Career Choices by Amanda

Career Choices by Amanda - August 2015 Scholarship Essay

Career Choices would be a beneficial course to add to any high school curriculum. A lot of students in high school are preparing to head off to college but many of them do not know what career will fit them best. If we give students the opportunity to study and be involved in different fields they would have a better idea of what they want to be when they ‘grow up.’

Most students have an idea of what field of study they would choose. They can enter into the class knowing they can experience and learn of different careers in the field of study they wish to pursue. I will use myself as an example…I knew before I had entered high school that I wanted to be a novelist. However, I did not know there is a degree in creative writing. Not knowing this, I entered college with a major in Journalism. I have no interest in being a journalist but I want to write. I have since learned there are more fields to work that will allow me to follow my passion and have changed majors.

If there had been an opportunity in high school to learn about the different careers in my field of study I would have known. I could have saved myself the trouble of taking classes that wouldn’t go toward my degree. Job shadowing is one way to learn about different careers but most of the time it is for one day. There is more to most jobs than what can be shown in one day. Students should not only get to do the job shadowing but also learn in the classroom the many duties and responsibilities of different careers.

Students need to be prepared to enter college knowing what career they will pursue. However, they should also be better prepared to enter the workforce. Career Choices would serve both purposes.