Students Interests and Goals

Students should start exploring career options in high school, although it seems like a daunting task; Choosing the wrong career options due to a lack of awareness or limited exposure to information lead to several consequences, including difficulty understanding concepts, lack of motivation, stress and anxiety and unhappiness later in life. We have curated this article to help high school students choose a career path that aligns with their interests and strengths.

Determine your skills and interests

Your skills and interest will help you decide about your career; Ask yourself, what do you enjoy learning? What subjects do you like studying? What extracurricular activities do you like? What are your goals? What do you want to become- a lawyer or a doctor? Take time to brainstorm the answers to these questions before moving on to the next section ( which will help you dig deep into your skill, interests and goals)

Skills

Consider all skill sets and to which career prospects they connect (Don’t forget to think about non-academic skills). Below list will help you evaluate your skills and knowledge about the professions connected to them.

1. Mathematics- If your logical reasoning abilities are good and you can easily understand number systems, theories and formulas, you can consider choosing career options such as scientist, engineer, mathematician or coder.

2. Writing: Students who are good at communicating their thoughts, feelings and ideas in a written language can be a journalist, television writers, editors and creative writers. Best nursery schools in Baddi experienced faculty foster life skills, emotional skills, and leadership skills in students.

3. Public speaking- If you feel comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, you can consider professions such as a lawyer, motivational speaker, personal trainer, etc.

4. Teaching- Students who like teaching their younger siblings and are good at explaining concepts can become teachers, professors, etc.

5. Problem-solving- Having skills to work out complex problems and looking at issues from various perspectives can help open the doors to career options such as business advisors, entrepreneurs, etc.

6. Arts- Do you like music, dancing, and painting, or do you have a great taste or visual eye for understanding stories? Then you can become a singer, artist, actor or dancer.

However, you should not restrict yourself to the list mentioned above. Determine your skills and seek the job options associated with them.

Interests

Interests are as essential as skills when it comes to selecting career options. This is because if you choose a career that does not match your interest, you will not enjoy it, which will significantly affect your happiness later. The best schools in Nalagarh give kids several learning experiences to help them discover their areas of interest. Some questions that you must ask yourself to find your interests are:

What do you like doing in your spare time?

What makes you curious?

Which books or movies do you like?

What subjects or concepts make you feel excited?

You may love chemistry or like playing football with your friends outside. Anything can interest you, from reading fiction books to learning about black holes. Your interests can help you choose a career you might not know about, so explore opportunities in your field of interest.

Values

Your value system also plays a prominent role in deciding your career, as it provides you with direction.  For example, if you value creativity, you might be drawn to a career in art and design. And if you value social injustice, you are more likely to pick careers related to it. Your values will also guide you towards taking vital decisions in your career; if you value honesty, you may speak up when you witness unethical behaviour in your workplace, etc.

Abilities

Ability is a person's innate skills, capacity, or potential, such as emotional intelligence, creativity, or critical thinking skills. Identifying one’s ability helps students pursue a career that enables them to use their full potential. Also, a clear understanding of abilities helps students improve and develop their skills to reach their goals. For example, a student who enjoys reading and analyzing literature may struggle with grammar and spelling; Such a student can not easily excel in careers closely related to writing. However, taking additional support to improve their grammar can help them fulfil their dreams.

Goals

After analyzing your skills, interests, values and abilities, make a connection between them.  Next is to set reasonable and achievable short-term goals. Also, research your dream profession to know everything about it. If possible, talk to someone who can answer the following questions:

What education and skill are required for the job?

What is the work environment?

What is the salary?

Also, evaluate and adjust your goals as you gain new knowledge and experience. This will ensure you are on the right track to achieving your career aspirations.

The bottom line

At last, career exploration will help students better understand themselves and available career options. We believe the above points will assist them in selecting a career that will suit them. However, students must remember that choosing a career path requires continuous introspection. So, they should have an open mind as their career can take unexpected routes.