Investigate Innovative Careers

Some of your students have known what career they’re interested in since they were in middle school. Some of your students may have a number of different interests, but no stand-out choice. And some of your students may have no clear direction at all.

Students should look for careers that match their interests and skills. Working environment, required education, salary, and job availability are just a few of the things students should consider when identifying career choices.

Students should learn as much as they possibly can about the careers they are interested in before committing to a college major. They should also keep in mind that many majors can be used outside their traditional scope to develop a truly specialized career.

Students can use their traditional degree to develop a nontraditional career. Here are some interesting careers that your college-bound students may not think of when they’re planning their future:

Flavorist – blends chemicals to create tastes and smells for different foods

Sommelier – expert in matching different wines to foods

Food Stylist – makes food look appealing for photography and film

Yacht Captain – millionaires need someone in charge to sail their yachts for them and the bigger the boat, the bigger the salary!

Greeting Card Writer – targets their creative writing skills to specialized audiences; make it funny or from the heart

Makeup Artist – can take their skills beyond the local salon and work on television or movie sets and commercial modeling shoots

These are just a few examples of the types of nontraditional careers that are out there. Students can explore careers in the Discovering module of EducationPlanner.org.

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The Common Cents Tour

High school is the final transition from adolescence to adulthood for many students. It’s a time of evaluation of individual strengths, interests and future goals. During their high school years, students begin to separate from their parents and explore independence for the first time.

Exploring independence and taking on more responsibility, while exciting, can lead to frustration. For many students, issues like federal student aid, budgeting and planning for the future are complex and confusing. Students need guidance when addressing these issues.

Parents and school counselors play a key role helping students plan for their future. In keeping with our commitment to work with parents and education professionals, AES has developed “The Common Cents Tour,” an interactive program designed to educate high school seniors and first- year college students on a variety of smart money topics. The “Common Cents Tour” features:

• Advice and tips on effective budgeting, saving money, understanding credit and student loans, time management, and career planning.
• Interactive personal finance calculators and worksheets.

We encourage you to kick off “The Common Cents Tour” by visiting YouCanDealWithIt.com today. You and your students can download “The Common Cents Tour” at no charge, as a public service of AES.

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AP Update

In our public schools, more than 15% of the class of 2007 passed at least one Advanced Placement (AP) test with a score of 3 or better, according to the fourth annual “Advanced Placement Report to the Nation” released by the College Board. This is up from 14.7 per cent in 2006 and 11.7 percent in 2002.

Earning a 3 or higher on an AP Exam is one of "the very best predictors of college performance," according to reports from researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, the National Center for Educational Accountability and the University of Texas at Austin. The researchers found that AP students earn higher college grades and graduate from college at higher rates than students who do not take AP classes in high school.

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Check out our college and career planning website:
http://www.EducationPlanner.org/

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