ONLY YOU CAN PLAN YOUR FUTURE  
Relatives and friends can give you advice. Books, computers and videos can give you information. Aptitude and achievement tests can help you analyze your strengths and weaknesses. In the end, though, it’s up to you to put it all together. 

Here are some suggestions that will help you on your way:

1. Analyze yourself.  Who are you?  What are your strong points?  Your weak ones?  How do you interact with others?  What makes you special?  What activities make you uncomfortable or bore you?
    
2. What are your goals? What do you want your life to be like ten years from now?  Relationships: friends, family, children? Financial: what level of income will satisfy you? Motivations: what is important to you -- helping others, power, creativity, freedom? Work environment: do you like to be indoors or out, dressed up or dressed down, in a safe place or a risky one?
    
3. What is your life like today? Think about both the resources that you have and the obstacles you must overcome to reach your goals. Important considerations for reaching your goals include family support, financial resources and your own willingness to put forth the effort required to reach a goal.
    
4. Explore job possibilities. Make use of the resources available here at school, but don’t limit yourself to them. Visit places where people are doing the kind of work you’re considering. Try volunteer work or a part-time job to get a feel for the world of work. Take classes that will prepare you for the field you want. Talk to the adults in your life about their careers. Find out what the requirements are for various careers that you’re considering, as well as what the job prospects are in that area and how much you can expect to earn. 

SO . . . WHAT CAN I BE? 
It can be difficult for young people to plan for careers if they don't really know what careers are available or if they have an unrealistic idea of what careers are like. The popular media, for example, often exaggerate the glamour or drama of various jobs in a way that bears little resemblance to reality. Students at Grayling High School have access to many resources for learning about careers. A few examples include:

• Books. You can find them in both the Media Center and the Counseling Office.  One resource that is particularly interesting in the Media Center is a set of Vocational Biographies. Hundreds of careers are explored in these biographies, which profile real people doing a wide range of jobs. The Counseling Office has many titles, such as Careers for Bookworms and Other Literary Types, The Business of Art, and The Everything Alternative Careers Book. 
• The Internet. We have a subscription to a proprietary web site, CxBridges. It is a complete career exploration and planning website that is fun to use. The address is www.bridges.com.  See your counselor or e-mail us for log-in information.  One portion of CxBridges is a self-discovery assessment named Do What You Are.  It often reveals valuable clues about a student's strengths and blind spots, recommended career paths and colleges majors, as well as tips for conducting the most effective career search.  In addition we now have Career Cruising www.careercruising.com.  See your counselor or e-mail us for log-in information.  The internet also offers many other options for exploring the world of work. For example, try www.acinet.org, www.stats.bls.gov/k12/html/edu, www.mapping-your-future.org. 

 TIMETABLE FOR CREATING YOUR FUTURE 

Freshman Year:

• Familiarize yourself with high school graduation requirements and college prep opportunities. Develop an EDP (Educational Development Plan) for your four years of high school and beyond. 
• Take advantage of elective classes to explore interests that may lead to career possibilities. 
• Start doing volunteer work for your 40-hour requirement; this is another opportunity to find out about the world of work.
• Attend College Planning Night and Financial Aid Night.

Sophomore Year:

• You can get a "reality check" with the PLAN test, which is given to all sophomores in November. This is a pre-ACT test and is designed to benefit the all 10th grade students. The experience of taking the test, combined with sound course selection, will help you perform your best when you take the ACT assessment for college. It also provides excellent feedback on your academic progress, as well as a career interest inventory that matches your interests with the world of work.
• Find out what the entrance requirements are for the colleges in which you are interested or what skills are needed for the job you want to do after high school. Make sure you're on track. Attend College Planning Night and Financial Aid Night.
• Consider finding employment for the upcoming summer, or look into enrichment opportunities at colleges or camps for high school students. The Counseling Office maintains a list of these as they come to our attention.
• Start or update an academic resume.
• Consider putting together a portfolio that highlights your special skills and talents.

Junior Year:

• This is the year that you can start attending the meetings with college representatives. Check the daily announcements to find out when the representatives from various colleges, and also the military, will be coming to speak with prospective students. Sign up for these meetings in the Counseling Office.
• Visit the colleges you are considering. Many of them offer special days for prospective students, and all of them will be happy to set you and your parents up for a campus tour if you call the admissions office.
• Consider taking a course at the Career and Technical Education Center at Kirtland. Courses are described in the Curriculum Guide and range from auto mechanics to health occupations. This is a great way to get a "jump start" on a career.
• Sign up to take the  SAT or ASVAB if necessary for your future plans.
• Attend College Planning Night and Financial Aid Night.
• Explore your options with www.bridges.com and other websites; stop in the Media Center and look at the vocational biographies; check out the career books in the Counseling Office.
• Attend "Meet the Grads" on the day we get out for Christmas break.
• Talk to your teachers and other adults about the colleges they attended or the jobs that they do. Adults love to give you advice.

Senior Year:

• Make sure you have completed all the graduation requirements.
• Apply early in the fall to the colleges of your choice.
• Ask for personal references from teachers, school counselors or employers early in the year or at least two weeks before application deadlines.
• Check the list of scholarships which is posted on this website. Also check on-line with www.fastweb.com and other such sites. (See the LINKS button.)
• Local scholarship applications will be available in late February. Check in the Counseling Office.
• Attend Financial Aid Night. File a FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1.
• Keep working hard all year: second and third trimester grades can affect scholarship eligibility.
• Ask the Counseling Office in January to send second trimester transcripts to schools where you applied. In May, ask them to send final transcripts to the college you will attend.
• If you are going off to college, attend the "Surviving College" seminar put on by the counselors in May.
• If you are entering the workforce, prepare a resume that highlights all the skills and knowledge that you will bring to your employer. Start applying for jobs.