Career Exploration for Teens Who Don’t Have a Clue- Special Replay

March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling High School

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Career Exploration for Teens Who Don’t Have a Clue- Special Replay.

Career Exploration for Teens Who Don't Have a Clue- Special Replay

Career Exploration for Teens Who Don’t Have a Clue

“SO, what are you going to do after graduation?”

That’s the dreaded question for many teens. They simply don’t have a clue what they want to do.

How do you help a teen find direction in life? How do you help them get to know themselves or get to know God’s leading?

For teens who know they do not want to go to college but do not have a clue what they want to do

Many teens do not have any idea what they want to do after graduation. That is okay. They do not need to know everything about the future during high school. However, it is wise to help them explore. Here are some ideas:

  • Give them rich experiences
    • Many times teens do not know what they want to do because they have not experienced it yet. One kind of rich experience is field trips. Hey, the good thing about homeschooling is that we homeschool moms tend to value field trips (although sometimes at high school level, it is harder to squeeze them in to our teens’ busy schedules).
    • However, if you create a Career Exploration elective credit for their transcript, you can log many field trips towards that credit. That is because, any trip gives a little more life experience. Any life experience helps build the ability to make decisions- especially career decisions.
    • For instance: ranger-led nature walks at state parks, cooking demonstrations at special events, car shows or museum exhibits. Sometimes, a teen will get inspired by a watching the person in charge of whatever event they are experiencing. They think: “Hmmm, this might be a cool job!” Or, on the other hand, they might think, “Ugh, I would NEVER want to do that!” Either way is valuable career exploration.
  • Show them role models
    • Movies based on careers
    • Biographies of interesting jobs
    • FB Watches or YouTubes about interesting jobs
  • Volunteer work
    • Teens need to do volunteer work. It is good for transcript and the soul. Service work is SO important for personal knowledge and development, as well as making the world a better place.
    • Some volunteer opportunities our teens have done:
      • Church (worship, set up, digital team, nursery, office)
      • Digital volunteer opportunities
      • Food bank
      • State park volunteer events
      • Library volunteers

For teens, whether they have a clue about career or not, try a career exploration course

A good career exploration course is very helpful. For non-college-bound teens, 7SistersHomeschool has a simple Career Exploration Textbook. Even if you choose something else, think about looking for curriculum that includes (like our workbook):

  • What is God’s will?
    • Teens who are believers sometimes feel anxious about choosing a career that will please God. A good curriculum helps them trust God to direct their paths.
  • Past experiences
    • What have teens already done that help them find strengths or interests
  • What other people see in them
    • Get some feedback from people who know them
  • Can they identify interests?
    • IF the power went out for the day, what would you do for fun? If you had a day to yourself with no chores or schoolwork, what would you do?
  • Define career values
    • Career values help teens choose a career field by defining what is important to them: Work hours, desire for involvement in things after work, level of income desired, etc. (Rabbit trail, all teens will benefit from taking a Financial Literacy course that helps them understand and plan for financial responsibilities coming their way in adulthood.)

Explore careers

Check out career descriptions and information at CareerOneStop.org.

Join a club or interest group

Sometimes a group experience will help them explore an interest or strength, network or lead to the next interesting experience. Even if it does not turn out to be fun, no experience is wasted. All experiences are growth, one way or the other.

Try some apprenticeships

We cannot recommend this enough. See if you can help your teen find something that can count as apprenticeship.

Be sure to log everything!

Those Career Exploration electives are SO valuable and look great on the transcript!

For more on this topic

Join Vicki for a quick discussion to help non-college-bound teens get their career exploration underway!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
  2. OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on 
    1. View in “…your favorite podcast source”
  3. This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review*

Sabrina, Vicki, and Kym have been mentoring, coaching, and teaching homeschool high schoolers about Career Exploration for decades.

 

Join them for an expert discussion on helping teens who don’t have a clue.

Resources:

Case Study: Teen Doesn’t Have a Clue

HSHSP Ep 23: Career Exploration for Homeschool Highschoolers

My Next Move Career Interest Survey

Career One Stop (US Dept of Labor)

 

 

Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , ,

Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian with Dr. Sarah Varnell, Special Replay

March 17, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian, with Dr. Sarah Varnell, Special Replay.

Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian with Dr. Sarah Varnell

Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian, with Dr. Sarah Varnell

Dr. Sarah Varnell is a veterinarian near Cincinnati, OH. Homeschooled through high school, Sarah studies zoology at the undergraduate level, went to veterinarian school, and now specializes in equine medicine: a homeschooler becomes a veterinarian!

How did Sarah handle her time in high school so that she was college-ready for a science like zoology?

Academics for Sarah were heavy in the maths and sciences, both textbook-wise but also hands-on!

Dr. Sarah Varnell. Photo used with permission.

Dr. Sarah Varnell. Photo used with permission.

Heavy Sciences on the transcript, completed at honors level:

  • Biology in 8th grade
  • Zoology
  • Chemistry
  • Advanced Chemistry
  • Physics

Volunteering, MANY hours:

  • Horse rescue
  • Brandywine Zoo (snake handler who walked around the zoo carrying a snake for visitors to meet)
  • Teaching at a Christian summer camp that specializes in horses (she was also a camper there when she was a child)

Shadowing, MANY hours:

  • Small animal veterinarian (this steered her away from small animals because Sarah likes being out and about, not stuck inside)

Noticing and developing interests and loves:

  • Being in the outdoors
  • Being around large animals

Through college, her networking and shadowing helped guide her in her studies but it took time to clarify that she wanted to be a field veterinarian.

  • She connected to an equine vet (through a homeschool family that she babysat for- nothing like networking!) and spend many hour shadowing

For college success, Sarah learned to:

  • Look forward to necessary courses and kept in touch with college advisor for advice on specialized and extra courses she needed to take. (Sarah needed some specialized courses that most zoology undergraduates did not need.)
  • Visit her professors often during office hours.

