The Difficult Mission of Finding a Career Path

Teenagers, who are still trying to figure out what they want to be, are expected to go through the process of career selection. The truth, however, is that many of these students are not ready to make such a decision. Some have described it as "confusing" and even "frustrating".

When interviewing some high schoolers, it was noted how difficult of a task it was to figure out the outcomes of graduation; having to face the decision of how they would later see themselves when employed in the job market. These choices are sometimes influenced by their families, often choosing to pursue an already staged career path.

At first, students would be more inclined toward choices related to things in which they are interested or that would be profitable to them. One of the 9th graders interviewed claimed that he wanted to be an engineer because of his interest in mathematics, but if he was to consider pursuing another career, business would be one of his plan Bs. His choice was later explained to be due to the economical gain of employing such a career. This occurrence is seen in most of Barra's freshmen, who have yet to choose a profession: looking for options that would offer a larger paycheck rather than a job that is compatible with them and their specific set of skills. However, throughout the last few years of high school, students start to further consider these more synonymous options, focusing on their ranges of expertise and the resources offered to them by the school.

When searching for career paths it is important to be realistic, but also follow your passions. In order to find a balance between passion and realism, students are often instructed into self-discovery. Learning to identify their strong suits, interests, and skills. Professional counseling will contribute greatly to this selection process, as a way to learn more about specific areas of interest and relate them to students' strong suits.

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