College Preperation
What are your top values for picking a post-secondary (after high school) school?
I plan on going to college and although I have only scratched the surface of college I do have certain values that I want for the college I go to. My top priority regarding college is the academic programs that are offered as well as the academic atmosphere. This is my top value because I want college to prepare me for a career I choose to do. Though in order to make that happen the college I go to must have an academic atmosphere that I am looking for as well as the programs I strive to take. My second top value was the social atmosphere. When I think of college I think of two things, lots of hard work and studying and on the contrary parties and fun. The college I would prefer would be a college with a good social atmosphere where I can make lots of friends. As I am an extreme extrovert this is very important for me. My last top value is the geographic location. Personally, I want to go to a school where I can exercise outdoors. This was third on my list because the place I go needs to be somewhere I like or else I won’t get much work done.
What does a “best fit” college or university look like for you?
For me, it’s hard to depict what a perfect college would be for me as I have never been to one before. Though there are a few things that are on my list, for me a good college would have around 3,000 students. Meaning a better college for me would be a smaller college. I would also prefer to have a bit of competition because personally, I work well under competition or pressure. Another key component would be a good social atmosphere where I would make lots of friends and could have chances to be in clubs or do other things that were new. This may sound a bit silly, but the college I attend must have a good food court where I can eat good food. I would prefer smaller classes of maybe ten people so I could ask more questions and be fluent in the conversation. As well as receiving the amount of help I need via advocacy.
Callings
What is one insight, or takeaway, you have about your own future path based on reading about the paths of others?
A huge takeaway I had from the readings we read in class and the Socratic seminar we had was simply just how many career choices there are. Though from that my takeaway was that once you’re in a job you're actually never stuck. Prior to this week I always thought that when you picked a job that was your job for the rest of your life. This was very important to learn because now I know that if I pick something to do and regret it I can always change my mind and make a career switch. In fact, through reading these chapters about people and their workforce I realized just how common it is to change your career. This made me a lot more relaxed because now I know that if I pick something that doesn't fit me I can always change what I want to do.
What have you learned about how to create a fulfilling career for yourself?
The most important thing I learned this week is simple. A passion that you find joy in makes a perfect job. Further in-depth, I learned from all the readings that the people that were happy were the people that did the job that they liked or had a passion for. I’d Say based on the readings that the number one thing someone could do to have a successful career is to do something that they are passionate about. Beyond that, I would say that the people you work with can also help depict whether or not you will have a successful career. I learned this week that good coworkers can make all the difference. It would be very hard to have a fulfilling career If you walked into work every day dreading going because of the people you were amongst.
Transcripts
As of right now, what are your college and career goals?
Man this question is pretty hard to answer as of now. Though I do have a few goals that are achievable. My first goal is to go to college and graduate with a four year diploma. This goal is in hope to set me up for a good future. Another goal I have is to have fun and pick a job that I either have a passion for or enjoy doing. This goal is mainly to maintain my self happiness and wellness. I know plenty of people who hate their jobs and are miserable everyday walking into work. Personally, I am going to do everything in my favor to not be in a position like that. The last goal that I have set for myself as of now is to pick a job that benefits the society or ecosystem. I will not work for something that negatively affects the environment. So my goal is to pick the right career that follows those guidelines.
How can you make your choices in high school better aligned with your future goals?
So far in High School I have consistently kept up good grades. This is marvelous because good grades will help you get into college. So in regards to my grades, my goal to get into college can be seen easily. Though the decisions I make throughout High School will depict what school I go to. To get back to the question I think that I should continue to make good choices when it comes to finishing school work or even in regards to school. Though I'm a kid and personally I think there needs to be a balance for success. Meaning social life and academics should be mixed. I plan to continue to finish all my work through high school, but I also plan on continuing to have a good social life. I think this balance will help me achieve the goals that I have come up with because good grades and good social life is the perfect reality.
YouScience
What did you learn about yourself from YouScience?
The YouScience aptitude tests were very intriguing. I learned a lot about myself as a learner and justy about myself in general. Out of the aptitudes my greatest strength was that I am a numerical thinker. Meaning I can spot patterns very quickly, I can work well under pressure, and lastly I am good with math. I knew some of these things prior but learning that I was good at sorting patterns, I realized just how many more career options there are. The second thing I learned from the aptitude results is that I am a balanced focuser. This means that I can think in the present, yet set a goal for the future and make my way up to that goal through working in the present. Learning this changed my mindset in a huge way and I realized that if I really put my mind to it I could accomplish any goal I wanted. The last thing I learned about myself was also eye opening. According to the tests I am a specialist when it comes to the workforce. Thus meaning I will spend hours mastering a certain job or skill instead of having many skills or jobs like that of a generalist.
How do you think this knowledge might impact your choice of career?
Learning that I am a very numerical thinker was new knowledge that was important to learn. I think that this will impact my future career If I were to pick a career that involved patterns or math. This is because solving patterns is my strong suit and this could help me excel in a career involving patterns. Learning that I was a specialist in the workforce was very interesting because my mind is thinking now about all the potential things I could master and become good at. Instead of sticking with my strong suits I'm starting to think about other jobs that could fit me in other ways. So learning this has helped me see other options for my future. Finally as I am a balanced focuser I think this will help me set goals within my future career, and the present piece will allow me to complete those goals. This doesn't sway my opinion too far on career options, yet may enhance my performance as an adult.