Sarah chose a small, Christian college (Malone College) for her undergraduate degree. When choosing her college, she made these a priority:

  • Small college, so she could know her professors and advisor well
  • Good college advisors that are interested in the success of their advisees
  • Opportunities for networking and exploration/volunteering/shadowing

Of all the vet schools in the nation, Sarah applied to the best vet school in the nation: University of California. She chose her graduate program by applying to the average number of programs, not choosing University of Delaware (her local college) since it had no vet program and few opportunities with their reciprocal programs at other schools. Rather, she chose to other nearby colleges and the vet school that her veterinarian of her childhood cats.

After applying, she flew to California for interviews and tours of campus. She liked the way their program was organized. AND it was December with NO snow! She rocked her interviews. How did she do that?

Beginning in 8th grade and all through high school, she was a member of the homeschool rhetoric team, so was comfortable speaking.

Speech 1: Public Speaking for Homeschool High School

This is the curriculum that Sarah’s rhetoric league used.

She was also involved in her college forensics team (public speaking), where she specialized in 5-minute impromptu speeches.

At UC, the interviews were MMI format (Multiple Mini Interviews), which are 5-minute impromptu speeches in a sort of speed dating format. She did so well that she was accepted into the program.

Sarah’s advice for homeschoolers thinking about college?

  • Make sure you avail yourself of advisors and professors. Network, network, network!
  • Keep a class listing of what you will need. Keep an eye on when courses are offered (some courses are only offered periodically).

At the University of California, Sarah learned:

At the end of every lead rope there is a human.

So soft skills and speaking skills are important. Sarah began her skills in her homeschooling high school years. Today, Dr. Varnell is treating horses out on the road and in the clinic where she works. Just like James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small, she’s out in the field with people and horses.

Here’s a free resource for helping teens choose a college major. Join Vicki and Dr. Sarah Varnell to find out how a homeschooler becomes a veterinarian.

Keep Listening

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review* and give us some stars and a comment to help others find us more easily.
  7. Thanks!

Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian, with Dr. Sarah Varnell

Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , , , ,

Helping Teens Turn Passion Into Purpose (with Maynard Okereke)

January 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Passion Leads to Purpose for Teens with Maynard Okereke.

Passion Leads to Purpose for Teens with Maynard Okereke

Passion Leads to Purpose for Teens with Maynard Okereke

We are SO excited about this episode! One of our favorite things to do is talk to people who are doing interesting, fun, and inspiring things. Vicki has been enjoying the Hip Hop Science Show, so she contacted the Hip Hop Scientist, Maynard Okereke, and asked if he would talk to our podcast friends.

Vicki first discovered Maynard Okereke on Instagram. When she listened to his story, she said to herself, “This is the heart that we homeschool parents have for our teens!” Then, she discovered his YouTube channel MayNERD’s Wild World of Science, full of fascinating and fun science videos. She knew she had to invite him to talk to everyone on the podcast!

Maynard Okereke’s story

Maynard is not just a science lover, but an actual engineer who turned his love for music, acting, and science into a mission to make learning exciting for kids everywhere! Whether it’s crazy nature explorations through the jungle, or experiencing zero gravity on the vomit comet, he brings unique, curious energy to all his scientific adventures.

Maynard has appeared on:

  • Netflix’s Ada Twist, Scientist
  • The Science Channel
  • Curiosity Stream

Maynard has been recognized in a number of venues including:

  • His STEM outreach work has been published in Scientific American
  • Odyssey Award for Excellence in Social Media
  • The National Society for Black Engineers’ Entrepreneur of the Year Award
  • Ebony’s Power 100 List

Maynard’s story

Maynard is a first-generation American. His mother’s side of the family is from Cameroon. His dad’s side is from Nigeria. So, I was born here in the States, but he spent his early childhood overseas in West Africa. When he returned to the States, he lived and then went to college in the Northwest. So, he has lots of perspectives on people and cultures.

As he was growing up, Maynard was interested in Wildlife Biology. He wanted to study it in college, but his academic advisors told him that he should go into Engineering instead. His advisors had the idea that people who looked like him did not choose careers in the natural sciences. Maynard thought about it. He loved nature shows on television, but rarely saw any people of color on these programs.

So, he chose Engineering as a field of study. Fortunately, he loves science, and he did well. At college, he made some amazing connections and got involved with the National Society of Black Engineers, where he met a lot of peers who looked like him.

Over time, Maynard branched out into science communication, where he can explore and share his love for all the sciences. Not only that, he has the opportunity to represent young people of all colors so that they can follow their passions and study any science. That’s why he loves the opportunities to undertake these incredible explorations.

Hip Hop Science shows that anyone can be a scientist if they stay curious!

Maynard started Hip Hop Science to show others, especially those who don’t always see themselves in science, that anyone can be a scientist if they stay curious.

While his official title these days is “Science Communicator.” He educates young people on various science topics, and anything under the umbrella of STEM.

Maynard’s technical background is in civil environmental engineering with a degree from the University of Washington. However, he always had a love for entertainment, music, and acting. So, he stepped away from engineering after working in the industry for a few years to pursue some dreams that he had in science entertainment.

His passions for both helped him bridge the gap between science and entertainment!

With his digital platforms, Maynard is bringing a fun, youthful energy, excitement, and curiosity to the world of STEM! In his work, he:

  • showcases all the amazing opportunities that students have before them when pursuing a STEM career
  • talks about how to pursue STEM careers
  • ignites that natural fascination and love for science that we all intrinsically have as kids growing up
  • shows young people how to connect science to real life things, day-to-day things

Pop culture elements

That’s where the hip hop science and pop culture elements come to play. These elements help all kinds of young people to connect with material by making it relatable. Young people like being connected to learning digitally, especially if they are having fun. That’s what Hip Hop Science is all about!

Helping teens find their passion

In tandem with his work of sparking curiosity and excitement, Maynard also tries to share on his platforms the inspiration for young people to follow their passion, follow their purpose, and be rooted in the things that they love doing.

Sometimes adults push expectations upon teens. And sometimes those expectations aren’t things that they necessarily want. However, Maynard likes to showcase that they can find cool science-related, STEM-related connections to almost everything they want to do, whether they love dance, fashion, history, art, literature, or STEM.

Two Top Tips for exploring interests that lead to passion

The Hip Hop Scientist has two fun ideas for helping young people explore their interests that may become their passion.

