How students can best position themselves for career success
From upcoming math tests to high-profile extracurriculars, high school can be stressful for students. However, many students may also worry about what may lie after high school, such as how to prepare for college, what classes they should take, and if college is even the right choice for them.
Christine Ponce, a counselor at Southwest High School, said that one thing that a lot of students can do to prepare for college is to gain leadership skills and increase their amount of extracurricular activities.
“So go from being a member (of a club) to being an officer,” Ponce said. “Leading events, things like that, those are usually the sections on college applications where they’re a little bit bare.”
Ponce also said that students can also work on personal routines to help prepare for college, such as personal accountability and motivation to work.
“Being a good student in terms of practicing your study skills, keeping a schedule, those are things that are going to help you once you’re outside of your parent’s home and you have to manage yourself,” Ponce said.
Raul Gradillas, a social studies teacher, said that he believes the classes that students pick heavily influence their time in high school.
“I think to maximize the time you have in high school, it’s important to take charge of those classes that you’re in,” Gradillas said. “Don’t wait until the last minute.”
Gradillas also said that students who are considering Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes should choose the subject that they’re most interested in because those classes are more time-consuming, and students should be willing to put the time in to get the most out of that subject.
David Rosas, a physics and math teacher, said that students should pick classes that they’re going to use for their future careers,
“Like for instance, if you are going to go into medical school, then you should take physics and math as much as possible,” Rosas said. “You’re already exposed (to the concepts) and it’s much easier for you because it’s a lighter load.”
Rosas also recommended that students who don’t have a plan for college should look into a technical or trade school.
“For example, I had a student who was lost academically and he did not like school,” Rosas said. “I recommended a technical school and he went to Universal Technical Institute, and he finished in a year and he had a really good salary.”
Rosas said their salary was in the $80,000 range.
Rosas also said that students could shadow professionals in fields that students may enjoy to see if the day-to-day work in that field of study actually interests them.
Gradillas said that many junior colleges have courses involved with technical skills, and that any students who know someone in a trade should talk to them and look to see if a trade is right for them instead of a college, but to also meet the college requirements to keep some doors open as a backup plan.
“Have that college in mind,” Gradillas said. “Maybe they didn’t take that extra math class or that extra year of a foreign language and they don’t position themselves to actually, (for) their senior year, be ready to graduate, so do your best and then try to position yourself for having that option to transfer out to a university.”
Deidre DuBose, a career technical education teacher for the Arts Media and Entertainment pathway said that students should pick classes that they love in certain fields.
“Time will go by so much faster,” DuBose said. “You will learn and you will appreciate what you are learning versus just wasting your time.”
DuBose also said that students should find out which classes are articulated with Imperial Valley College or dual enrollment programs so that they can get college credits while in high school.
“Talk to somebody, find out the best of your ability, what you would like to do, not what you sometimes would love to do,” Gradillas said. “But find something you’re interested in, because in the end once you get that degree in that field or that certification, you’ve invested a lot of money and time to get there so it would be nice that you enjoyed it. Nobody wants to work in a field that they don’t like.”