College Scorecard

This is a video of Arne Duncan describing The College Scorecard.  It is a research tool that is designed to assist students in finding the right college for them.


https://twitter.com/usedgov/status/676534779257339904


https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/

This is the time that many high school seniors are applying to college and/or receiving their acceptance letters.  The conversation regarding college and career should begin at an early age.  Several weeks ago, the First Lady, Michelle Obama launched the Better Make Room campaign, which brings the need for Generation Z'ers to uplift and encourage themselves and one another regarding the conversation around post-secondary options (more specifically, college).  This video is a humorous discussion regarding college.
http://youtu.be/_1yAOK0nSb0

NCAA Eligibility Center Division 1 Presentation

This is a brief powerpoint for the the NCAA Eligibility Center's website.  Please access the resource page of the NCAA Eligibility Center's website for more information.
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Important_New_Rules/High_School_IE_Standards.pdf

Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics- Career Information for High Schoolers

Currently, professional school counselors in my district are using the Career Cruising program to inform our students about themselves (via an interest and skills inventory), education, financial aid and careers.  This week, we met with our sophomores to discuss career areas and the 16 National Career Clusters.  The U.S. Department of Labor has information on career clusters as well.  The 16 National Career Clusters group commonly themed careers in the same areas or clusters.  Here you will find a link to the Dept. of Labor's career cluster resources. Individuals can click on the cluster link to learn more information about possible careers.
http://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/career-clusters.htm

Another area of  career exploration allows the individual to click on an area of interest.  Many of the interest areas are subjects you may have in high schools.  It is similar to the 16 career cluster groupings.
http://www.bls.gov/k12/content/students/careers/career-exploration.htm

Career Information for High Schoolers.
This sight provides helpful information for high schoolers (and others) who are seeking career information.  This information includes apprenticeship programs and internship information.
http://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/career-planning-for-high-schoolers.htm

Dreamers and DACA- Resources and Information for Undocumented Students

https://www.smore.com/ktmuh

Different Areas of Engineering

Many of my students express an interest in the area of engineering.  However, many do not have a clear idea of the differences in each area of engineering.  Hopefully, this list will assist students (and parents) in learning more about the different areas of Engineering.
http://www.nacme.org/types-of-engineering#electrical

Another career - Automotive Technology

I enjoy researching different career options.  I will try to showcase at least one new career once a week (or more).  Today, I will showcase Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering.

College Application Tips

I know the college application experience can be stressful and confusing.  I will be adding resources to assist students with the college application process.  This is a very brief video from Collegeboard's Big Future which provides a helpful hit for dealing with the college application experience.  https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/tips-for-preparing-your-college-application

Financial Aid Resources

I will be updating and adding college, career and financial aid resources within the coming weeks.  To begin, the federal student aid website has tons of information for students and parents.  Please go to the following website to find out about financial aid.
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/


More information on the financial aid process- you can apply for the FSA ID right now.  Read more to keep you organized and informed through the financial aid process.  Just Breathe- it will all turn out fine.
FSA ID and Financial Aid

#bettermakeroom

This week, First Lady Michelle Obama promoted a new campaign that is designed to get middle school and high school students excited about college. The campaign is also designed to allow students to discuss their college and career plans.  The website also allows students to come together and encourage each other to succeed.  I have included the link to both the #bettermakeroom website,

https://bettermakeroom.org/front, a brief article that highlights the campaign, http://www.nacacnet.org/learning/communities/Admitted/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=661 and a video of Mrs. Obama's vision.  You can watch the entire video or start at 13:28.

Hopefully, this campaign will inspire students and allow them to inspire others. You can find more information on Twitter (#bettermakeroom). Enjoy!

What are you going to do after high school?

Our students use Career Cruising to evaluate their career interests.  I LOVE Career Cruising.  However, school districts must pay for Career Cruising.  But, there are other options.  One option is Stem Career Pipeline.  This site allows the participant to assess their interest in science, technology, engineering or math.  This site also contains current information about careers and resources.  The interest assessment is fairly short.  Try it out.
https://stemcareerpipeline.com/



One STEM career that seems to have a bright outlook is Wind Turbine Technicians.  I took this picture of a Wind Turbine while traveling from Iowa to Illinois this past summer.  Check out the video below for more information.

As of now, there appear to be approximately 2 or 3 junior colleges in Illinois that offer Wind Turbine Technician training.

Are you interested in Automotive Technology? Do you like to work with your hands? Well...maybe a career in STEM is for you.

There is so much information regarding STEM.  The posts and videos that are included in this blog are from a couple of years ago.  However, the information is still relevant.  The careers in STEM are exciting, diverse and accessible.  Students can work in STEM areas with a certificate, associates degree, bachelors degree or graduate degree.  This blog will highlight several careers in STEM. According to O'Net, Automotive Technology is a career that is expected to grow in the future.  Below is a you tube video for the Universal Technical Institute (UTI).  Our area UTI rep is Joey Minor.

Last Spring, South Suburban College in South Holland, IL. hosted their 2nd annual STEM symposium.  My husband, son and I were all present for the symposium.  There was a wealth of information and demonstrations regarding STEM careers.  Check out the video.

Last year, Northern Illinois University offered STEM Saturdays.  The video is from last year.  However, if you are interested, make sure you look out for registration for the 2015-16 school year.