Watch MayNERD’s Wild World of Science

Maynard inspires young people through all kinds of STEM-related videos. These are just the right length of time for them to say, “I’m just gonna watch a video real quick!”

Become a citizen scientist

You don’t even have to go to the Amazon to do citizen science. There are things that teens can do in their backyard if they have a phone. For instance, they can use the iNaturalist app. This app helps teens find insects or whatever things might be in their backyard. They can take a photo and load it onto the app. In this way, teens are able to actually help scientists collect data. That goes a long way in helping understand where species are and how they are changing in different areas.

Passion leads to purpose

Maynard tells young people that the passion they have is in there on purpose, and they can make it their purpose. Parents need to give their young people permission to invest in that passion. Then the young people need to know that if they are not passive about their passion, it can come about, and the coolest things can happen!

Maynard’s passion for science has led to the purpose of being a science communicator. These days, you can find him on social media like YouTube and Instagram. He is also a popular keynote speaker and often travels to schools to bring Hip Hop Science to inspire young people to discover their passion and purpose.

Connect with Maynard Okereke

You will find Maynard Okereke in many places. Here are a few:

Keep your eyes out for lesson plans and resources coming soon from the Hip Hop Scientist, Maynard Okereke.

Join Vicki and Maynard for his inspiring story so that you can inspire your teens to find their passions and purposes. Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing.

Keep Listening

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review* and give us some stars and a comment to help others find us more easily.
  7. Thanks!
Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , , , , ,

Career and College Major Guidance with Tonda Bean

November 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Career and College Major Guidance with Tonda Bean.

Career and College Major Guidance with Tonda Bean

Career and College Major Guidance with Tonda Bean

Choosing a career and a college major can be a huge stressor for homeschool high schoolers. That’s why we were so excited to talk to a subject matter expert in that field, Tonda Bean from Wisdom in Minutes.

Tonda Bean’s story

When Tonda was in high school, she had good grades, so she thought, “I will just go off to college and everything will be fine.” As she got closer to graduation, she realized that she would need to choose a college major.

Unfortunately, she had no idea what to choose! So she talked to her father, who was an engineer. He thought it would be great for her to be an engineer. However, he was wise. He knew she needed to find her own path, so he asked her, “Well, what do you like?”

Tonda liked chemistry, so he suggested chemical engineering. That made sense to her, too, so she chose chemical engineering as her college major.

Unfortunately, when she got to college and started studying chemical engineering, she did not enjoy the work. However, she felt like she needed to stick with it.

Then there was an optional weekend trip to a chemical plant. Tonda thought, “Let me go and see my future. This will inspire me to keep going.”

And when she got to the chemical plant, she was not impressed. She said to herself, “Ooh, no. No. Oh, not this, no!”

After she got back to college, she changed majors to the school of business.

Sometimes you need to change majors for a better career fit, but there’s a cost

Tonda enjoyed her studies as a business major. She also liked the possibilities for a career better.

It was a good choice, but she did lose time because she had to start over on her major courses. She also lost a full-ride scholarship. Tonda ended up needing to take classes at three universities to stay on track for graduation. She did graduate and enjoyed her career in business.

Then she had kids…and college major choices again!

Tonda got married and had children. When they were in high school, she realized that they were on that same I-don’t-know-I’ll-just-be-a -good-student kind of path. So, she said to herself, “Let’s not do that again!”

So she started working on a system to help them envision their own future. For instance, she explored with her teens to explore their interests and ask questions like:

“What do you like, what do you not like?”

During that time, Tonda also became a scout leader. When the scouts would ask her for recommendation letters for college or other opportunities, she found that they often did not have a resume that they could give her. Resumes are helpful for recommendation writers because they give recommenders more understanding of the teen and their experiences.

She would tell the teens, “If you don’t have a resume, you’re not ready for people to like you! As you grow up, if people like you, they ask for a resume!”

By the time Tonda’s teens applied for college, they knew what they wanted and needed for college majors and career choices. Her teens went to New York University and Harvard. Since their graduation, they both entered careers that they wanted to be in, doing the work that excites them.

Tonda’s advice for college-bound homeschool high schoolers

So many high schoolers go to college without being settled on the right college major. This costs them time and money. National Student Clearinghouse says the average is only 62% complete undergraduate work in six years. (Six years is now the average number of years for graduation from college.)

Four-stage program

Today, Tonda works with high schoolers using her four-stage program.

First, Tonda helps teens clarify their dreams.

They look at possible careers to see if that career matches their dream and personality. I call it “dream big”. She asks questions like:

  • Am I gonna be traveling a lot?
  • Am I going to be in an office?
  • Am I gonna be going between, you know, my office and somebody else’s office servicing clients?
  • What am I gonna be doing?
  • Am I an introvert or extravert? Some people get their energy from talking to a lot of people in the day, while other people get their energy from being able to focus quietly.

Next, teens work with Tonda and their parents to start creating a plan to move them toward their dreams.

They discuss the teens’ interests in different careers, then start planning what the high school educational needs will be so that their transcript is college-attractive.

Then, teens will start experimenting by having experiences in their field of interest.

Apprenticeships are one way to do this. Teens learn that there are two kinds of work. There’s work done for payment, and there’s work done for enjoyment. Tonda works with teens to see if they can find the overlap where they can enjoy more or less, and the things they’re doing to get paid.

Sometimes, when teens look at a possible career close up, they find that they do not like that career after all (like Tonda’s trip to the chemical plant). That’s good news! That teen found out that a career was a poor fit without wasting time in college!

They can also interview several adults about their careers!

After they try on some different career ideas, it is time to choose a college major, then a college.

Tonda helps high schoolers choose a college that has a strong program in that major, along with the degree that fits them.

When a college and a college major are chosen, Tonda works with teens on resume development. They will give this resume to people whom they ask to write their recommendation letters.

You will find Tonda Bean and her resources for career and college major choices at:

Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
  2. OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in “…your favorite podcast source”
  3. This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review*
Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , , , ,

Careers that Don’t Require College, Interview with Susan Stewart- Special Replay

June 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Careers that Don’t Require College, Interview with Susan Stewart- Special Replay.

