Counselors can assist with planning career course path

Once students get into high school, it becomes more and more important for them to take classes that will adhere to their future career paths. Schools often start career planning around eighth grade and continue with the planning and scheduling throughout students’ high school careers. 

High school counselor Erin Gardner urges students to begin taking career-oriented classes as soon as possible. Gardner said, “It is such a great opportunity to take classes that you have interest in and begin to explore the different careers that could possibly go along with that class. For foods classes, there are culinary, food science and nutrition. With marketing, we have business, graphic design and many more. Even within our core classes, you can begin to explore career ideas. Do you love physics? What careers are heavy in this area? Do you love math? What are math careers you can explore and what are other classes related to these classes?”

Gardner said, “Students absolutely have a wide range of options for classes that will adhere to their careers. We have our core classes, electives and CAPS. There are so many opportunities to explore. XELLO is a great resource as well. Look at careers and look at what classes you need in school for this career.”

In regards to tips on how to select classes, Gardner said, “I would definitely look into XELLO. If a student is not sure how to utilize XELLO, have them make an appointment with their counselor. There is so much career information within XELLO to explore. It is a great tool.” 

Freshman Caspen Morgan takes classes that will directly relate to a future focus. Morgan said, “I take intro to psychology since I’m interested in entering a field around mental health. Right now my options of psychology and health classes are pretty limited as a freshman, but I definitely plan to take more in my high school years.”