It’s no surprise that college can be expensive. The cost of tuition, books, fees, and living expenses and room and board, can add up. The good news is, college is much more affordable if you plan ahead. But even if you’re in your final years of high school, there are still plenty of things you can do now to make college more affordable.
Start Saving. It’s never too early (or too late) to start saving for college. Even a small amount of savings is better than none at all! Skipping a few lattes and after-school snacks can add up over time. Consider opening a savings account that’s just for future college expenses. Talk to your parents/guardians about the different types of education savings accounts.
Research and apply for scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs. Whether you’re a first-year high school student or you’re graduating this year, understanding your financial aid options and the FAFSA will help make college more affordable. You can save on everything from tuition costs and books to housing and food. Also, research in-state tuition discounts and transfer programs.
Get a part-time job. A job can help pay for living expenses and help make college more affordable. Get creative with the type of work you choose. Consider looking for a job or paid internship in a field you’re interested in studying. You can earn extra money and get the real-world experience you can add to your college application or work resume.
Take college classes online or at a community college. Most colleges require students to take general education classes during their first two years. But did you know you can save money by taking some of these classes online or at a community college while you’re still in high school? You can get quality education and college credit for a fraction of the cost of a four-year university.
Don’t let the college costs stop you from getting the education you deserve. Explore your financial aid options, consider taking a few college classes in high school, and start saving now! With a little planning and creativity, you can lower your college costs before you even get to college!
Congratulations! You’ve scored an internship. You’re about to begin laying the foundation for your future as a professional, get valuable hands-on experience, and increase your chances of finding a full-time job. If you’re feeling a little nervous, we’ve got some tips to help shake the first-day jitters and rock your internship.
1. Be Prepared
Do your research. Read up on the company’s purpose, history, and culture. Explore the industry and industry buzzwords. Ask your supervisor for any reading or work you should do before your first day.
2. Show Your Commitment
Show up to work on time, and finish your work by the deadline. Ask questions if you have them, and express your interest and enthusiasm for your work. Don’t be afraid to ask your supervisor for feedback on your projects. You’ll learn about which areas to focus on and improve so that you can make the most of your internship.
3. Network
Your internship offers a unique opportunity to interact with and learn from people of all ages and backgrounds. Introduce yourself and try to meet everyone in the office (or at least your department). You’ll get insight into the inner workings of your company, and you’ll probably pick up a few extra projects along the way. You may even find yourself a mentor!
4. Seize Opportunities
Your internship is what you make of it. There will be times when you’re not working on a specific task. Instead of sitting around, ask your supervisor for additional work. By asking for more responsibilities, you may land a project you can highlight on your resume and promote in future job interviews.
5. Give Your Best
Internships help you understand a specific industry or position. They also help you determine if it’s a career or passion you want to pursue. So, why not give it your best? You’ll get the most out of it if you do your best at every task.
When your internship is complete, thank your supervisor for the opportunity! If you loved the internship, consider asking about extending it or applying for a part-time position. These tips will help you walk away with a valuable experience that teaches you about the workplace and allows you to forge relationships with professionals.
It’s easy to let the world tell you who you should be and how you should get there. Thankfully, it’s not up to the world. It’s up to YOU!
The only way you know if a career is for you is by researching, asking the right questions, and getting your hands dirty. Try out some career options, take a part-time position at a company that interests you, apply for an internship, or shadow a professional.
Picking a career path takes time. Use these questions to help you evaluate your top career options, so you can choose a career that makes the most sense for you!
What are the pros & cons about this career choice?
While every career has pros and cons, evaluate them based on your core values. Do the positives feel like wins? Do they outweigh the negatives? Evaluate the pros and cons from your perspective, not from the perspectives of the people around you. You’re going to find more joy in the career you choose.
Is there a work/life balance?
You will spend a HUGE chunk of your week at work, but work shouldn’t be your whole life. How much personal time do you need? You’ll be happier in a career with a work/life balance that matches your needs.
What does your schedule look like?
Many careers don’t fit into your typical 9-5 workday. For example, nurses and firefighters don’t always work an eight-hour shift. As you consider your career choices, what hours would you like to work. Does that schedule align with the lifestyle you hope to achieve?
Is location important?
Think about where you want to live. Some careers are only available in larger cities, while others can be found anywhere. You may even have the option to work remotely. Then you can live wherever you want!
What are the educational requirements?
Most careers require training and/or education. Consider your time and money as an investment into your future. Will this investment help pay the bills AND make you happy? If your career choice requires a college education, will your future salary allow you to pay any school debt in a reasonable amount of time?
As you’re exploring your options, it’s important to remember what’s important to you. It’s also normal to change careers. If the one you choose doesn’t work for you, it’s ok to consider other options. The most important factor when choosing a career is that you stay true to YOU!
