STUDENT-PARENT-COUNSELOR S MANUAL FOR

Transcription

1 STUDENT-PARENT-COUNSELOR S MANUAL FOR

2 STUDENT PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs.com MANUAL Page CHAPTER 1 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT S PLAN AND RESUME 1-1. Starting out: High school student s plan to graduate from college on time with a great job How to build your high school resume 5 CHAPTER 2 COLLEGE STUDENT S PLAN AND RESUME 2-1. Starting out: College student s plan to graduate from college on time with a great job How to build your college resume 8 CHAPTER 3 SELECTING COLLEGE MAJORS AND JOBS 3-1. How to build a starting list of possible college majors Why it makes sense to select a major before applying to college How to build a starting list of possible jobs after college How to merge your lists of majors and jobs How to make the decision on the best major for you How to connect a college major with its possible jobs How to connect a job with its possible college majors How to determine if a job requires a college degree How to determine if a job has a future What you can learn about a job from someone employed in that job How much starting job salary you can earn from your choice of major 25 CHAPTER 4 SELECTING COLLEGES 4-1. How to build a starting list of possible colleges to attend How to get the information you need about each college Websites for 900 colleges An easy method to compare colleges on your list How to develop a final list of colleges that meet your goals How to find similar colleges to add to your list Why apply to Honors Programs? How to get accepted into them Can you afford to go to the college? How to estimate affordability How to find out what experiences and qualities each college wants in a student What your chances of getting accepted to each college on your list? 41 1

3 Page CHAPTER 5 BUILDING LIFE EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS TO SUCCEED 5-1. How to build life experiences to get accepted by colleges How to build life experiences to be hired after college graduation How to build life experiences to be hired in jobs not related to your major How to build the new skills you must have to succeed in college and jobs 50 CHAPTER 6 PAYING FOR COLLEGE 6-1. How to find grants and scholarships easily How large a student loan you can handle with your choice of major and starting job after graduation 57 CHAPTER 7 SELECTING YOUR LIFESTYLE 7-1. How your choices of major and college give you a ticket to the middle class Describing the lifestyle that goes with each starting salary after college How your choices of major, college, student loans, savings plans, investment income tax, and children grow your wealth after college How to grow and manage your lifestyle with the plan after graduation How to predict your future lifestyle after college 70 2

4 1-1 What every high school student must know about getting into college and graduating on time with a solid paying job. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs.com MANUAL Chapter 1-1 The purpose of this Chapter 1-1 is to outline the steps a high school student should follow if their goal is to graduate from college, on time, with a degree and a solid paying job that should give the lifestyle the student desires after college. High school students and their parents are much more confident when they can see the steps required to select a college, major, and career, all in one place with the solutions for each step. The website is the core resource for students, counselors, advisors and parents. The steps are explained in HIGH SCHOOL PLAN ACTIVITIES at and are listed here with all methods and solutions on the website and in Manual Chapters: 1. Prepare your student resume (See how in Manual Chapter 1-2). 2. Students should test themselves to find out the jobs they can do well. (See how in Manual Chapter 3-2). 3. Build a list of college majors, their starting jobs and salaries that fit the student s job test results (See how in Manual Chapters 3-1 through 3-11). 4. Build a list of colleges that offer the majors the student selected in step 3 and where the student s ACT or SAT scores forecast the student will graduate at least in the top half of the class (preferably top 25%). Tour the colleges to evaluate all aspects. (See how in Manual Chapters 4-1 through 4-10). 5. Shift your extracurricular activities and summer jobs to match the interests of the colleges and are compatible with the majors on your lists as explained in YOUR COLLEGE MAJOR DETERMINES YOUR CAREER at Review the applications for each college on your list to see if you are missing any experiences on your resume. (See how in Manual Chapters 5-1 through 5-3). 3

5 6. Begin to learn the NEW SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE at to succeed in college and career. These are Project-Based Learning, Time Management, and Learning to Teach Yourself. (Manual Chapter 5-4). 7. Use the methods explained In MONEY FOR COLLEGE at to determine how you will pay for each college on your list with grants, scholarships and student loans and eliminate the colleges which are too expensive. (See how in Manual Chapters 4-8, 6-1 and 6-2). 8. Use the methods explained in CHOOSE MY SALARY AND LIFESTYLE at and BUILD MY WEALTH FROM COLLEGE THROUGH CAREER at to determine the lifestyle the majors on your list will produce after college and eliminate any majors which do not meet your lifestyle requirements. (See how in Manual Plan Chapters 7-1 through 7-5). Like our FaceBook page at 4

