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Preparing for a Career

Career exploration is the first step in planning for your future - whether you’re planning on going to college, directly into the workforce, or you’re not sure yet! The goal of education is to help students get college and career ready after graduation. It is essential to understand where you want to go to know what path to take to set yourself up for success in a career.

 

By identifying your aptitudes and interest, you can learn about your career options, to better understand the education you need for that path. This approach will help you save time, stress, and money!

Where to Start

Preparing for a Career

1. Explore your aptitudes and interests

What are your strengths? What are you naturally good at? Where and how do you work best? What do you need to thrive?

These are all important factors in determining careers that would be great fit for you. Interests matter, too, but it’s even more important to keep an open mind for careers you might not be interested in because you don’t know about them- yet!

We’re excited to offer YouScience, an aptitude assessment for middle school, high school, and adult learners for free to NH students. This tool helps students identify their strengths and matches them to careers where they are most likely to succeed. Then, explore the education or degree needed to achieve that career. Book an appointment with an Education and Career Counselor today to start your journey!

2. Understand the job market

Before starting your education pathway toward a certain career, it’s helpful to know what the job projections are in that field.

Will there be job openings when you’re ready to graduate? Where in the state (or country) am I most likely to find work? What colleges or programs have strong job placement rates in my field? 

Explore these questions and more through an appointment with us, where we’ll utilize the labor market tool Burning Glass/Emsi to help you plan for your most stable and successful career path. Book an appointment today!

3. Find your programs and apply

The next step is to determine what schools or programs will provide the education and training you need to be successful. Build your list, submit your applications, and apply for financial aid.

For more information, check out College Exploration and Financial Aid Process.

Need Help?

NHHEAF’s Center for College Planning is dedicated to serving all students throughout their education and career planning journeys, for free!

Career Planning Appointments

Schedule a one-on-one appointment today to discuss career planning with one of our experts.

Make an Appointment

Ask Us a Question

Have a quick question? Shoot us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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Other Resources

Your School Counselor 

Check with your school counselor or other adult guides in your life for career exploration support.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations. Learn all about the occupations you find interesting. You can read about the nature of the work, education and training requirements, advancement opportunities, employment, salary, and ten-year job outlook for hundreds of occupations. The Handbook also lists related occupations and sources of additional information.

Road Trip Nation

Explore videos of people in all walks of life (music producers, authors, business people, etc.) that were filmed by high school and college students. Those interviewed share their journey to get to where they are, what they love about their career, perhaps what they wished they had done differently. Watch real professionals give honest answers about their career choices.