Careers that Don't Require College

Careers that Don’t Require College, Interview with Susan Stewart

God creates all kinds of children. All kinds of children develop all kinds of interests and giftings. We need to make sure that teens are not pressured into going to college if their callings include careers that do not need a college degree. Why waste talent, time and money on that?

One our of favorite topics at 7SistersHomeschool is Career Exploration (in fact, our Career Exploration text is one of our top sellers), so Vicki was really excited to be joined for this HSHSP episode by Susan Stewart of Practical Inspirations. Susan serves the homeschool community as advisor and blogger (and now has a book: Harried Homeschoolers). She has three homeschool graduates who are all doing well careers and life. None of them have college degrees.

Here are thoughts from our discussion on careers that don’t require college.

Susan starts off with a little encouragement for homeschool moms:

  • Things aren’t perfect
  • Things fall apart sometimes
  • You are not a failure because of that
  • We are not God, he has simply given you the job of raising his kids
  • God has made you enough for what he has given you

Susan and her husband did not have the homeschool goal of raising kids who go to college. Their goal was training Godly adults. So they concentrated on life skills and teaching to their homeschoolers’ needs and interests.

Susan reminds us: Not all teens are called to go to college!

Redefine success. We can fall into the trap that in order to be successful, our teens must earn a four-year degree. That is not true. Success is growing and fulfilling God’s plans!

Susan reminds us that her three kids learned that their career callings did not need college degrees. Her husband is an electrician and so her kids knew by watching their dad that career satisfaction comes from a satisfactory career, not necessarily a college degree!

  • Her kids were tired of education so graduated and just “got a job”. Her daughter got a job with a tech company and is now in management, climbing the ladder.
  • One son had some learning difficulties. He tried photography but decided he loved repairing mechanical instruments. His trouble shooting skills have made him valuable to his company.
  • One son started out in the Marines. After his stint, he made the most of his love of travel by becoming an over-the-road truck driver. He loves earning a living by doing the thing he loves: seeing America.

Susan says: We homeschoolers need to remember not be snobs about jobs. If a job is honorable and fits a person’s needs, it is a good job.

We homeschoolers need to remember not be snobs about jobs. If a job is honorable and fits a person's needs, it is a good job.

Because her older homeschool high schoolers were not interested in college, Susan invested in her children with some life preparation skills and experiences which included:

  • Part-time jobs (watering plants at a local plan nursery). Began resume building
  • Service opportunities (they did Meals on Wheels, library volunteer)
  • Job application skills (resume, interview skills, filling out application- especially answering short essay questions)
  • Financial Literacy
  • Community involvement (they did theater and other community activities)

Susan’s homeschool graduates have found that these extracurricular activities on the high school transcript can be as important (or even more important) in early employment opportunities.

Sometimes there is some discussion on whether homeschooling families should bother with an official transcript and diploma. Susan felt like it was a good investment for her teens. Vicki pointed out that sometimes employers want to see the transcript and/or diploma. This is also true sometimes when getting a passport or college applications,  if they decide to go to college later.

What are some careers that don’t require college?

Trades

  • Training can include:
    • Union courses
    • Apprenticeships
    • Classes at local community college
  • Carpenter
  • Welders
  • Surveyors
  • HVAC
  • Mail carriers
  • Railroad workers
  • Masons
  • Heavy equipment operators
  • Truck drivers
  • Painters
  • Steel workers
  • Construction contractors
  • Line workers
  • Electricians

Service

  • Training can include
    • Apprenticeships
    • Special courses
    • Classes at local community college
  • Cosmetologists
  • Barbers
  • Dog groomers and trainers

Technology

This field is growing so quickly, there is no way to keep up with the job descriptions. Here’s a try:

  • Training can include
    • Apprenticeships
    • Special courses
    • Classes at local community college
  • Computer-user support
  • Junior data analyst
  • Digital marketer
  • Podcast and digital media editor
  • Web developer

Arts

  • Training can include
    • Apprenticeships
    • Classes at local community college
  • Photography
  • Local dance teachers

Retail, Food Service and Banking

  • Training can include:
    • Learning hands-on
    • Avail themselves of free training within the corporation
    • Taking courses on MOOCs such as EdX

Fitness and Personal Training

  • Training can include:
    • Training schools
    • Apprenticeships

Real Estate

  • Training can include:
    • Courses from various agencies

Law Enforcement

  • Training includes:
    • Specialized academies

Military

Gap Year

Some teens need a year to transition from homeschooling high school before they settle into seriously thinking about a career. Here are some of Susan’s suggestions for a gap year:

  • Get an entry-level job
  • Travel
  • Do short-term missions
  • Volunteer in a local ministry or organization
  • Check out this interview about Gap Year on Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  • Volunteer in a local ministry or organization

Want some more ideas about homeschooling high schoolers who are not called to go to college? Check out these HSHSP episodes:

Join Vicki and Susan for this encouraging episode and check out Susan’s resources.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review* and give us some stars and a comment to help others find us more easily.
  7. Thanks!

Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , ,

Career Exploration: What’s Included?- Special Replay

November 14, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Career Exploration: What’s Included?- Special Replay.

Career Exploration: What's Included?- Special Replay

What’s Included in Career Exploration?

One of our favorite courses in homeschooling high school is Career Exploration. It is genuinely a valuable life preparation course. Join Vicki and Kym as they share their experiences and what’s included in Career Exploration.

There are all sorts of teens when it comes to career and Career Exploration

There’s not one right way to be a teen or to be ready for future careers.

  • You know, some kids are born knowing that they want to do when they grow up.

    • Take for instance, Vicki’s daughter, who wanted to be a photographer from the time she was a child.

  • Some kids figure it out while they are in their young teens.

    • An example of this is Kym’s husband, who as an adolescent liked to shoot pool at his buddy’s house. However, in order to shoot pool, they had to move the dad’s accounting paperwork off the table. Doug was fascinated by that paperwork and from that time, he wanted to be an accountant.

  • On the other hand, some teens love everything!

    • It’s SOOOO hard to choose just one career! (Kym’s daughters had a list of about twenty chosen careers during their high school years.)

  • Some careers happen serendipitously.