6 1-2 What every student should know about preparing their high school resume. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs.com MANUAL Chapter 1-2 The purpose of this Chapter 1-2 is to show how to create a personal resume that presents the high school student s story in the best way possible to colleges and employers. Students can make their personal resume the most valuable tool they have to get accepted to their best college. A good resume will describe your education, show your awards and leadership accomplishments, give your employment history, and show which activities have interested you. This free resume form is available to download as a Word document from our FORMS webpage at HIGH SCHOOL RESUME at You will use this form to gain an edge on competitors in college applications and when applying for part time jobs, summer jobs, and internships. How to go about placing all your accomplishments in the form is carefully explained in the free download HIGH SCHOOL RESUME INSTRUCTIONS at You will learn how to use your resume to guide you into developing experiences outside the classroom that are important to colleges (Manual Chapter 5-1). Like our FaceBook page at 5

7 2-1 What every college student must know about graduating from college on time with a degree and a solid paying job. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 2-1 The purpose of this Chapter 2-1 is to outline the steps a college student should follow if their goal is to graduate from college, on time, with a degree and a solid paying job that should give the lifestyle the student desires after college. College students and their parents and advisors are much more confident when they can see the steps required to select a major and graduate with meaningful job offers, all in one place with the solutions for each step. The website is the core resource for college students, advisors and parents. The steps are explained in COLLEGE PLAN ACTIVITIES at and are listed here with all methods and solutions on the website : 1.Prepare your free downloadable COLLEGE RESUME at using the free COLLEGE RESUME INSTRUCTIONS at See how in Manual Chapter If you haven t selected a major, quickly follow the steps in Manual Chapters 3-1 through 3-5 to build a list of college majors, their starting jobs and salaries that fit the student s job capabilities and talents. Choose the major that leads to the most career paths that interest you. 3. If you have already selected a major, confirm that it meets all your requirements of desirable starting job, salary and lifestyle as shown in Manual Chapters 3-6 through If it doesn t meet with what you want in life, then change your major (See how in Manual Chapter 3-1). 4. Shift your extracurricular activities and summer job search to match the interests of the employers and are compatible with your chosen major as explained in YOUR COLLEGE MAJOR DETERMINES YOUR CAREER at Critically review your resume to see where you need to build meaningful experiences to get the best job after graduation. (See how in Manual Plan Chapter 5-2). 6

8 5. Begin to learn the NEW SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE at to succeed in college and the working world. These skills are Project-Based Learning, Time Management, and Learning to Teach Yourself. (See how in Manual Chapter 5-4). 6. Use the methods explained In MONEY FOR COLLEGE at to keep the costs of your college education as low as possible with grants, scholarships and student loans. (See how in Manual Chapters 6-1 and 6-2). 7. Learn how to manage your personal expenses while in college with our free downloadable forms BUDGET FOR COLLEGE at and BUDGET FOR COLLEGE INSTRUCTIONS at 8. Use the methods explained in CHOOSE MY SALARY AND LIFESTYLE at and BUILD MY WEALTH FROM COLLEGE THROUGH CAREER at to understand the lifestyle your major will produce for you after college and how to manage your job salary (See how in Manual Chapters 7-1 through 7-5). Like our FaceBook page at 7

9 2-2 What every college student should know about preparing their college resume STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 2-2 The purpose of this Chapter 2-2 is to show how to create a personal resume that presents the college student s story in the best way possible to employers. Students can make their personal resume the most valuable tool they have to seek employment for summer and part-time work, and especially for a job after graduation from college. This is a record of accomplishments in college, awards and leadership, outside work experience, and a few significant accomplishments from high school. This free resume form is available to download as a Word document from our FORMS webpage at COLLEGE RESUME at You will use this form to gain an edge on competitors when applying for part time jobs, summer jobs, and permanent jobs after graduation. How to go about placing all your accomplishments in the form is carefully explained in the free download COLLEGE RESUME INSTRUCTIONS at You will learn how to use your resume to guide you into developing experiences outside the classroom that are important to employers (See how in Manual 5-2). Like our FaceBook page at 8

