Career Testing For High School Students

If you are already in college, click here for career testing for college students

You are in the right place if....

You are in high school, you are looking for a college major or you are wondering if there is a vocation that is best for you.

You are in the right place if....

You are in high school and you are trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life.

This is also a good place if...

You are the parent of a high school student and you want to help him/her get started on the best possible career path.

A Little Career Planning Now Will Go Long Way

What is your life going to look like if you don't plan your career?

Here is one scenario:

Without a career plan you wander through college but when things get tough you drop out to take a menial $9 per hour job that you can never be proud of.

You spend your life flipping burgers.

Your friends graduate from a name brand university in a field they seem to love. Their first job pays $70,000 per year and they are driving a brand new BMW while you are punching the clock in a dead end job.

Let's say you do well in college but part way through you change majors because you were never sure what you wanted to study. You spend an additional two years in school and another $30 to $40K of your parents money to make up for the lost credits.

You make it through college and land a job. After a few years in that career you find you hate it but it's too late to go back and get into another field. You're trapped.

Perhaps, you get your education. You find work that you enjoy. But then your entire industry is obsoleted by a new technology. Lay off time. Could you have seen this coming if you had been doing career planning?

It doesn't have to be that way.
What might it look like if you do a bit of career planning now?

Lets say you've selected a first and second career choice. Knowing what you want to study you are now able to identify a university which has a top reputation in that field. Because you are so focused and committed to the field, you have no problem getting into that school. Further more, because you are focused and you know what you want to do, you find yourself meeting people in your chosen career and they help you land the best possible job. Perhaps you land a summer internship working in the field of your choice.

When studies get tough, and your classmates are thinking of quitting and moving into an easier major, you stay on track. You know what you want to do. You have a road map to the future. You have confidence and direction, something most other students will not have. You have a competitive advantage.

When you graduate, even if times are tough and there aren't many job openings, you've made connections. You've made an impression on people in your chosen field. Your biggest problem will be deciding which job offer to take.

You've scored your first job. Since you targeted this career through the career planning process, you are in a job you can do well. Opportunities and promotions come your way. You enjoy what you do. The rewards start flowing in. You are able to buy that dream car, and the dream house. Your dreams have become reality.

Sound too good to be true? Not really. If you consider that most of your peer group won't have access to any career planning, you can have a competitive advantage.

Years ago, many middle schools and high schools used to provide considerable career planning in the 8th and 9th grades. Today, budget cuts have made it difficult for schools to provide this valuable service.

Most students in high school aren't sure what they want to do for a living. Fortunately, there is something you can do about it, but you should start early. We recommend starting career planning in the 8th or 9th grade. However, it's never too late since you will be using the career planning methods through out the rest of your working life.

Most students don't get the opportunity to figure out what they want to do. In most cases it's because no one shows them how. That's where CareerPlanner.com can help.

The first step in your career planning process is to discover your interests and then match them to careers. Our Career Planning Test will begin that process. Take our "On Line" Career Planning Test. After processing the results we will Email you a report, complete with interpretation, that you can read and discuss with your parents, friends, mentors and counselors.

This report will show you careers that are in-line with your interests and abilities. It's the first step.

After understanding the results of the Career Planning Test, you will want to narrow your choices to five top careers.

Once you've identified your top five career choices, it's time to investigate each one.

Here are a few tips to help you in your career planning:

First, "Without a plan, you are like a ship without a rudder." Without a career plan you will be blown off course by the slightest breeze. College students are notorious for changing majors, losing credits, dropping out, or taking too long to graduate. Without a clear career direction, or at least a few selected career options in place, they wander from major to major. When times get tough, and the classes become hard, self doubt begins to creep in. Having a firm career direction will help keep the student on track during tough times.

Second, in the United States, it is becoming common for a person to have more than one career in a lifetime. Doctors and attorneys tend to stay in the same field of work, but engineers, computer scientists, and entrepreneurs may change the type of work they do as many as five times or more in a lifetime.

Thirdly, "When in doubt aim high." If you are torn between becoming a doctor or an engineer, aim for the highest paid career that also has the most demanding educational requirements. If you try the hardest first, and decide it's too tough, or you just don't like it, at least you will have tried it. It's easy to move to a field with lower educational requirements. It's almost impossible to move up once you've started.

Finally, "Do what you like and the money will follow." If you work at something you like, you will be good at it, and the best people usually rise to the top. However, don't do something just for the money unless you do not have any better options.

Order and take the Career Planning Test now to start your Career-Planning process.