Start Now to Chart your Youths

Career Path after Graduation

Your young adults high school diploma
opens the doors to many exciting, new
opportunities. Tese options might include
a frst full-time job; attendance at a technical
school, community college, or university; or
self-employment. By exploring interests and
choices now, you can better help your young
adult decide which career path to take upon
high school graduation.
Te members of the Individualized Education
Program (IEP) team may have already
discussed some options with you. As a
parent, you may have some good ideas about
what your son or daughter would like to do
afer graduation. Have you noticed what he
or she most looks forward to doing upon
returning home from school? What are his or
her hobbies or special interests? When does
he or she feel passion or become immersed
in activities? Tese interests may all point to
potential career paths.
Talk with your son or daughter about what you
notice and ask whether he or she thinks that
your observations are accurate. Sometimes,
having a parent or mentor point out a young
adults interests and strengths will help him or
her picture a future with more career options.
Research shows that youth who can see their
dreams as possible paths toward employment
are much more likely to reach their career
goals.
Most youth under the age of 20 are not devel-
opmentally ready to think very far into the
future. Some will become stressed, angry, or
withdrawn if pushed too directly to think
about choices outside of their experience.
Early, ongoing career exploration can help
you raise the topic at times when your son or
daughter is most receptive.
Consider these Career exploration ideas
Expanding on your young adults interests,
strengths, and abilities is one way to explore
career options and make an informed decision
about the future. Your son or daughter may want
to consider participating in formal programs
Meet Ariana*
Ariana loved helping her father in his workshop. She built bookcases for her bedroom and helped construct
a bus stop shelter at the end of her driveway for her younger brother. When her parents heard about a
summer volunteer program to help construct homes for low-income families, they signed up together.
With her parents supervision, Ariana helped attach decking, frame walls, put up wall board, and follow
the progress on the blueprints. When she went back to school that fall, she signed up for a computer-
aided design class and discovered she was good at spatial concepts and mechanical rendering of three-
dimensional products. Ariana is not sure how she will use her talent in the future, but with help from her
parents and guidance counselors she is researching technical schools. She is eager to fnd a career that
matches her understanding of construction principles and spatial design.
1
PACER.org
be available. Te guidance counselor at your
youths high school also may have some infor-
mation to help direct your search.
Sometimes the path will be indirect. Perhaps
your son or daughter wants to attend a technical
school or a college but isnt sure what major to
select. He or she may have completed all the
high school required classes or may need to
take additional courses before being eligible
for the program. Many colleges have remedial
courses to make up for classes missed in high
school. A summer school course at a univer-
sity or college might also help determine
whether a program is right for your son or
daughter. Te summer school requirements
at many universities and colleges are ofen
less stringent than those for the regular year.
A summer class can be a good testing ground
before deciding on postsecondary training or
education.
Use the iep to prepare for a Career
Te IEP should help your son or daughter
prepare for future goals. Besides specifying
high school courses that will provide a strong
foundation, the IEP could include activities
such as:
such as apprenticeships, job shadowing,
community- or faith-based service projects,
and programs open to high school students at
a community college, university, or technical
school. Another option is to look for special-
ized summer camps. Career exploration also
can include informal experiences such as
visiting colleges or technical schools, starting
up a lawn care, dog walking, or other small
business, touring a manufacturing company,
or volunteering to help out a political party or
nonproft organization.
remember that Career paths Can be direCt or
indireCt
Sometimes the career path your young adult
chooses will be direct. For example, he or she
may want to work in the medical feld and
decide to try a certifed nursing assistant or
registered nurse program. Maybe he or she
has already volunteered at the local hospital as
a candy striper or helped out informally while
visiting a grandparent in a nursing home. An
Internet or library search will provide infor-
mation about the schools that ofer appro-
priate programs, the entry requirements,
cost, length, and fnancial support that might
Meet Simcha*
Simchas IEP goal was to fnd a part-time summer job. His IEP team noticed he was good at paying attention
to details and keeping his work area orderly and clean, so they recommended that he look for a janitorial
position. His father, a precision welder at a machine shop, heard that the shop needed cleaning support.
He suggested his son might be a good candidate, and Simcha was hired. Simcha followed directions well
and enjoyed being around the machines. When a worker called in sick, his supervisor tried Simcha out
machining dental drills. This job involved putting 500 precut parts into a holder to be installed in the
machine. The machine removed each individual part from the holder and ground each one into shape.
Simcha checked each fnished part mechanically and visually for faws. He also learned to deburr parts
with a fle. He enjoyed doing these jobs at the shop and was soon given full-time summer employment.