    • For example, Vicki’s oldest son earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. During his last semester, his professors had a talk with him and told him that he should go to graduate school for Philosophy. He now has his PhD in Philosophy and teaches for Stanford University’s online philosophy-based high school.
    • BTW- Dr. Tillman authored 7Sisters’ Philosophy in Four Questions and co-authored 7Sisters’ History and Philosophy of the Western World.

  • Some teens think that they will go into one career…until they try an apprenticeship.

    • Once they got into the nitty-gritty of the job, they found there were aspects of that career that turned them off. These teens choose different careers but sometimes kept the original interest as hobbies or avocations. For instance, Kym’s son loves music. During high school he taught children’s music classes for a private school. He loved music but he did not like teaching children. So he did not choose music as a college major.

  • Other teens do not have a clue about what they want to be until after several semesters of college or a couple of years in the workforce.

    • Teens don’t need to know everything about the future when they graduate homeschool high school- but they will be off to a MUCH better start if they have a sense of direction!

Career Exploration is a necessary life preparation course in high school!

It may not be mandatory, but it certainly is important!  That’s because most people will need to have some sort of income during their adulthood. Whether teens go into a job or trade, military or college after high school graduation, it is wiser to have some preparation and choice-making out of the way.

What’s included in Career Exploration?

There’s not ONE right way to handle Career Exploration. We are sharing the 7Sisters’ version of Career Exploration curriculum. We developed the curriculum many years ago when Vicki’s oldest and his homeschool friends were in high school. They were all wondering about what to do next with their lives.

In order to address the teens’ needs, Vicki used her training as a counselor and career coach to develop a comprehensive but simple curriculum This is what it includes:

A look at role models who have influenced your teen in positive ways:

  • What were their careers?
  • What did they like or dislike about their jobs?

For religious teens: a talk about the will of God

  • How to look at how God looks at career and career choices.

Defining or discovering interests

  • Many teens have lots of interests.
  • Others haven’t had time to explore things that might interest them.
  • Help them look into interests: discover or develop them.

Respecting and defining skills, gifts or talents

  • All teens are gifted, skilled or talented in some kind of way. It is important to explore and develop these.

Understanding their “career values”

Career values are the values (lifestyle factors) that are meaningful to each person. These values include things like:

  • Work/life balance
  • Income needs
  • Work setting comfort

Apprenticeships or internships

In many cases, these apprenticeships or internships open doors (or convince teens to choose a different career).

These things are what Career Exploration is all about!

Join Vicki and Kym as they share about their work with homeschool high schoolers on the Career Exploration journey.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review* and give us some stars and a comment to help others find us more easily.
  7. Thanks!
Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , ,

Helping Non-College-Bound Teens Find Success- Special Replay

April 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on  Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Helping Non-College-Bound Teens Find Success! Special replay of a favorite interview with Angela O’Shaughnessy.

Helping Non-College-Bound Teens Find Success- Special Replay

Helping Non-College-Bound Teens Find Success

There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school AND there’s not ONE right way to do life after high school.

Many teens are gifted by God to go into a career without going to college. That’s good. Why spend tens of thousands of dollars and four years of life on college, when a young person was created to do something else?

Huge numbers of teens have gifts and interests that they can develop without going to college. This is good. Career-bound teens can have a high school experience that is completely different than the academics for college-bound teens. With this in mind, Vicki asked her friend, Angela O’Shaughnessy, to talk about her two homeschool graduates who went right into careers that did not need college.

Today Angela and Vicki will discuss helping non-college-bound teens find success

Vicki and Angela are old friends who have worked together at Pike Creek Psychological Center. They have also had years of homeschooling together in their homeschool co-op (Angela always did the most fun history-related activities with the teens!)

Angela (who also joined us for more about homeschooling high school with career-bound teens) has two sons are loving successful lives that did not require college! How did Angela help guide them through high school to prepare them for life after graduation? Here are some tips from Angela.

Angela O'Shaughnessy used by permission

Top Tip: Notice interests as they grow

Angela is skilled in noticing. As her oldest son was growing, she saw that he loved:

  • History
  • Music
  • And especially figuring out things by working on them with his hands

She kept an eye on these interests as he progressed through high school. Angela and her husband concentrated on helping her sons:

  • Explore their interests
  • Develop their strengths

Therefore, she was not surprised when he told her that he did not want to go to college, but rather, to trade school and learn to be a machinist. This is what he did and is now a highly successful leader in that trade.

For more on helping teens discover and develop interests and strengths, check out our interview with Anita Gibson about helping teens discover their star.

Tip #2: Help teens develop strong life skills

Angela and her husband worked to model and teach the character, and life skills that her non-college-bound teens would need to have success in adulting. As adults, her sons have reported that they find these skills (that they developed during high school) highly valuable:

  • Enjoying hard work
  • Taking opportunities when they come
  • Getting technical training when they needed it
  • Learning job-hunt skills
  • Practicing interview skills

One of the most important skills her sons learned was networking. Networking has helped Angela’s son in:

Tip #3: Find mentors

Mentors can help teens make connections that will open doors for their future careers. However, even more important is the fact that mentors can be guides full of advice, encouragement and resources for teens. Angela and her sons looked for mentors at church, volunteer and small jobs. For instance, they looked for folks who had:

  • Skills that she wanted her sons to explore
  • Good character qualities

Mentoring situations can look different according to the family needs. For instance, you could invite the mentor to spend a little time over coffee or a family dinner. Even more valuable is the opportunity to have an apprenticeship or internship with that mentor.

For information on mentoring relationships and resources for teens with special needs, check out our interview with Dr. Rochelle Matthews-Somerville. BTW- Dr. Matthews-Somerville is one of our special 7Sisters’ Cousins, who shares tips and resources for homeschooling high school at EMF Consulting.

Tip #4: Do not rush

As moms, we tend to worry about our teens. It is easy to fall into the trap of becoming heavy equipment moms who micromanage our teens. When Angela worried about the future for her son who struggled with learning disabilities, her husband would remind her,

“Life is long, he has plenty of time to figure it out.”

Isn’t that great advice?!

Both of Angela’s sons are experiencing success in their different careers AND in their interests AND in church AND in other adulting areas. Your homeschool teens can, too!