10 3-1 How a student can start putting together a list of possible college majors STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-1 The purpose of this Chapter 3-1 is to show how to create a list of possible college majors for the student to start investigating while in high school or college, or when changing majors in college. Students know that it is important to start putting together a list of possible colleges. It s even more important to put together a list of possible college majors before you apply to colleges. The reasons to start this list of majors early in your high school career are discussed in Manual Chapter 3-2 and in our webpage WHEN SHOULD I CHOOSE MY COLLEGE MAJOR? at There are distinct steps required to successfully choose a college major that matches your talents, ability, interests and will deliver the lifestyle you desire after graduating from college. Your first step is to build a list of possible majors. Start with any ideas you might have from subjects in school that interested you. Then ask for suggestions from people who know you: parents, your friends, friends of your family, other family members, high school counselors, teachers, and mentors. Collect many ideas and don t try to make choices. You will quickly have a list that is a mixture of names of college majors and names of jobs. If you would like to see how many possibilities of majors and jobs there are, our website lets you download the most popular 160 majors LIST OF MAJORS at and 1100 jobs LIST OF STARTING JOBS at Our Manual chapters will show you how to easily find out what names of majors and jobs mean and how to see which ones really will work for you. When you have put together your list of colleges (Manual Chapter 4-1 shows you how) you can go to a college website (Manual Chapter 4-3 gives you the links to 900 colleges) where you can search for the major and find the college s definition of that major. For everything you would want to know about a job, Manual Chapter 3-7 shows you how to link to the U.S. Department of Labor s descriptions of each job. Manual Chapter 3-3 and our webpage YOUR COLLEGE MAJOR DETERMINES YOUR CAREER at give you one of the greatest tools to help you make your choice of college majors: Any specific major leads to a very small number of different jobs, and only a small number of majors 9

11 will qualify you to be hired in any specific job. Manual Chapters 3-4 and 3-5 give you the tools to collect and display this information so that your best choices for major become obvious. If you are in college pursing a major and want to change majors to qualify for a different job, the procedures in Manual Chapters 3-2 through 3-6 are extremely important. There also is an option in Manual Chapter 5-3 which allows you to stay with your current major and make yourself qualified for a different job. Like our FaceBook page at 10

12 3-2 Students gain when they select majors before applying to college STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-2 The purpose of this chapter 3-2 is to show all the reasons why students should select their major before applying to colleges. Students often get the advice to wait to select their major until after they have started college. It is well-meaning advice, but several decades out of date. A quick read of our webpages 7 NEW RULES FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO CAREER at WHEN SHOULD I CHOOSE MY COLLEGE MAJOR? at will show that delay only invites disappointments, a more expensive college degree, and less income after college. The most significant rule now is that only handful of majors lead to each specific job after college. That means a student must select a major on the basis of those majors which will lead to jobs that the student is capable of handling. You test yourself for job capability, and those test results will not change substantially between the time you are a sophomore in high school and a sophomore in college. Why delay for 2 or 3 years a decision on a major that takes only a few hours to make and will not change over time? Prove it to yourself. Spend an hour taking the free test in Manual Chapter 3-3. Now you have a long list of jobs you can handle. Then use your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at with in Manual Chapter 3-7 (see image above) to look up the majors leading to each of these jobs (another hour at most). You can use Manual Chapters 3-4, 3-5, and 3-6 to screen your list of majors from Manual Chapter 3-1 and wind up with a combined list of majors and their related jobs which you could expect would lead to employment after college. You probably will have a list of 15 majors and 4 or 5 jobs after what amounts to an afternoon of work. You will have plenty of time to explore your interests in these majors and jobs before it s time to send in college applications. What do you gain by having a major selected? You will be able to look up the maximum student loan amount you can handle with that major (See how in Manual Chapter 6-3) so you can screen out colleges you are considering (See how in Manual Chapter 4-8) that are too expensive. You will gain up to a year of your life. Colleges place majorundecided students into special non-credit courses that allow the students time to discover their major while the student pays college tuition and other expenses. The 11

13 student graduates a year later than normal, pays 25% more for college and loses a year of job salary (think $30,000 to $70,000 as shown in Manual Chapter 7-1). There are other subtle gains to be had. When faced with two equal students, colleges will admit the one who declares a major on the application. Not all majors are offered by each college, so the student with a major can screen out those colleges before applying. Colleges have to limit the number of students wanting popular majors, so students having declared a major will get first call on those available positions. Like our FaceBook page at 12

