Believe it or not, if you’re in school right now, you’re at a great point in your life. Now is a good time to start thinking about your future, to make some initial plans; just remember that plans can be easily changed. Remember too, that experts predict that the average person will change careers not just jobs more than five times in his or her lifetime. Now is the time to pursue your dreams!

As you start thinking about one or more potential educational and career paths, here are ten things that might assist you.

Take time to think about what you like to do

Dream and imagine ideal careers. There are so many opportunities, so many different types of jobs and careers in a wide variety of industries and there are also other career paths that are just emerging. Even if you are fairly sure of a career choice, take the time in high school to explore similar or even vastly different careers. Explore all your options. Examine your likes and dislikes and take a few career-assessment tests. Don’t let any barriers hold you back from finding the perfect career. Take the time for some career assessment and career exploration to expand your vision of potential majors and career paths.

Challenge yourself in school, but don’t overwhelm yourself

Do get the most out of your school life as possible. When you can, take the tough and challenging schedule of classes; you’ll learn more and it will look good to the college admissions staff. Obviously, you need to stay focused on getting good grades, but don’t overload your schedule or yourself so that it makes you sick or burnt out. Be sure to include at least one fun course in your schedule. If you have a passion for something, such as photography, find a way to schedule a photography course along with your other tougher college-prep courses.

Work, volunteer, or otherwise gain some experience

With your education, the more you are exposed to, the more options will open to you as you search out careers. There are even a growing number of internship opportunities for students. Seek work and volunteer experiences in and out of school. Just remember that school and grades have to come first, so only work if you can balance your schedule, manage your time. If you’re interested in a career in journalism, start writing for your school newspaper and look into a part-time job at a local newspaper.

Talk with as many adults as possible about careers and colleges

The best way to find out about different careers is to ask people family, neighbors, friends, teachers, counselors to tell you about their career and college experiences. If you have not already, begin to build a network of adults who know you and are willing to assist you in your educational and career endeavors. For careers that truly interest you, consider asking each person if you can shadow him/her at work. You could also consider conducting informational interviews at the same time as the shadowing, or as a less intrusive method of learning more about jobs and careers.

Remember that everyone must follow his or her own path in life

Don’t spend too much time worrying what other people in your high school are doing or letting their opinions about your dreams and ambitions affect your decision. 
Everyone develops/matures/grows at their own pace, so don’t feel the need to rush to make a decision now but don’t use the fact that you have plenty of time to make a decision as an excuse not to at least start learning and researching potential career options. These programs expose you to a wide variety of classes, events, and speakers to help lead you onto a path of career discovery.

Don’t let anyone control your dreams and ambitions

You will be horribly miserable at best if you let a parent or other family member dictate your major or your career. Students often feel pressure to follow in an adult family member’s career path, especially if s/he is footing the bill for college, but the worst thing you can do is choose a career to please someone else.

It’s never too early nor too late to get organized and begin making plans. No matter where you are in school now is the time to plan the remainder of your high-school years as well as your plans after school. Research your options for after graduation technical schools, community colleges and four-year universities. Start or continue your preparation for the various standardized tests. Start thinking about teachers who might be willing to write letters of recommendation for you and approach them when the time is near. 

Never stop learning read, grow, and expand your mind

Don’t pass-up opportunities to learn and experience new things. Many teachers offer or assign summer and supplemental reading lists look at these as opportunities for growth rather than a drag on your summer. The more you read, the more you’ll know. It’s a cliché, but knowledge is power.
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