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As a High School Sophomore, what should I be doing for my future?
I feel a little stuck where I am now. I know I have to do well in my academics and extracurriculars, but it feels like there aren't any real motives or goals during my high school journey. What should I be doing at this stage right now? #college #college-admissions #college-selection #college-advice #career #helpless
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8 answers
Updated
Amy’s Answer
Stay positive as you are young and will figure things out organically. The best piece of advice I can give here is to get a lot of diverse experience ie enroll in a variety of different types of courses / electives. Take part in a lot of different type of extra curriculars. Having an array of coursework and activities will help you figure out what you enjoy doing. You'll learn what topics you dont enjoy, and realize which ones you do enjoy. Then once you figure out what you like, then can discuss with teachers and guidance counselors what are some career paths in those specific areas. ie if you take business courses that you like, can you enroll in any school sponsored business programs or competitions. Then can determine by talking to others and learning more about different areas of business ie do you like the marketing side, or sales, or finance, etc. and can gradually narrow it down from there. And know that your plans can change. It's OK to not have everything figured out at this stage in life.
Thank you so much for answering my question! I'll definitely start exploring, trying new things, and asking others about possible career paths :)
Amanda
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hi Amanda,
You are on the right track already! The fact that you are thinking about your path is great. That mindset never changes regardless of where you are in your life and things will always evolve and change. A few potential things you could think about as you are going through high school:
- Are there any volunteer activities you enjoy or internship opportunities you could learn from?
- Are there online e-learning modules that could prepare you for junior year on getting ready for college?
- Are there people in your high school you find inspiring or feel they are on a good path that you could have as a mentor?
Overall, I am sure it is difficult, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you are doing well already, enjoy the high school years as you will look back on those times with friends with fondness, more than your test scores!
~Michael
You are on the right track already! The fact that you are thinking about your path is great. That mindset never changes regardless of where you are in your life and things will always evolve and change. A few potential things you could think about as you are going through high school:
- Are there any volunteer activities you enjoy or internship opportunities you could learn from?
- Are there online e-learning modules that could prepare you for junior year on getting ready for college?
- Are there people in your high school you find inspiring or feel they are on a good path that you could have as a mentor?
Overall, I am sure it is difficult, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you are doing well already, enjoy the high school years as you will look back on those times with friends with fondness, more than your test scores!
~Michael
Thank you so much for the advice! I appreciate your encouragement to enjoy my high school years because I find that I don't get that very often since I'm constantly being pressured, so I'm really grateful. I will definitely try to think about those things :)
Amanda
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
Hi Amanda W. Thanks so much for your question!
As you might imagine, you aren't alone in your goal to get answers to the "what do I want to do" question. Often times, there are those who ask and answer this question way beyond the age of a high school sophomore :). The good news for you is that you are asking the question...and in my view, you are asking it at a good time.
You are right to spend some thinking time looking beyond the expectations of the classroom. I encourage you to also begin to do the research that takes you to actual answers (even if they change), for your question. Spend some time sorting through what you like to do and what you do well. How close or far apart are those two lists? In general terms, if you get some clarity on what you like to do and what you do well, you can give yourself an internal understanding of what you might want to build as a career and/or what you want to study in college. It's possible that as your are doing your research, you may find that there are some goals that you can create and attain during the balance of your high school journey. For example, what are the grade expectations for a program that you may want to participate in? Do you need to complete certain number or type of class in order to participate in a summer job that you have interest in?
IMO, the more time you give yourself to understand your likes (and dislikes) the better your chances of getting into a school and program that you will find fulfilling and the better your chances of building a sustainable career.
Hope you find this answer helpful and best of luck to you!
As you might imagine, you aren't alone in your goal to get answers to the "what do I want to do" question. Often times, there are those who ask and answer this question way beyond the age of a high school sophomore :). The good news for you is that you are asking the question...and in my view, you are asking it at a good time.
You are right to spend some thinking time looking beyond the expectations of the classroom. I encourage you to also begin to do the research that takes you to actual answers (even if they change), for your question. Spend some time sorting through what you like to do and what you do well. How close or far apart are those two lists? In general terms, if you get some clarity on what you like to do and what you do well, you can give yourself an internal understanding of what you might want to build as a career and/or what you want to study in college. It's possible that as your are doing your research, you may find that there are some goals that you can create and attain during the balance of your high school journey. For example, what are the grade expectations for a program that you may want to participate in? Do you need to complete certain number or type of class in order to participate in a summer job that you have interest in?