14 3-3 How a student can start putting together a list of possible jobs for employment after college STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-3 The purpose of this Chapter 3-3 is to show how to create a list of possible jobs after college for the student to start investigating to determine which majors will qualify the student for those jobs. Some day you will have to go to work, permanently, after you graduate from college. You will have to find an employer who will interview you and hopefully offer you a job. But before you can find an employer you must have a list of jobs which you are able to do and would want to do. Tests are available to determine the jobs that should suit you so you don t have to guess at this. Several tests are described in our webpage TEST MYSELF FOR JOBS at These tests are free and can be completed in minutes. Why do you need to worry about jobs after college when you are still in high school or just a freshman in college? There are no longer any general majors which lead to a variety of jobs after college. Any specific major leads to a very small number of different jobs, and only a small number of majors will qualify you to be hired in any specific job. If you select a major without knowing if you want the jobs that come with that major, you might graduate with a major that does not qualify you for the jobs you want. All of this is explained on our webpage YOUR COLLEGE MAJOR DETERMINES YOUR CAREER at The procedure is very simple. Ask for suggestions from people who know you: parents, your friends, friends of your family, other family members, high school counselors, teachers, and mentors. Collect many ideas and don t try to make choices. Suggestions on how to do this are on our webpage CHOOSE MY STARTING JOB AND CAREER at Then take one of the job tests on our webpage TEST MYSELF FOR JOBS at We ll use as an example the Your Free Career Test. Your results are presented in groups of job names and a sample group is shown in the image on the right. Our 13

15 website has a downloadable list of 1100 starting jobs LIST OF STARTING JOBS at which should be compared with the test results to determine which of the test jobs are starting jobs that likely require a college degree. When this comparison is made, there are three of these jobs that should be placed on your list of jobs you should find interesting and which you would be capable of handling: Social Worker, Counselor, and Teacher. A second group of job names, also part of the same test results, is shown on the right. Making the same comparison with the list of starting jobs gives the jobs Interior Designer, Graphic Designer, Industrial Designer, Photographer, Fashion Designer and Actor. When you add these jobs you will have a total of 9 starting jobs on your list of possible jobs to consider. For everything you would want to know about a job, Manual Chapter 3-7 shows you how to link to the U.S. Department of Labor s descriptions of each job. Manual Chapters 3-4 and 3-5 take you through the steps to combine your list of majors from Manual Chapter 3-1 with the jobs you can handle. Like our FaceBook page at 14

16 3-4 How to improve your list of college majors with the JOBS-MAJORS SCORECARD and your job test results. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-4 The purpose of this Chapter 3-4 is to show how to use the JOBS-MAJORS SCORECARD to merge the job results from Manual Chapter 3-3 into the list of college majors in Manual Chapter 3-1. Each student can download the FREE fill in the blanks JOBS-MAJORS SCORECARD at and JOBS - MAJORS SCORECARD INSTRUCTIONS at The scorecard has an example of information shown in the image above, and it has a blank form where the student can enter their own information. The instructions give you a detailed description of how to enter the information. This chapter will show you how to use the information. Keep in mind that you will use your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at with to get some of the information. Looking at the entered information for Job 1, Social Worker: The source was the student s test results covered in Manual Chapter 3-3. This is the best source for job information since it shows that the student is capable of doing this job. The student should look at their test results from Manual Chapter 3-3 and see if Jobs 2 or 3 are mentioned in the results as being jobs the student can handle. If they are the student can keep them on the SCORECARD. In Manual Chapter 3-8 you are shown how to develop the information for the next 2 rows, Degree Required and Job Description Link. If a bachelor s degree is not required for the job, the student should definitely drop the job from the list. Job 3 definitely does not usually require a college degree, so this can be dropped. The information for the final rows, the college majors required for the job, comes from Manual Chapter 3-7. The starting salary and maximum student loan the salary can support after graduation come from Manual Chapter The majors for Job 1 and Job 2 should definitely be added to the student s list of best majors because they both in this example lead to jobs the student can handle. All of the jobs which were suggested in Chapter 3-1 and the test results of Chapter 3-3 should be listed on the JOBS-MAJORS SCORECARD to find more best majors. Add these majors to the list of majors (developed in Manual Chapter 3-1). The next Manual Chapter 3-5 will show the student how to use the MAJORS-JOBS SCORECARD and to evaluate majors listed originally in Manual Chapter