That fall, the career goals in his IEP were changed from janitor to machining assistant.
2
An evening or weekend course at
a community college or an adult
continuing education program.
Attending such a class might help your
son or daughter try out transportation
options, experience a new learning
environment, use high school accom-
modations in a new setting, or explore
what future careers are really like.
Internships, part-time jobs, or
volunteer and community service
opportunities. Tese activities can
provide hands-on experience to help
defne your youths depth of interest in
a specifc career.
Pre-college programs specifcally
designed for high school students the
summer before or afer their senior
year. Te IEP team ofen can arrange
fnancial payment of these exploratory
courses if they support career goals.
Translating your young adults strengths,
interests, and dreams into career goals takes
time and efort. By taking advantage of some
real-life work experiences, your network
of friends and associates, and some family-
supported career exploration, your son or
daughter may discover options to add to
those developed by the IEP team. Tese frst
exploratory steps can be expanded upon and
enhanced as your youth continues on his or
her career path.
Meet Song*
Song always enjoyed visiting her aunt on the family farm. The summer she was 15, she discussed raising
chickens like her older cousins did. Her parents helped her order 500 chicks from a hatchery, and her
cousins helped her set up a heated area in her aunts barn for the newly hatched birds. Song fed and
watered the chickens every day. Her aunt helped her track the costs of feed and the death loss. In 10
weeks, Song had 470 chickens to be butchered.
The whole family participated in processing the chickens and sold them off the farm along with berries
and produce. After all the costs were subtracted, Song identifed how much proft she had made from
each chicken and had a list of customers for next summer. Song learned how to work consistently
every day and to pay attention to details so that the chicks would thrive. She learned how to welcome
customers and give them brief farm tours when requested. She also learned how to give change and
encourage a customer to purchase additional items. The next year, with the support of the countys Farm
Service Agency, she was able to take out a $5,000 agriculture loan designed for youth under the age of 18
and expand her small business.
*Names and identifying characteristics have been changed.
The future belongs to those who believe in
the beauty of their dreams.
~Eleanor Roosevelt
3
resoUrCes
Te U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency provides agriculture small business loans to rural
youth. Web site: www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA (search for rural youth loans)
I Seek provides information on Minnesota careers, education, jobs, and self employment.
Web site: www.iseek.org/sv/index.jsp
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities provide information on certifcate, two-year, and four-year options.
Web site: www.mnscu.edu/programs/FindAProgram.php
PACER Centers Project C3 (Connecting Youth to Communities and Careers) has an interactive resource map
to connect youth with Minnesota resources for education, student loans, apprenticeships, and employment
options. Web site: www.c3online.org
Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) ofers high school juniors and seniors (in public, private, or home
schools) the opportunity to take courses at eligible postsecondary institutions. Web site: http://education.
state.mn.us/mde/Academic_Excellence/School_Choice/Post_Secondary_Enrollment_Options_PSEO/
index.html. Phone: (651) 582-8471
University of Washingtons Do-It Program ofers Preparing for College: An Online Tutorial.
Web site: www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/cprep.html
WorkForce Centers provide job training, education, and employment services at a single neighborhood
location. Rehabilitation Services are housed in these centers and can help people with disabilities achieve
their employment and independent living goals. Career training at technical schools, community colleges,
and universities can be partially paid for through Rehabilitation Services.
Web site for WorkForce Centers: www.mnwfc.org
Web site for Rehabilitation Services: www.deed.state.mn.us/rehab/rehab.htm
Phone for Rehabilitation Services: (651) 296-5616; 888-GET-JOBS (toll free); (651) 296-3900 (TTY);
(800) 657-3973 (TTY).
Project PRIDE
PACERs Rehabilitation Act Information and
Disability Education
If you are:
a young person with a disability wondering about
your career after high school,
a person with a disability who needs help preparing
for, fnding or holding a job,
a family member or advocate of a person with a disabili-
ty and want to learn about the legislation supporting the
rights to services and nondiscrimination in employment,
a professional working with people with disabilities or
their families on issues of employment or independent
living,
someone injured on the job and looking for resources,
Project PRIDE may be able to assist you.
Learn more about Project PRIDE and other PACER
projects by visiting our Web site:
PACER.org
or by contacting PACER directly:
8161 Normandale Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55437-1044
(952) 838-9000 voice | (952) 838-0190 TTY
(800) 53-PACER toll free | (952) 838-0199 fax
PACER@PACER.org
Paula F. Goldberg, Executive Director