Join Vicki and Angela for an inspiring chat. In the meantime, check out these posts.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review* and give us some stars and a comment to help others find us more easily.
  7. Thanks!

Helping Non-College-Bound Teens Find Success

Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , , ,

From Homeschool Grad to Entrepreneur: Suzanna Fitzgerald’s Story

March 21, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Homeschool Grad Becomes Entrepreneur, Interview with Suzanna Fitzgerald.

Homeschool Grad Becomes Entrepreneur, Interview with Suzanna Fitzgerald

Homeschool Grad Becomes Entrepreneur, Interview with Suzanna Fitzgerald

One of our favorite things to do is interview homeschool graduates to see what they are doing with life in the post-high-school world. Join us for a fun interview with entrepreneur Suzanna Fitzgerald!

As parents of a homeschooler, it can be nerve-wracking to watch your child graduate and have to step out into the world on their own. While there is no one answer to the question of what will become of your brilliant kiddo, one bright possibility is that they could choose to become a homeschool entrepreneur. 

With the right support and guidance, your soon-to-be homeschool grad can use their unique experience to create something totally new and go down a path that could lead to long-term success as a homeschool-grad-becomes-entrepreneur!

One example of a homeschool entrepreneur is Suzanna Fitzgerald with Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening. She has always been a driven and ambitious person, so it just made sense that after graduating homeschool high school at the age of sixteen, she chose to pursue her passion for entrepreneurship. Now, at the age of twenty, she is running a successful business alongside her sister and inspiring others with her story. 

In this exclusive interview with Suzanna, we explore her journey from homeschool graduate to successful entrepreneur!

About Suzanna Fitzgerald

Currently residing in Colorado, Suzanna runs a marketing business with her younger sister, Leia Joy. They connect all over the world online and, despite people telling them that they would not even know how to stand in line because they were homeschooled, they managed things anyway – better, even.  Not only can these two sisters stand in line with proper posture, they can also run a business after being homeschool graduates.

Their story is a little bit different than most people’s. Their parents were Arizona ranchers, and they lived miles outside of town on a dirt road, far from any local schools or communities.  Although her mother held a teaching degree, after moving to Arizona to become a rancher, she no longer taught anymore.

At least, not in an institutional fashion.

Instead, she continued to use her teaching skills on her children with their homeschool education. 

Homeschool Life

Suzanna recalls the days when they would gather around the dining room table to do schoolwork. She never spent one day in a ‘regular’ classroom. Instead, she was homeschooled from K through 12.

However, Suzanna and her siblings grew up around business people. When she could independently homeschool herself, she taught herself her business, such as copywriting, marketing, writing, and everything. She is a life-long learner, with a perpetual homeschooling lifestyle: always learning with no beginning or ending.

Suzanna believes all of life is education if we allow it to be. She implores everyone to just keep growing and learning, no matter their age. She adopted this from her mother, who was an awesome teacher because she made learning so much fun.

From the stories she told to the things they have heard from her family, her mom was the kind of teacher that made learning fun for a classroom of thirty students or a homeschool room of three kids. That was due to the fact that she was extremely hands-on and focused. Suzanna credits everything to her mother, who really encouraged them to pursue their dreams and pushed them to excel.

Discovering the Internet and Founding A Business

And then, all of a sudden, the internet happened. And the next thing you know, Suzanna was making a living online, even though she’s never been on a computer previously.

One year, she was asking what a blog and email was. And then the next year, she and her sister were founding an online marketing business. The whole world seemed to open up for them, which was both scary and exciting.

Breaking Into Marketing

Suzanna was initially trying to be a fantasy novelist. When she was seventeen, she had a book published. Then she realized she did not know how to sell nor how to market anything. This became a high priority for her, especially if she wanted to be a successful writer and not a starving writer. 

Although Suzanna tried to pursue her marketing education at a community college, it turned out to not be a good fit due to health limitations. However, she found an advertisement from a company called American Writers and Artists out of Florida who taught copywriting and online marketing, among other things. Their ad fit the homeschool model since you can pay for the courses and do it at home at your own speed. Suzanna figured she could learn about marketing for a while and then go back to writing books.

However, she discovered that she loved marketing just as much as she loved writing books.

(BTW- Suzanna’s creative writing and marketing experiences make excellent electives for the homeschool transcript.)

Sisterly Business Partnership

Her sister, Leia, started working with Suzanna when she graduated homeschool high school, turning into a homeschool-grad-becomes-entrepreneur too, just like her sister.

Their business partnership began with a job that was supposed to only be a summer job that turned into a year-long job, which eventually led to their business partnership. This turned Leia into a homeschool entrepreneur as well. And now she makes custom graphics and custom logos, high-end video editing projects and creative, detailed work for clients. (BTW- more great Career Exploration elective credits!)

Both sisters have different skillsets that dovetail well together for their business. By learning to work together during their homeschooling adventures, it transpired into working well in ‘real life.’ 

Suzanna’s Advice About Homeschooling High School

For Suzanna, the best part of her high school years was when she became more independent. In about sixth or seventh grade, her amazing mom allowed her to pick lots of elements of her own homeschool curriculum. Her mom would show her the magazine she was ordering from. Then they would discuss each type of program, such as which type of grammar she wanted to do and what was next for math.

When Suzanna started homeschooling high school, she was pursuing her writing dreams, so her mom allowed Suzanna to set her own schedule. And as long as she got the work done on time, her mom did not care when she did it. Suzanna learned excellent goal setting and time management in a hands-on way.

Her time in high school was such an adventure. She was able to choose courses and curriculum that helped pursue her dreams and discover what she wanted out of life. For example, Suzanna chose high-end writing courses instead of more science courses. 

Suzanna’s best part of homeschooling as well as her best tip for all parents of homeschool high schoolers and possible homeschool entrepreneur is: 

Just try to fulfill the needs that your children have instead of trying to fulfill something from your past.

The best part of her homeschooling was when that was true. On the other hand, the worst part was when, sometimes,  it would feel like she was trying to live up to her parents’ expectations from long ago.

One of the beauties of homeschooling is all the flexibility. Do what is best for your kids. 

Teens learning entrepreneurship can earn Career Exploration credit.

Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening

The reason Suzanna fell in love with marketing is because it is such an important key to success. One that many people often overlook. You might tend to think of it as something you can just do in your spare time. After all, there are a lucky few who do luck out with a natural gift for marketing that works for them right off the bat.

However, to the remaining most of us, we really struggle with marketing because it costs so much time, effort and energy. Unfortunately, it can make you think it is just sucking the life out of you, causing you to learn to hate your business and hate what you wanted to do and learn to hate your skills. 

Either you know what you are doing or you work with somebody who knows what they are doing and who is trained to do it right. When you find the right fit (on your own work or marketing with an expert) you will look forward to working in your business. You will see money coming in and you will have communication going out.

And that’s the whole reason for Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening brand. They try to teach people how to genuinely connect with their audiences and listen to what consumers are saying. They help you do marketing the easy way instead of the hard way!

You have to create loyal customers. It is such a wonderful feeling when you have the right message going out and the right customers coming in. Listening is such a high value.

Connect with Suzanna at Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening

You can find Suzanna on her Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing website at fitsnjammer.com and connect with her on their contact page. Or you can email her at suzannafitznjammer.com. She is also on LinkedIn as Susanna the Challenge Queen Fitzgerald. 

Ending tip from Suzanna:

Homeschooling is not perfect, but it is the most perfect thing you are going to find in an imperfect world. It is the best option that you can have for your kids, and it is the best way to build a relationship with them in the future. 

If you want to be friends with your kids when they are in their twenties and thirties and later, if you want to know your grandkids, if you want to know that your kids are going to have your values or any values, if you want to know that they can continue learning as human beings, no matter what  unpredictable course their life takes, homeschooling is the best thing you can do for your kids. So definitely, definitely do it. It is worth the effort. It is worth the sacrifice. And it is a lot of fun.

Join Vicki and Suzanna for an encouraging discussion on homeschooling and her journey to entrepreneurship.

For more on entrepreneurship for teens, check out these podcast episodes:

Thank you to Richie Soares with Homeschool and Humor for writing this blog post!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
  2. OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in “…your favorite podcast source”
  3. This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review*
Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , , , ,

Career Exploration for Non-College-Bound Teens

November 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Career Exploration for Non-College-Bound Teens.

Career Exploration for Non-College-Bound Teens

Career Exploration for Non-College-Bound Teens

Not all teens should go to college! That’s a fact. So, for teens who are career bound, how do they handle career exploration? There are so many choices and directions they could go. Vicki shares the guidance she gives career-bound teens when she is wearing her experience in her career coaching hat in this episode.

As you know there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school. There’s not ONE kind of teen. And there’s not ONE right kind of career path. For the many teens who do not need to go to college, that’s cool! You need to do what is right for you to develop your:

  • Interests
  • Talents
  • Opportunities

It is wise to have some intentionality with career exploration during high school (especially by eleventh and twelfth grades). That way when the never-ending question: “So, what are you going to do AFTER high school?” happens, they have some kind of answer.

Even if this is not their only career option, it gives teens confidence to say, “I’m thinking about…”.

What opportunities are there to explore so your teen can be employment ready after high school?

There are so many different kinds of teens and so many different interests and needs. That means, there’s not ONE right way to handle career exploration for non-college-bound teens. That’s okay! Let’s look at some options:

For teens who already are pretty certain they know what they want to do

For instance, perhaps your teen has always wanted to be a cosmetologist, firefighter, join the military, or become a plumber. They are free to start jumping in on the process during their homeschool high school years.

You can start as soon as possible to help your teen gain experience in that area:

  • volunteering
  • apprenticing or
  • paid entry-level, related job

If your teen was interested in cosmetology, she could offer to do one of those three (volunteer, apprentice or simple job) in positions such as: floor sweeper, receptionist, etc. This gives her a feel for the industry. Also, find out the state requirements for training. Can she start a cosmetology school during high school?

Or if you have teens interested in a trade, high schoolers can often start taking training courses during high school at trade schools, community colleges or unions. After a few hands-on training classes, teens will find they love the job (or not). They will also be networking and finding opportunities that will open for them either before or after graduation.

Career Exploration:It gives teens confidence to say, "I'm thinking about...".

For teens who know they do not want to go to college but do not have a clue what they want to do

Many teens do not have any idea what they want to do after graduation. That is okay. They do not need to know everything about the future during high school. However, it is wise to help them explore. Here are some ideas:

  • Give them rich experiences
    • Many times teens do not know what they want to do because they have not experienced it yet. One kind of rich experience is field trips. Hey, the good thing about homeschooling is that we homeschool moms tend to value field trips (although sometimes at high school level, it is harder to squeeze them in to our teens’ busy schedules).
    • However, if you create a Career Exploration elective credit for their transcript, you can log many field trips towards that credit. That is because, any trip gives a little more life experience. Any life experience helps build the ability to make decisions- especially career decisions.
    • For instance: ranger-led nature walks at state parks, cooking demonstrations at special events, car shows or museum exhibits. Sometimes, a teen will get inspired by a watching the person in charge of whatever event they are experiencing. They think: “Hmmm, this might be a cool job!” Or, on the other hand, they might think, “Ugh, I would NEVER want to do that!” Either way is valuable career exploration.
  • Show them role models
    • Movies based on careers
    • Biographies of interesting jobs
    • FB Watches or YouTubes about interesting jobs
  • Volunteer work
    • Teens need to do volunteer work. It is good for transcript and the soul. Service work is SO important for personal knowledge and development, as well as making the world a better place.
    • Some volunteer opportunities our teens have done:
      • Church (worship, set up, digital team, nursery, office)
      • Digital volunteer opportunities
      • Food bank
      • State park volunteer events
      • Library volunteers

For teens, whether they have a clue about career or not, try a career exploration course

A good career exploration course is very helpful. For non-college-bound teens, 7SistersHomeschool has a simple Career Exploration Workbook. Even if you choose something else, think about looking for curriculum that includes (like our workbook):

  • What is God’s will?
    • Teens who are believers sometimes feel anxious about choosing a career that will please God. A good curriculum helps them trust God to direct their paths.
  • Past experiences
    • What have teens already done that help them find strengths or interests
  • What other people see in them
    • Get some feedback from people who know them
  • Can they identify interests?
    • IF the power went out for the day, what would you do for fun? If you had a day to yourself with no chores or schoolwork, what would you do?
  • Define career values
    • Career values help teens choose a career field by defining what is important to them: Work hours, desire for involvement in things after work, level of income desired, etc. (Rabbit trail, all teens will benefit from taking a Financial Literacy course that helps them understand and plan for financial responsibilities coming their way in adulthood.)