17 3-5 How to further improve your list of college majors with the MAJORS-JOBS SCORECARD to eliminate majors that do not match your job test results. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-5 The purpose of this chapter 3-5 is to arrive at a workable list of majors which will lead to starting jobs that require a college bachelor s degree and the student is capable of handling. This will allow the student to more efficiently select one major based on future goals the student will have after college. Each student can download the FREE fill in the blanks MAJORS-JOBS SCORECARD at and MAJORS - JOBS SCORECARD INSTRUCTIONS at The scorecard has an example of information shown in the image above, and it has a blank form where the student can enter their own information. The instructions give a detailed description of how to enter the information. This chapter will show how to use the information. Keep in mind that you will use your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at with to get some of the information. Each of the original majors on the student s list created in Chapter 3-1 should be run through this MAJORS-JOBS SCORECARD. Information on the degree requirements of starting jobs and the training programs available to new employees comes from Manual Chapter 3-8. Information for the starting salary and maximum student loan the salary can support after graduation comes from Manual Chapter The starting jobs for each major come from Manual Chapter 3-6. The degree required and the job description link come from Manual Chapter 3-7. The student should look at their test results from Manual Chapter 3-3 and see if any jobs on the SCORECARD are mentioned in the results. If they are, the student can keep them on the SCORECARD. Eliminate any majors that do not have a job fitting the student s test results. All of the majors added to the list in Manual Chapter 3-1 from Manual Chapter 3-4 should be run through the SCORECARD to identify all of the jobs coming from those majors. Eliminate the jobs which do not require a college degree or do not match the test results of Manual Chapter 3-3. When all of the majors on the Manual Chapter 3-1 list and the surviving majors from Manual Chapter 3-3 are run through this MAJORS-JOBS SCORECARD, the student will 16

18 have a list of majors which will qualify for starting jobs that require a college bachelor s degree and the student is capable of handling. The student now has a workable number of majors with their starting jobs. The student can now further shrink the list by identifying the starting jobs that are interesting (see how with the job link in Manual Chapter 3-7); and by interviewing people who hold the job (see how in Manual Chapter 3-10); and identifying jobs that have a good future (see how in Manual Chapter 3-9). Then shrink the list further by going to the websites (see lists in Manual Chapter 4-3) of your colleges (developed in Manual Chapter 4-1) and review the description of each of the college majors to identify those that are most interesting. Review the starting salaries of those majors (see how in Manual Chapter 3-11) on your MAJORS-JOBS SCORECARD with their connected lifestyle descriptions on our webpage CHOOSE MY SALARY AND LIFESTYLE at and Manual Chapter 7-2. Eliminate any jobs and majors that do not seem to be interesting enough to you, and understand the lifestyle that your remaining majors will bring you immediately after college graduation. Most students do not have a good idea of what a certain salary means in terms of lifestyle: how big an apartment you will have, the age of the car you can drive, and the amount of money you will have to spend on fun things. This webpage CHOOSE MY SALARY AND LIFESTYLE at may be helpful in selecting your major. You can always choose a major that is less interesting but has a salary much higher and better lifestyle than those majors you really like. Also look at Manual Chapter 7-9 to get an understanding of how your choice of major has a major impact on your lifestyle from college graduation to the end of your career, and thereafter. Like our FaceBook page at 17

19 3-6 I love this college major. Will I love my job after college? STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-6 The purpose of this chapter 3-6 is to show how the student can quickly identify the jobs connected to any college major. How often do you hear a student talk about possible majors? But do you ever hear them wonder what jobs that major will bring? You know from the webpage YOUR COLLEGE MAJOR DETERMINES YOUR CAREER at that choosing a specific major means that you are also choosing a very limited number of starting jobs after college. Your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at to gives you the jobs for more than 160 college majors. Just log in as a member and click on the Member Control Panel Tab Find Job by Majors. Select your major and choose from the list of starting jobs to bring up the job descriptions of each job available for that major, as shown in the image above. Manual Chapters 3-7, 3-8, 3-9, and 3-11 show you how to link to all the jobs descriptions and starting salaries. Available exclusively to Members. Like our FaceBook page at 18

20 3-7 How to connect the college majors that lead to a certain starting job STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-7 The purpose of this chapter 3-7 is to show how the student can quickly identify the college majors connected to any starting job. Students often get suggestions of certain jobs to consider for work or career after college. You know from the webpage YOUR COLLEGE MAJOR DETERMINES YOUR CAREER at that choosing a specific job means that only a limited number of college majors will qualify a student for that job. Your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at to gives you the college majors for more than 1100 jobs. Just log in as a member and click on the Member Control Panel Tab Find Major by Job. In the example above the job Public Relations Representative was selected. The college majors for that job are displayed. If the student has already selected a major not on this list, then the student might want to consider a different job. If the student s major does match, then the link at the bottom of the example leads to a description of what a public relations specialist does. This description is shown on the right and the website is maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor. This information is at your fingertips and available exclusively to Members. Manual Chapters 3-8, 3-9, and 3-11 show you how to link to other information and starting salaries for the starting jobs. Available exclusively to Members. Like our FaceBook page at 19

