By Ms. Leslee Bayer

Thinking about your future Career can be a lot of fun! But it can also be confusing and frustrating… What can you be doing now to plan for your future career? We have classes you can take on careers at CalPac, there are inventories and websites available to explore for middle and high school students, and internships are available to students in many career fields as you get older.

At CalPac many of you are taking or have taken our CTE classes that look at various careers. The CTE teachers have guest speakers 1-2x a month from various careers; students get a chance to learn about these careers more in-depth and ask questions. All students are welcome to attend these events!

There are also numerous free career inventory tests you can take online. When I was a student I loved to take these tests and see what the results gave me. And the tests are much better today! You can search for Career Aptitude Tests and find things such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Career Aptitude Test. Contact your local college, and they may have a career inventory they recommend as well. Our counseling team at CalPac is also great about working with students to develop a 4-year plan with your college/career goals in mind!

Internships are a great way to "test out" your dream career. When I started college I knew I loved health, fitness and writing. So…I put these interests together and decided I want to be a writer/editor for a health and fitness magazine. However, when I did an internship in Sherman Oaks, California, at a fitness magazine, it didn't seem like my "dream career.” I knew after the first few weeks this wasn't the path for me. Once I had a chance to talk to health and PE teachers and do my student teaching, I knew I had found the right career for me.

As you start to plan for your future career, I encourage you to enjoy the process of exploration. Take CTE classes, talk to those in your field of interest, and consider what you are passionate about. Your career aspirations may change along the way as you learn more and try things out - but that's okay!