What is the best thing I can do outside of school to prepare for college and beyond?
Right now I am a high school student and am wondering what to do with what free time that I have. #degree #working
3 answers
James’s Answer
In the end, that's really all any job is: creating a plan, managing your time to follow through on that plan.
To work on building these skills outside of school, it can be something as simple as taking up a new hobby. Find something you want to learn to do, and then set a goal for a milestone. Learn to break down the steps it takes to get there. Set a deadline you want to reach that milestone by, and work towards it. Learn how to motivate yourself, what pace you work/learn best at, what you need to do in order to bounce back if you hit a wall or get frustrated.
You're still in high school, so you have plenty of time for learning and trying new things. That means plenty of time to make mistakes! If you don't meet your goal or your deadline, that's okay! Set a new one and try again! Maybe what you picked doesn't interest you as much as you though it would, or it wasn't very rewarding. You can pick something else and try again!
Christian’s Answer
As Saman said it does start with yourself first. You are an individual with individual strengths and areas for development. Trying to give a general advice is not so easy then.
Question:
What are your interests?
What are your three key strengths?
What are your three areas where you have to invest and develop in order to get better?
Also you could complete some internships in order to see what you would like to do in your future career. Based on these experiences, combined with your high school experience, you could seek more advice here at CareerVillage, participate in online coursers (edx / coursera) in order to get first experience. To verify and assess how much you must invest, and to which extent your interests and strengths fit together.
Hope this view does help you.
Saman’s Answer
Adam this is a great question and one that probably seems a little daunting as you've asked it. It starts with you. Think about what you enjoy and what makes you happy day in and day out. Start writing a list of things that might interest you, just general interests really, next you start a google search of jobs that or careers in _. Sign up for LinkedIn. Thats a great way of learning what jobs, careers, and companies are out there. Once you have an idea of that, then look into Colleges that might offer courses in your areas of interest. Think about where you want to live when you go to college, what kind of environment they provide for you to excel and enjoy the experience. You should also look into internships that companies may have. Although you might not be able to try any while you're still in high school, some companies offer internships to Freshmen. While still in high school, make sure you're engaging in some sort of non-school activity. Whether that's a sports team, a club, or volunteering in the community. It may seem intimidating but don't be as long as you focus on what makes you happy, all of this can be enjoyable and enlightening for you.