21 3-8 Going after jobs that require a bachelors degree and have a training program. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-8 The purpose of this chapter 3-8 is to show how the student can quickly identify if a certain starting job requires a bachelor s degree and what training programs are offered to the new employee. Students who intend to get a bachelor s degree often build lists of jobs to consider for work or career after college. An example of this would be lists of jobs from a personal job capability test (shown in Manual Chapter 3-3). Not all these jobs require a bachelor s degree from a four year college. Some jobs might require an advanced degree such as masters or Ph.D. Other jobs only require a high school diploma or 2 year associate s degree. If you are wondering if you should stop with a high school diploma and go to work, read our webpage WHY A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA ISN'T ENOUGH at Your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at to provides the links to more than 1100 jobs with explanations of the degree required and the amount of training provided to the new employee. Just log in as a member and click on the Member Control Panel Tab Find Major by Job. In the example above the job Public Relations Representative was selected. The link at the bottom of the example leads to an explanation of the education requirements and training offered. This is shown on the right and the website is maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor. This information is at your fingertips and available exclusively to Members. Manual Chapters 3-7, 3-9, and 3-11 show you how to link to other information and starting salaries for the starting jobs. Available exclusively to Members. 20

22 3-9 Am I looking at a starting job that has a growing future and good salary prospects? STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-9 The purpose of this chapter 3-9 is to show how the student can quickly identify if a certain starting job has a growing future with good salary prospects. Students who are considering a starting job and the majors which lead to that job must also find out the future salary prospects for that job, and if the number employed in that job will increase or shrink in the future. Your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at to provides the links to more than 1100 jobs with the answers to those questions. Just log in as a member and click on the Member Control Panel Tab Find Major by Job, select the example job Public Relations Representative, and click on its link This takes you to the U.S. Department of Labor webpage for that particular job and you can find the pay information for the Public Relations Specialists as shown in the example above. These median salaries for all levels of work experience and age, so it gives the student an idea of what they might be earning in their mid-career in that particular job. Compare this with the median salary the student would start with in that job (Find starting salaries in Manual Chapter 3-11). The student knows from our webpage WHICH JOBS ARE DISAPPEARING at that demand for many employees is shrinking, and those jobs should be avoided. On the same U.S. Department of Labor webpage you can find the answer to whether growth is expected in the number of employees in that job. On the image at the right there is a 6% increase in the number of employees projected for a future 10 year period. So the job of Public Relations Representative (Specialist) 21

23 would be a safe choice for a career. Manual Chapters 3-7, 3-8, and 3-11 show you how to link to other information and starting salaries for the starting jobs. Available exclusively to Members. Like our FaceBook page at 22

24 3-10 Why a student should talk to someone who started out in the job that interests the student or is currently employed in that job. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-10 The purpose of this chapter 3-10 is to show how important information about a job can be obtained from someone who has been employed in that job, and how to find such a person. In Manual Chapters , and 3-9 you saw how to get a world of information on jobs from the U.S. Department of Labor website. Your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at to provides the direct links to more than 1100 jobs. The example job Public Relations Representative, was demonstrated with its link (see image above). It s one thing to learn about a job on the internet, but gaining a real understanding about a job can only come from a dialog with a person who holds or has held that job. In this Manual Chapter 3-10 you will see how to use the Department of Labor website to develop your questions for the person, and then you will learn to find people who hold or have held that job. When you link to the job description such as the public relations specialist job we are using, the landing page has five significant tabs to more information. Each of these tabs can give you ideas of questions to ask the person who has or has had the job. Here are the topics of the tabs and some general questions: 1. Tab What They Do. Ask these questions: Describe your typical work day; Is this work the same as what a person does in the first year after college?; What type of work does a person do 10 or 15 years after college? 2. Tab Work Environment. Ask these questions: Is this an office job?; Can you do the work from home?; Is there traveling involved, and where to?; Does it involve interaction with customers of the company?; Is the job mainly indoor or outdoor?; What are the normal hours each day?; Is it better to start this job with a small company or with a large company? 3. Tab How to Become One. Ask these questions: Explain the training program offered to the employee in their first year; Do you require a bachelors degree or a higher degree for this job?; What type of prior experience is a job-seeker expected to have in order to be hired? 23