IMO, the more time you give yourself to understand your likes (and dislikes) the better your chances of getting into a school and program that you will find fulfilling and the better your chances of building a sustainable career.
Hope you find this answer helpful and best of luck to you!
Thank you so much for answering my question! I'll definitely continue thinking about these questions and do more research :)
Amanda
Updated
Francisco’s Answer
Hi Amanda!
So proud of you for doing great in your classes and taking the initiative to ask one of the toughest questions a HS student can ask herself!
I think as a sophomore you are in the right path! You should now be asking yourself about the future and just exploring what's out there for you. Try narrowing down maybe what field of study you'd like to go into in the future or what kind of job you would like to get one day. This way you cannot only start looking at programs, jobs, or schools, but also can tailor your last two years towards that path. This could mean finding a part-time job related to that, meeting professionals in the field, doing college campus tours, or even taking classes that can be helpful for that future. You'll be shocked at how your outlook changes once your classes have real life objectives or purpose.
Something else you could do is talking to some senior classmates. I'm sure some of them will tell you they started thinking of this stuff too late, and they might tell you what they might have done, have they had more time. Make this a normal conversation topic with friends and family, but remember that any decisions are yours and yours alone. It's about finding your passion or your path towards the future you want to build.
Good luck in your journey! If you have any more specific questions as you begin exploring things make sure to reach out!
So proud of you for doing great in your classes and taking the initiative to ask one of the toughest questions a HS student can ask herself!
I think as a sophomore you are in the right path! You should now be asking yourself about the future and just exploring what's out there for you. Try narrowing down maybe what field of study you'd like to go into in the future or what kind of job you would like to get one day. This way you cannot only start looking at programs, jobs, or schools, but also can tailor your last two years towards that path. This could mean finding a part-time job related to that, meeting professionals in the field, doing college campus tours, or even taking classes that can be helpful for that future. You'll be shocked at how your outlook changes once your classes have real life objectives or purpose.
Something else you could do is talking to some senior classmates. I'm sure some of them will tell you they started thinking of this stuff too late, and they might tell you what they might have done, have they had more time. Make this a normal conversation topic with friends and family, but remember that any decisions are yours and yours alone. It's about finding your passion or your path towards the future you want to build.
Good luck in your journey! If you have any more specific questions as you begin exploring things make sure to reach out!
Thank you for answering my question! I learned much from your advice and I really appreciate it :)
Amanda
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Amanda.
You are right where you are supposed to be in your life. As a sophomore, ideally what you are doing is experimenting with everything around you, figuring out what you are good at and what your natural talents are. In addition, ideally, you are starting to learn about what you don't like and what you would not want to do even if you were paid to do it. Those are valuable things to know about yourself even if you don't know what you are going to do with that information.
If you are really concerned though, I would say look into job shadowing jobs that you are interested in. You should connect with people who do jobs that you might be interested in and ask them to let you follow along with them for a few hours.
Gloria
You are right where you are supposed to be in your life. As a sophomore, ideally what you are doing is experimenting with everything around you, figuring out what you are good at and what your natural talents are. In addition, ideally, you are starting to learn about what you don't like and what you would not want to do even if you were paid to do it. Those are valuable things to know about yourself even if you don't know what you are going to do with that information.
If you are really concerned though, I would say look into job shadowing jobs that you are interested in. You should connect with people who do jobs that you might be interested in and ask them to let you follow along with them for a few hours.
Gloria
Thank you for answering my question! I really appreciate your ideas and thoughts :)
Amanda
Updated
Jeanette’s Answer
You're doing great already! I recommend looking into schools you may want to attend after high school and look into any programs they offer for high school students. Some schools offer programs that allow you to get an idea of what it would be to be the field you are wanting to study after high school. Said programs are great for experience and connection building! They also will help you in learning what it is you like and don't like career/academia wise.
Thank you so much for answering my question! I'll definitely start looking into colleges and their programs :)
Amanda
Updated
RAVI’s Answer
Amanda,
Just the fact that you are asking the question tells me you are motivated! You are doing the right thing by asking questions.
Take some time and reflect on what you want to be in the future. It can be anything you want to be!