It’s easy to move through high school just going through the motions. If you have big dreams about college or a career and don’t know how to reach them, it’s time to set some goals! But first, you need to learn how to set a goal. Here are six tips to get you started!
1. Keep goals specific.
Details are key when you’re setting goals. Think about what you want to accomplish, when it should happen, where it should happen, why you want to achieve those goals, and the limits or obstacles you may need to overcome. When your goals are specific, you’ll be motivated to stay committed to them.
2. Measure your progress.
Keep track of your progress with measurable goals, and celebrate small victories because they help build momentum and help you meet deadlines.
3. Set achievable goals.
While there’s nothing wrong with big dreams or challenging goals, you should also be realistic. When you set achievable goals, you can identify opportunities and resources to help you reach them.
4. Set appropriate timelines.
Timelines help you see the big picture and the smaller steps you need to accomplish your goal. When you set goals, a timeline gives you something to work towards and helps you stay on task.
5. Find someone who achieved your goal.
Find people who’ve already accomplished a similar goal. Draw inspiration from them, and ask them for their tips and tricks. Their insight will help you progress quicker than if you started from scratch and figured things out for yourself. Consider joining a group of people who have similar ambitions. They can help hold you accountable.
6. Stay positive.
If you start to doubt your abilities, acknowledge your feelings, then remind yourself why you set the goal in the first place. Visualize yourself succeeding so you can let go of the fear of inadequacy. Stay open-minded if plans don’t go exactly the way you hoped. Consider organizing your thoughts and writing down your action plan. This exercise will help make your dreams feel more tangible.
When you identify and establish specific goals, your dreams can turn into your reality. There are many paths to success. If you have a vision and work hard, you can achieve anything!
So many things to do and SO little time. Trying to balance planning for the future and living in the present? We found a way to optimize an interactive, low-stress tool to make sure you’re covered for life after high school. We’re more than your average college planning app.
Keep reading to learn more about why you should be sprinting to your app store after reading.
We celebrate each step of your journey with milestones
The journey takes a lot of planning and a lot of steps, and this can seem really overwhelming. We’re ready to bake a cake and celebrate each step you achieve when planning for college; do you like chocolate or vanilla?
Match with colleges directly
You’ll create a profile and list preferences about cost, lifestyle, majors, and more to customize your college matches. Find the school that makes sense for you while you’re chasing your dreams. You’ll have the option to save schools that pique your interest and get to know them more.
Match with scholarships
No joke, college is expensive. Answer simple questions about your preferences, priorities about affordability, and other interests, and we’ll match you to your best-fit scholarship opportunities.
It’s basically a to-do list laid out for you! The guesswork is over.
Half of the battle is simply wondering what you need to do to make it work. Thankfully, we’ve designed your to do list for you depending on preferences and goals. Sounds like a win to us.
We’ve got the experience to make a difference
Long story short, we’ve got over 100 combined years of research experience to build a unique app experience that high school students love to use when planning for college. For the past 50 years, we have been evolving the way we do things by listening to the student experience and implementing changes as needed. In a nutshell, you can trust us to guide you in the right direction when painting a picture of your future!
Intrigued? We can’t blame you. Download the app below and take flight! We’ll be on standby with your cake.
The days of being traditional when thinking about your career are over, friend. Unique jobs are uncommon by definition, but you may find your dream career by thinking outside of the box and diving into some passions that can make money. Heads up: some of these jobs require advanced education, training, or certification in order to get started. In this short read, we’ll explore some lucrative careers that you may not have heard of before.
Color Specialist
Job family: Interior Designer
What they do: If you’ve never heard of a color specialist, you’re not alone. Personal color consultants are responsible for helping people design the interior or exterior of their homes or businesses. With so many trends and possibilities, the choices can become overwhelming. That’s where a color expert comes in!
Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree, Masters are a plus
In some states, color specialists must be licensed or certified through the International Association of Color Consultants (IACC) with a membership
Skills needed: Knowledge with tablet computers/ipads and computer assisted design (CAD), photo imaging, video creation applications, creativity, artistic talent and attention to detail
Starting Salary: $60,983
Most common practice: Business owners that consult independently
Career opportunities: Interior design, graphic design, fashion, product placement and visual merchandising, product line development & retail buying, and corporate branding and consulting
Voice-Over Artist
Job family: Entertainment
What they do: If you have a unique voice, chances are, your friends have told you you should be on the radio or in a commercial. There are multiple ways someone can use their voice to build a career in a virtual environment. What do voice artists do? Duties can include reading scripts, interpreting character mannerisms, following writer prompts, changing the pitch of your voice, and portraying emotions verbally. It’s also possible to narrate projects over video content, audiobooks, and video games. This role is typically freelance.
Requirements: GED/High school diploma, with no college needed. Some pursue a bachelors in communication, broadcasting, or theater. Training is typically on the job.
