Staff Writer
Deciding
a future education and career path is a difficult decision for most high school
students. There are so many options for majors and careers; the task of
choosing seems daunting. There are many websites that may be helpful in terms
of researching the job outlook for various occupations. One site that is
extremely helpful is Future for Kids at www.f4k.org.
This site has a number of tests that you may take to determine your likes and
dislikes. These tests may help to point you in the right direction.
Some
questions to consider when evaluating a career possibility:
1.
How
much is the salary?
2.
Can
you advance in this career path?
3.
Is
this career the best fit for you?
4.
Are
you going to stay interested in it for many years?
5.
Does
this career have a positive growth outlook?
Also
another way to learn more about different careers is to go to career fairs.
There is a career fair in Raleigh on May 19, 2014 and September 17, 2014 from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Doubletree Hilton hotel.
The
top ten careers that will have a high demand rate by 2022:
- Software Developer- $90,060
- Computer System Analyst- $79,680
- Dentist-
$145,240
- Nurse
Practitioner- $89,960
- Pharmacist-
$116,670
- Registered Nurse- $65,470
- Physical
Therapist – $79,860
- Physician-
$187,199
- Web
Developer- $62,500
- Dental
Hygienist- $70,210
In
a poll of Apex High School students, over half of them think they know what
they want to be, at this point in time
 |
| Males |
 |
| Females |
Not all careers require a college degree. There are other options that can still provide a decent salary and are open to people who have a two year college degree. These include a dental hygienist, registered nurse, paralegal, graphic designer, solar energy consultant and many more. The military can also be a good alternative for some people. In each military branch there are many training opportunities depending on the scores from earned on the ASVAB test. The military is not just for men, women are accepted as well. Before you make a long term commitment to the military, make sure you know what you are getting into. Research is key; here are some sites you can look at:
Army: http://www.goarmy.com/
Air Force: http://www.airforce.com/
Coast Guard: http://www.gocoastguard.com/
Marine Corps: http://www.marines.com/
National Guard: http://www.nationalguard.com
Navy: http://www.navy.com/
Finding
a career path is a hard process. Research is essential. The world is constantly
changing, so you need to keep updating your skills to get the jobs of tomorrow.
