For students who have not decided their college or career path, there are many ways to determine their future. Guidance counselors lend a hand to each student they have, but some students are still questioning their future, which determines their lifestyle. For most who don’t know what direction to steer in, they need more assistance.
A college and career counselor is a way that students can have a personal and more hands-on way of determining their strengths and weaknesses in a hunt for finding the right college and career.
College and career counselors Dr. Dee Lohman, a physiologist and Becky Westlake, a teacher collaborate with different students, especially high school students. They mostly counsel FHS and HSE students to begin their process of lending a hand to hunt for the student’s career and college choice. According to CV Tips, Counselors will interview and help determine where a students talents and interests lie by giving recommendations that they can independently take on. Most counselors recommend internships in which college career counselors can put company contact information, internship opportunities and resources to guide students through the process.
“Dee started this business first and then I joined her because we saw a lot of great kids who went into college with no idea what they wanted to major in,” Westlake said. “They floundered around saying ‘what am I doing here,’ so they either quit or flunked out, so with guidance, there’s a purpose there. Plus, navigating those waters to get into college can be tough.”
First, students go through taking two assessments- a Myers-Briggs test and a Strong Invest Inventory, which gives students a rating on different existing profession fields. For a second meeting, parents and students attend to talk about college visits or preparation for the SAT.
“The high school counselors for the most part do a really good job guiding students, but they only have so much time to devote to each student, and we work in conjunction with the high schools or the colleges to provide extra support and to be available whenever you need us,” Lohman said.
Lohman and Westlake recommend students to keep GPA’s up and devote time to study for the SAT or ACT to benefit your chances of going into the majority of the colleges desired.
