Career Exploration

Planning for life after Shikellamy can be exciting…whether a student’s plans require a lot of work or a little…this section of our website is intended to provide families with the resources they will need to make that plan… we strongly encourage you to work in conjunction with your school counselor as the plan evolves.

Comprehensive College/Career Planning Tools

Career Planning–High School Students

https://www.driveofyourlife.org/ — Drive of Your Life is a fun online career exploration game that helps middle-school and high school students learn more about themselves, higher education and careers. This free educational tool lets kids answer a series of questions about themselves to learn what careers could interest them and then go on a virtual drive to learn more about each of those careers – all in their own customized car.

www.collegeweeklive.com (Includes Live chats and video feeds for relevant college planning topics)

www.nextstepu.com

www.mynextmove.org (Occupational Outlook Info. as well as other career and college search tools)

Pa Career Education & Work (CEW) Standards:

Source: PDE (http://www.pacareerstandards.com)

Pennsylvania’s State Board of Education established regulations of required education with Career Education and Work Standards for all students, K-12, in Pennsylvania. These standards (Chapter 4 of Title 22) address four key areas of knowledge:

  • Career Awareness and Preparation
  • Career Acquisition (Getting A Job)
  • Career Retention and Advancement
  • Entrepreneurship

Career Education and Work (CEW) reflects the increasing complexity and sophistication that students experience as they progress through school. This area includes career awareness and planning, career acquisition, career retention and entrepreneurship. Within these areas, students examine their interests, strengths, abilities and goals; identify types of careers and training available; prepare career acquisition documents; examine technology used in the workplace; identify health and safety practices; demonstrate interviewing techniques; analyze personal budgets; and examine work habits and time management.

Through a comprehensive approach, Career Education and Work compliments all disciplines and other academic standards. If Pennsylvania’s students are to succeed in the workplace, there are certain skills that they need to obtain prior to graduation from high school. These skills have been identified in Career Education and Work, but it is up to individual school districts to decide how they are to be taught. Schools can implement integration strategies within existing disciplines or can implement stand-alone courses to specifically address these skills. For more info and complete review of the new standards, go to www.pacareerstandards.com.