1. Have a chat with family, teachers, Guidance Councilor, and friends about your future and seek advise as to what courses might help to get there.
2. Find some volunteering opportunities in that field - could be a company, organization etc. For e.g: my daughter wanted to be in medical field. She volunteered at the local hospital and worked with senior citizens to gain experience, talk to others in the field. You can volunteer at an accountant if you want to be in accounting field. Explore.
3. You may want to even visit local community college to see if they offer something outside your high school in your field that you can take evening or weekend classes and gain some exposure. You also get to talk to other students there that are already progressing in that field.
4. Pick up some SAT/ACT books from the local city/country library. Do not buy them! Practice some tests.
5. Find some books in the field you are interested in from the local library and read them outside the school.
6. Find you tube videos in the field and watch them.
You might change your mind about the field several times during this journey. Do not get discouraged. This is pretty normal. I have seen two of my daughters go through this and they turned out fine in the end!
Stay positive. Stay focused. Try things out! Learn from the experience of others (Family, teachers, Guidance councilor, people at the volunteering locations, and friends who are leaning in the same direction).
Everything will work out. Best wishes!
Just the fact that you are asking the question tells me you are motivated! You are doing the right thing by asking questions.
Take some time and reflect on what you want to be in the future. It can be anything you want to be!
1. Have a chat with family, teachers, Guidance Councilor, and friends about your future and seek advise as to what courses might help to get there.
2. Find some volunteering opportunities in that field - could be a company, organization etc. For e.g: my daughter wanted to be in medical field. She volunteered at the local hospital and worked with senior citizens to gain experience, talk to others in the field. You can volunteer at an accountant if you want to be in accounting field. Explore.
3. You may want to even visit local community college to see if they offer something outside your high school in your field that you can take evening or weekend classes and gain some exposure. You also get to talk to other students there that are already progressing in that field.
4. Pick up some SAT/ACT books from the local city/country library. Do not buy them! Practice some tests.
5. Find some books in the field you are interested in from the local library and read them outside the school.
6. Find you tube videos in the field and watch them.
You might change your mind about the field several times during this journey. Do not get discouraged. This is pretty normal. I have seen two of my daughters go through this and they turned out fine in the end!
Stay positive. Stay focused. Try things out! Learn from the experience of others (Family, teachers, Guidance councilor, people at the volunteering locations, and friends who are leaning in the same direction).
Everything will work out. Best wishes!
Thank you for answering my question! I really appreciate the detailed advice and encouragement :)
Amanda
Updated
Kamron’s Answer
Hello!
First and foremost, enjoy yourself! You are still very young and I applaud you for even thinking about what to do for college. I think the ACT was probably the first time I ever had to really think about post-graduation plans. Don't put pressure on yourself at the moment like you have to be doing something for college at the moment.
In terms of college readiness, I would suggest looking into dual-enrollment courses! In my state, we had classes that could get you college credit. AP & IB, which required (I think) a test at the end of the year to get the credits. And Concurrent-Enrollment, which just required you to get a c+ or better. These could come in handy because you have to get credits for high school graduation anyways, but some of these could transfer over and get you credits for college as well! I knew people who took a lot of classes and entered college with one year already done or even two!
Another suggestion would be to start getting an idea of majors and potential colleges! By no means do you have to make your decision anytime soon, but if you start now you will be able to have a better understanding of what schools offer and be able to see more colleges than trying to fit all of it in during your senior year.
Best of luck to you in the future!
First and foremost, enjoy yourself! You are still very young and I applaud you for even thinking about what to do for college. I think the ACT was probably the first time I ever had to really think about post-graduation plans. Don't put pressure on yourself at the moment like you have to be doing something for college at the moment.
In terms of college readiness, I would suggest looking into dual-enrollment courses! In my state, we had classes that could get you college credit. AP & IB, which required (I think) a test at the end of the year to get the credits. And Concurrent-Enrollment, which just required you to get a c+ or better. These could come in handy because you have to get credits for high school graduation anyways, but some of these could transfer over and get you credits for college as well! I knew people who took a lot of classes and entered college with one year already done or even two!
Another suggestion would be to start getting an idea of majors and potential colleges! By no means do you have to make your decision anytime soon, but if you start now you will be able to have a better understanding of what schools offer and be able to see more colleges than trying to fit all of it in during your senior year.
Best of luck to you in the future!