It used to be that high school seniors were told it was time to start thinking about a career. Now some career experts are saying 8th grade is the time to begin.
“If students begin planning in the 8th grade, it helps with their course selection for their first year of high school–and establishes a foundation for what they’ll be able to study over the next four years,” said Vickie Wagner, tech prep specialist at Purdue University North Central in Westville, Ind. “Most 8th graders don’t realize their choice of courses can have a dramatic impact on their careers later in life.”
Wagner, who has a master’s degree in curriculum development and classroom teaching, says 8th graders need to think ahead “about such things as how important advanced math classes are compared to general math. When they get to college or trade school and have no physics or chemistry, for instance, they may have to take those classes–and parents have to pay tuition for courses they could have had free in high school.”
To develop a “one-stop shop” of career information, Wagner worked with guidance counselors in Indiana to develop a new career-pathways and clusters guide for 8th graders. Based on current federal labor-market information, it describes jobs ranging from agriculture to transportation, includes graphs showing demand for workers and data as to where the jobs are and their requirements. The 55-page guide, introduced last year at Kouts and Westville high schools in Indiana and available statewide, are tailored by individual school guidance counselors.
“Preparing students for their eventual career is one of the most important contributions we can make,” said Linda Woloshansky, president of the Center of Workforce innovations in Valparaiso, Ind.
Though I was concerned that 8th graders might be too young to make such serious choices, those on the front lines say it’s necessary. “Even 8th or 9th grade may be too late to decide,” said Judy Rock, a guidance counselor at Shepard High School in Palos Heights. “We need to work with students, even as early as the 6th grade, to find their strengths and weaknesses, so we can help them and give them direction.”
Rock–who has a bachelor’s degree in education, master’s degrees in curriculum administration and counseling guidance, and certification in teaching, guidance and administration–is a big booster of planning ahead. She advises students to “start thinking now about your future. It begins today.”
Louise Vetter, career-development facilitator project coordinator for the National Career Development Center in Columbus, Ohio, also advocates an early start. Vetter, who has a doctorate in counseling psychology and is a licensed psychologist, says “you really should begin in kindergarten. Too often, children know only about what their parents do–and not very much about that.”
The psychologist, whose organization is a nonprofit membership group of career counselors, emphasizes that “there are new career options all the time, so the earlier you start thinking about your careers, the better it will be.”
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Carol Kleiman’s column also appears in Tuesday’s Business section. Watch her Career Coach segments Sunday and Tuesday on CLTV. Send e-mail to [email protected].