Explore careers

Check out career descriptions and information at CareerOneStop.org.

Join a club or interest group

Sometimes a group experience will help them explore an interest or strength, network or lead to the next interesting experience. Even if it does not turn out to be fun, no experience is wasted. All experiences are growth, one way or the other.

Try some apprenticeships

We cannot recommend this enough. See if you can help your teen find something that can count as apprenticeship.

Be sure to log everything!

Those Career Exploration electives are SO valuable and look great on the transcript!

For more on this topic

Join Vicki for a quick discussion to help non-college-bound teens get their career exploration underway!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
  2. OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on 
    1. View in “…your favorite podcast source”
  3. This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

OR PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review*
Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , ,

Career Exploration with Pathway

October 25, 2022 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Career Exploration with Pathway.

Career Exploration with Pathway

Career Exploration with Pathway

It gets so exciting learning about a new, solid resource for your homeschool, doesn’t it? And we just discovered Pathway by Folderwave! If you are wondering what on Earth Folderwave is, read on to learn more about it from Ann McClure and Pamela Brennan, the experts on how it can help with career exploration for students.

About Anne McClure and Pamela Brennan

Ann McClure

Anne is a homeschool mom of 5, starting with a high schooler at 15, all the way down to a toddler at 2. She began homeschooling when her now-15 year old was starting kindergarten. 

Anne has a background in education, previously being a teacher in all different kinds of settings. This background helped instigate her thoughts on what to do next after her firstborn graduates from homeschool high school. 

Therefore, she started her research journey to learn more about what to do in high school and how to prepare her son for college and a career and beyond. This pivotal moment is when Folderwave came into the picture.

Pamela Brennan

Pamela has a background of 20 years in college admissions, counseling, recruiting, and mostly in operations management. She was a Director of Operations at a selective university in Boston and worked very closely with high school counselors, parents, homeschool parents, and the students (the applicants).

As she was working at the university, she was also working with Folderwave to improve their business process for application processing. But, after 20 years at the university, Pamela wanted a change. She could see the direction that Folderwave was headed and wanted to be a part of their evolution, so she began to work with them full-time and left the university. And now, she’s going on 10 years with Folderwave.

How Anne and Pamela Connected

When Anne was on a parent panel at a homeschooling conference, the moderator of the panel happened to introduce Anne to the president of Folderwave, Bob. He was seeking some feedback from a homeschool parent perspective about the market itself. 

After discussing different ideas together, they decided to start running focus groups and start developing additional content that would be a bit more geared towards the homeschool market. 

About Pathway by Folderwave

Folderwave is an evolving company. They went from college admissions to the high school space and then into the career and college counseling space. To Anne and Pamela, Folderwave is all about exploration and getting the kids to explore at an earlier age instead of waiting to the last minute when they’re about to graduate high school.

Pathway is a product by Folderwave, and it is a college and career exploration tool meant for students to begin using it as young as 12 years old or 6th grade. Students can access Pathway online and use their tools to discover more about their interests.

And it’s all about self-discovery 

They have assessment personality tests to help get kids to start thinking about things new to them and peak their interest levels. Then, it ties that interest to different possibilities for careers out there. It’s a nonabrasive approach for kids to discover new interests. 

Kids can save activities of interest throughout their time with it. They can reflect on their interests or activities with journaling or even with a reflections piece just to see how much they have changed or their growth over the years.

Investigate Your Future With Career Planning

Pathway has a state of the art, up to date, up to the minute program called Investigate Your Future With Career Planning that helps analyze certain aspects of jobs they might be interested in, job markets, future trends, and so many more amazing investigative tools kids can use to research more about their interests. 

Resume Builder

Pathway recently updated its resume builder for students to use for all sorts of scenarios, such as for college applications or even for applying for jobs while going to school. The resume builder walks students through each section to help the student make the most of their details.

Everything In One Digital Location

One of the exciting things parents within the focus groups pointed out was that they were so happy to see everything within Pathway was all in one place. 

Searching for what to do pre- and post-high school can be overwhelming since tons of research has to be done on top of the work you’re already doing. And so to have all those up-to-date tools all in one digital location in such a timely fashion is exactly what’s getting everyone thrilled about this product. 

How Pathway Can Help You

As we all know, there aren’t many resources available for career exploration for students. There are books, but nothing like Pathway, where everything you need is all in one spot.

Pathway has college counselors and digital portfolios for students to use in their career exploration. It can also be used to:

  •  Collect data and save it for future referencing
  • Be a course planner
  • Do life skills activities
  • Help create a resume. 
  • How-to guide
  • And more!

Some of their favorite tools within Pathway are the ones that show the stepping stones a child can take to a specific career. 

One such tool helps students how to get to a career goal. For example, if the student wants to be an attorney or a nurse, Pathway will show them some lateral careers or some stepping stone careers that you can take to get there.

Another great tool is the one that reveals the projected growth of different professions.It shows where in the world or country it is expected to have a growth or a decrease in need for those specific jobs.

There is such a wide range of tools in Pathway that it’s practical for all kids at different stages and ages. It can help reframe the way you think about college and career planning while educating you at the same time. 

How To Connect

Interested In Trying Pathway?

Anne and Pamela’s short term goal is to have a small group of homeschool parents who want to dig into Pathway and then give back constructive feedback to help further develop it, like beta testers.

If you are interested in learning more about Pathway, Anne and Pamela would love to connect with you. Simply email them, letting them know you would love to play around with it. 

For more information on Career Exploration check out these Homeschool Highschool Podcast episodes:

Thanks to Richie Soares with Homeschool and Humor for transcribing this episode.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review* and give us some stars and a comment to help others find us more easily.
  7. Thanks!
Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: , , ,
Next Page »