Skills needed: Acting, adaptability, attention to detail, confidence and communication
Starting Salary: $31,999 starting with an average pay after experience of $33.63/hr or $71,908/yr
Career opportunities: Radio, commercials, influencers, narrations, audiobooks, video games
Cruise Ship Director
Job family: Tourism & Entertainment
What they do: We have to be honest – this one is seemingly the most fun of our list and it requires a stark level of leadership to manage! A cruise ship director is the head of entertainment while you’re living your best life on a cruise. The director typically supervises and evaluates the performance of all cruise personnel to ensure the guests are having the best experience possible. Monitoring the guest comments and creating plans for improvements for special events and parties while aboard claims a majority of the work day. When you hear announcements over the intercoms, you’re likely hearing the voice of the cruise ship director.
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree is not required, however most directors possess a bachelors in hospitality or tourism management. A minimum of 5 years experience in an upscale hotel, resort, cruise ship and entertainment venue is required and a Master of Ceremony may be required.
Skills needed: Strong management skills and the ability to work in a multicultural environment. Excellent verbal and written skills, and knowledge of another language(s) is a plus. Superior customer service, team building and conflict resolution skills are necessary to be successful in this role.
Starting Salary: $45,000 with an average range after experience of $56,000-$88,500
Career opportunities: Can operate a private ship or major cruise lines such as Carnival, norwegian, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and more
Doula
Job family: Personal Care
What they do: They’re like travel guides in a foreign country. No, really! Except instead of helping you cross the street or find the best place to eat, they help you cross the finish line of childbirth and bring home the baby. A birth and postpartum doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a family before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
Requirements: No formal education is required. The doula certification is voluntary, however, clients typically will not hire a doula without a certification and training from an established organization.
Skills needed: Childbirth education, emotional support, physical assistance and care, planning, motivation, and teamwork are all skills needed to be successful in this role
Starting Salary: $40,000-$50,000. Doulas can earn a salary of up to $100,000 in a large urban city.
Career opportunities: Doulas typically work as contractors, employees, or business owners. Doulas are paid a set fee per birth or hourly. Doula work is flexible, and often on-call. Doulas are also employed in hospitals.
Flavorist
Job family: Chemistry
What they do: A professional taste-tester?! Sign us up. A flavorist is known for creating flavor profiles and determining ingredients. They work in a lab, using high-tech equipment to distill, extract, and blend chemicals to create a flavor and apply it to different foods. This is what you’ll describe as “artificial flavors”. To be a flavorist, you have to understand the concept and taste of natural flavors and have a well-rounded taste and smell palate for proper analysis. So next time you’re trying a new lollipop or popsicle, think of all the hard work a flavorist had to juggle so you can enjoy a tasty treat.
Requirements: Chemistry degree typically recommended, supplemented with a 5-7 year apprenticeship.
Skills needed: Strong sense of smell and taste, recordkeeping, chemistry, and creativity
are all skills needed to be successful in this role
Starting Salary: $50,000 to start with a potential to earn up to $200,000
Career opportunities: Major snack, candy and beverage companies and any company within the food processing industry
If you learned something new by reading this post, follow us on social media and download our app in the app store to learn more about careers that may be a solid fit for you!
As a college student, it’s okay if you don’t know exactly what you want to do after you graduate. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the options before you, we get it. You’ve got so many choices, and no idea where to start.
Work Backwards
You’re not alone. In fact, we recommend figuring out which career you want, and then shaping your education based on those dreams. That way, when you’re ready to go out into the world and start looking for a job or internship, you can focus on refining the skills that will help get you there—not just finding something that sounds good on paper.
If you want to be an astrophysicist but didn’t take physics in high school, don’t let that stop you from pursuing your dream! Just take the classes that will help give you the skills you need.
Consider Time and Money
Let’s be real, education isn’t cheap! If you’re hoping to save some money while earning a potential degree, consider saving some cash by kicking off at a community college and transferring later. If you’re interested in attending graduate or medical school, we love that for you! Just consider the cost and be sure to really research some options for financial aid.
Visit Your School’s Career Center
Meet with advisors who will help identify skills and interests that are related to specific fields of study; discuss ways in which those skills can be translated into job opportunities; learn how different majors prepare students for certain careers; determine what educational or professional requirements exist before entering a particular field of study; explore options available within each major; and explore options outside of each major that may lead toward career goals.
Find your fit and focus!
If the first step of choosing a career doesn’t work for you, then focus on the fit of your major. Take note of how you feel during different classes. Do you see yourself doing this type of work in the future? Trust your intuition; do you have an overall sense of ease or belonging when it comes to your major? Reflect, and adjust accordingly!
Matching your major to your future career is all about setting yourself up to achieve your dreams and aspirations. No matter where you are in this process, keep these steps in the back of your mind. Though we encourage you to contemplate these big questions about your future, don’t let it stress you out. You will figure it out, we promise!