25 4. Tab Job Outlook. Ask these questions: What is the future of the job category?; What would be the next type of job I could be promoted into?; How do you measure performance of employees?; What is expected of an employee in order to be a candidate for promotion? 5. Tab Similar Occupations. Ask these questions: Are there other types of jobs that are similar to the one we have been discussing?; What do you call these jobs?; What are the similarities?; What are the differences?; Could I expect to find these people working in the same company with me? The first step in finding someone who holds this job (someone you can interview) is to ask your family and friends if they know someone who works in the job that interests you. If you are in college, ask the professors in your department. If you are in high school, ask your teachers and counselors. Another source to find people in this job who live close by you is through professional and trade associations. Almost every job classification will have an voluntary organization to which people who hold these jobs can belong to improve their abilities within that job classification or to improve their contacts outside their employer s organization. All you have to do to find these professional or trade associations is through an internet search with the phrase, What is the trade (or professional) association for (name of job category). For our example of the job category public relations specialists, an internet search question What is the trade association for public relations specialists brings up the Public Relations Society of America website. This website has a directory search for firms in different states, as well as members at different universities. Contact the local members to see if they will provide an employee to be interviewed by you. Like our FaceBook page at 24

26 3-11 How much salary can I expect to earn with my major when I graduate from college? STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 3-11 The purpose of this chapter 3-11 is to show how the student can quickly see how much starting salary to expect from any college major. Students spend a great deal of time investigating college majors to see which ones sound interesting to them. They also are very curious about how much salary they can make after college, but they often don t know how to find that information. Your member subscription to gives you the starting salaries for more than 160 college majors. In the image above, just click on the Member Control Panel Tab Salaries/Loans for Majors and select your major. We ll choose the major Communications which is one on the majors which leads to the starting job of Public Relations Representative (Manual Chapter 3-7). In the image to the right the answer pops up: Median Starting Salary is $38,900 per year. Available exclusively to Members. You can preview the entire range of starting salaries and majors in Manual Chapter 7-1. Also look at Manual Chapter 7-3 to get an understanding of how your choice of major has a major impact on your lifestyle from college graduation to the end of your career, and thereafter. Like our FaceBook page at 25

27 4-1 How a high school student can start putting together a list of possible colleges to attend STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 4-1 The purpose of this chapter 4-1 is to get students started putting together a list of their possible colleges that will lead to an associate s degree or bachelors degree upon graduation. Many students have an idea in their mind of one or two colleges they would want to consider. Start your list with these. Then ask for suggestions from people who know you: parents, your friends, friends of your family, other family members, high school counselors, teachers, and mentors. Always ask them why they are recommending this college for you. Collect many ideas and don t try to make choices at this point. The rest of Manual Chapters 4-2 through 4-10 will take you through the steps to find out if you really want to consider these colleges and, most important, if the college will want you. Very few colleges accept even half of the high school students who apply, so you want to begin with a list of at least 10 to 15 colleges. Chapter 4-6 will also show you how to add more colleges that will fit your requirements. Our webpage CHOOSE MY COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY at gives an introduction to the totally different experience you will have at a college compared to your experience in attending a high school. For that reason you should have at least one local college on your list to try out first so that you will have an understanding of what to expect when you travel to colleges away from where you live. In Chapter 4-2 you will have an introduction to the UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION at that will be your method of collecting information on each college. Keep in mind that by the time you are a senior in high school and filling out college applications, your goal should be to have 4 to 10 colleges which you are reasonably certain will want you, and will meet your requirements and goals. Like our FaceBook page at 26

28 4-2 Collecting information on colleges to determine whether they are desirable to apply for admission. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 4-2 The purpose of this chapter 4-2 is to show how to use the free downloadable UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION FORM to collect important information on each college on the student s list necessary for making the decision to apply for admission. The UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION FORM at is a fill in the blanks form that shows you all the important information about a college that the student should gather. At least two or three tours of different colleges are required to get a real understanding of which attributes of a college (size of campus, number of students, appearance, and dozens of other features) will influence the student s decision of where to apply for admission. This form will insure that you have looked at all the important things and won t have to make a return trip to that college to pick up something you missed. For that reason you should make your first college a local college to evaluate, even if you have no intention to go there. It s close and won t take a lot of money and time to get there. You ll also get a good idea of how long it takes you to evaluate a college. Be sure to have an adult accompany you when you do make a tour of each college. The free downloadable UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS at will explain many of the reasons for collecting the items on the form. This chapter 4-2 will show you where to find the information on each college. Keep in mind that you will use your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at with to get some of the information. The first section of the FORM has information you can get on the college website. Manual Chapter 4-3 has the websites listed for 900 colleges by state. Once you are on a college website you can search for majors the college offers under the keywords Academics or Majors. Manual Chapter 4-10 lets you quickly predict which quarter of the class you will graduate with a degree based on your SAT or ACT scores. Honors programs are discussed in Manual Chapter 4-7 (shows you how to find the information) and our webpage CHOOSE MY COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY at Private colleges usually do not have Honors Programs. How the college is ranked nationally by U.S. News & World 27

