Career Planning

What do I want to be when I grow up?  That is the age old question that does not necessarily have a clear-cut answer. “Career development” is a lifelong process.

Successful career planning requires knowledge about many careers and insight into your interests, abilities, and work values.

Many high school students stress because they must choose “one job” that they will have for a lifetime. However, in today’s world that is far from the experience that most will encounter.  At MTHS, we strive to help students gain skills and resources that will prepare them to make informed decisions, resulting in a successful career path regardless of the direction they choose.  In addition to offering a wide range of elective courses and life skills throughout our curriculum, the following are some activities that student experience.

Homeroom:

Homeroom time is used to develop the whole student by building relationships within a supportive environment that allow for discussion, growth, and the practice of new skills. These skills are ones that allow students to be successful at school, on the job, and beyond, and include time management, conflict resolution, and stress management. Homeroom increases students’ knowledge of prevalent social or emotional issues to make them aware of available resources, increase their basic coping strategies, and increase their awareness of the diversity around them. During homeroom, students receive information about options after high school, and as often as possible, they will hear from people working different jobs, experiencing different post-secondary options, or engaging with the military.

FRESHMEN

Freshmen take the PSAT 9.  The PSAT 9 is highly relevant to your future success because it focuses on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education.  It measures what you learn in high school and what you need to succeed in college.

SOPHOMORES

Sophomores take the PSAT 10.  The PSAT 10 is highly relevant to your future success because it focuses on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education.  It measures what you learn in high school and what you need to succeed in college.

JUNIORS

Junior year students take the SAT.   The SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. The idea (in theory, at least) is to provide colleges with one common criterion that can be used to compare all applicants. It measures what you learn in high school and what you need to succeed in college.

SENIORS

A requirement for successful completion of Senior English is an occupational study where students choose a career, research its history, and job shadow/interview a practicing professional in the field. Students use several resources to help them with this written project, to fully develop their understanding of the career they chose to study.

More Career Development

HIGH SCHOOL 101
Freshman/Sophomore. Scheduled concurrently with Drivers Education

High School 101 is intended to prepare incoming high school students with the needed skills to be successful in high school and beyond. This course will begin with students learning the valuable keyboarding skills that will be used throughout the course, throughout high school, and into their professional careers. Students will continue practicing these skills as they learn how to use the Google Suite of applications, mainly focusing on Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Presentations all of which are used in courses at MTHS.

Along with these skills, students will spend time researching their career interests and developing their 4-year high school plan. Woven throughout this course will be soft skills that will help students learn how to thrive in high school and beyond.

Xello

MTHS is excited to promote a career program students can use at school and home, “Xello.”  Xello is an engaging online program that helps students build the skills, knowledge and plans to be future ready. The program uses an investigative, discovery-based learning process. Students better understand themselves, their future career options, and the 21st century skills they’ll need to succeed. Students will be utilizing different sections in their studies at MTHS. See the Xello link on the guidance page for more details.

End note for students!

Career development is definitely not limited to the above. The skills and knowledge students gain throughout each course taken at MTHS helps prepare them for the future. MTHS is fortunate to have a highly qualified staff and a broad range of vocational, work force learning, dual credit, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, in addition to extracurricular activities, which allow students to explore their interest and skills.

Your future begins with the choices you make today and every day after. Take every opportunity to explore your interests, aptitude, values, and personality. Your classes, extracurricular activities, hobbies, after school jobs, and attitude all shape your future.  It is a powerful thing when you realize that the choice is all yours!

Outside MTHS Resources:

MILITARY

  • Many careers and opportunitites within the military

  • Take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)--January at MTHS. MTHS offers the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) on a volunteer basis to students (sophomore-senior). The test provides valuable aptitude information that may help students with career choices. This test is typically offered in January and is free of charge. Students interested in taking this test should come to the guidance office.

  • Meet up with a recruiter. Military visits are set up during lunch in the Commons.

  • If seeking individual appointment with a recruiter seek guidance department to connect you with a recruiter.

APPRENTICESHIPS

  • Get paid while on the job training for Building and Construction trades

  • APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

    • Must be at least 18 years old; must have a high school diploma or GED certificate

    • must be a U.S. citizen or in the process of naturalization

    • must pass an aptitude test

    • must pass a drug screening

    • must be physically fit to work in the construction industry

    • must have reliable transportation.

  • See list of options, income, and how to apply:  https://westcentralbtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Apprenticeship-2020-2021.pdf

  •  The West Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council:   http://www.westcentralbtc.org/

  • See also ICC apprenticeship programs at:  https://icc.edu/apprenticeship/#

  • Illinois Laborers' & Contractors Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program: https://www.illaborers.org/

Career Services

Some additional Links:

www.careers.org (Find the right education for your career goals)

www.careerplanning.about.com (Profiles careers, how to make a career choice, self-assessments, matches skills to jobs)

www.illionoisworknet.com   (Illinois website that links to job opportunities)

www.idesillinois.gov (IL. Dept. of Employment website which gives career information and search for jobs)