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If I am able, would it be beneficial to me if I started a new club at my school?

I've considered starting a new club at my school, but I don't know if it'll be worth it. I have a very busy schedule and most of the students at my school don't join clubs or take them seriously. I don't want to waste my time if it's not going to be worthwhile. #club #extracurricular #highschool #collegeapplication

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Subject: Career question for you
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Ken’s Answer

If your are interested in becoming involved in a club or student organization, it would be best to become involved in one that is related to your career area of interest, as that would be a great way for you and other students to become more aware of the inside view of that career area, get part time jobs and internships, do shadowing, and become involved in networking that will lead to a successful education/career journey. Here are some steps to get started. To be most effective, all of the contacts referenced below should be make in person or on the phone to make possible real live two way dialogue. Using texting and messaging and emailing will not provide for efficient and effective arrangements.

  • take an interest and aptitude test to determine how your personality traits relate to various careers to determine which career area of interest is most suited for you.
  • talk to your academic advisors and favorite teachers in classes related to that career area about having their advice and support in creating such a career related organization
  • talk to the person at your school who tracks alumni to arrange to meet and talk to graduates of your school who are involved in that career area and ask about their availability and willingness to participate in such an organization
  • talk to your teachers and the reference librarian at your local library about locating professional associations to which people working in that career area belong and make contact with the people supplied as contacts to talk about their participation and support in such an organization.

The first steps to getting to know yourself better are outlined below, as it is important to become aware of your personality and how it fits with careers.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .
The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Sehreen’s Answer

It's important that you're passionate about the topic. If you're not, you will find it hard to maintain motivation, especially given your already busy schedule. You could test interest in the club by putting up a website or some flier to get people to sign up, if they're interested. If there's critical mass, it's some indication that you'll have engaged membership who can help helm the club with you. In other words, find a way to test interest in a light weight way before jumping in completely.
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Rebecca’s Answer

Hi Anna,

If you're just starting college in the Fall, there will most likely some type of student activities or involvement fair in the first few weeks. Take some time to see whats already established. If you see a gap in what is currently there and what you want to do for a club, you will most likely want to speak with someone in student activities about how to go about starting a club. Extracurriculars are a great way to meet friends, gain leadership skills and beef up that resume for your eventual job search!
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