29 Report is helpful to know when you compare all the colleges on your list so you can see how they rank against each other. Information on number of students, coed, percent of students living on campus can be found on the college website under the About tab or Campus Life. Tuition, Room & Board costs, and Application information will be on the college website and Manual Chapter 4-8 shows you how to find it. Be sure to bookmark all these pages, especially if they weren t easy to find. The most difficult information to find is the college s desired student profile. Manual Chapter 4-9 shows you how to find it and why it is very important to know. The next portion of the UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION at deals with tour schedules and interviews that you must schedule before you arrive on campus. The reasons for setting these up are discussed in Manual Chapter 4-5 and UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS at On the day of the tour it is very important that you make notes for each item before you leave the campus. Information for final section for application deadlines can be found on the college website. In Manual Chapter 4-4 you will see a convenient way to compare the important information you gather on each of your colleges. Like our FaceBook page at 28

30 4-3 Here s quick access to the websites of colleges: at your fingertips STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 4-3 The purpose of this chapter 4-3 is to provide website links to 900 of the most popular colleges and universities in the United States. How easy is it for you to find the website of a college? How easy is it to see and access the college websites within your state? Your MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION at to does it for you as shown in the image above. Just log in as a member and click on the Member Control Panel Tab Predict Your Class Rank. Scroll through the 900 colleges arranged by state. Select a college, add it to your list, and the name of the college will be the link to the official website. Available exclusively to Members. Like our FaceBook page at 29

31 4-4 Measuring the high school student s progress on selecting colleges STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 4-4 The purpose of this Chapter 4-4 is to give the student a simple way to compare a list of colleges and to measure progress toward evaluating which ones to apply to for admission. Each student can download the FREE fill in the blanks COLLEGE SCREENING SCORECARD at and COLLEGE SCREENING SCORECARD INSTRUCTIONS at The SCORECARD has an example of information shown in the image above, and it has a blank form where the student can enter their own information taken directly from the UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION at (Manual Chapter 4-2) and the MAJORS-JOBS SCORECARD at (Manual Chapter 3-5). With this form the student has a quick, effective way to communicate a question from a high school counselor such as, Which colleges are most interesting to you? It also shows the value of selecting majors prior to applying to colleges: of the three universities where the student would graduate in the First Quarter (top 25% of the class), two do not offer majors in Business Economics and all three do not offer degrees in Interdiscipline-Social Studies. That might influence the student to keep adding colleges to the list if those majors not offered were the top choice. More on strategy for colleges and tours will be covered in Manual Chapter 4-5. Like our FaceBook page at 30

32 4-5 Strategy for developing an excellent list of colleges, before the application deadlines, where you will have a major you like and will graduate on time with a solid paying job. STUDENT - PARENT - COUNSELOR S Collegeforjobs MANUAL Chapter 4-5 The purpose of this Chapter 4-5 is to give the student the steps of a strategy for developing an excellent list of colleges and the tools for implementing any of these steps before college applications are due. With any of these colleges you will expect to be accepted, to have a major you like, and to graduate on time with a solid paying job you are capable of handling. When you choose your college or university you are making the most expensive purchase you have ever made in your life. A good strategy to find the best college for you requires you to start early, in your junior year of high school or earlier. In Chapter 4-4 the student learned to use the COLLEGE SCREENING SCORECARD at (image above), and in Chapter 4-2 the student learned to use the UNIVERSITY TOUR AND APPLICATION at (image below). Both of these forms are important in developing the strategy to be accepted by the college, to have the major you like, and to graduate on time with a solid paying job you are capable of handling. Step 1: Have a major selected before the college applications must be submitted. The procedure to come up with a list of possible majors is covered in Manual Chapter 3-5. These majors will lead to solid paying jobs you are capable of handling. It takes less than one afternoon to prepare the list. The consequences arriving at your college without choosing a major are explained in our webpage WHEN SHOULD I CHOOSE MY COLLEGE MAJOR? at It increases your cost of college, keeps you from being accepted at some of the better colleges, and you run the risk of selecting a college that doesn t have your best choice of majors. Why would you not spend an afternoon finding your list of possible majors so that you can use that list to screen out colleges? 31