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Career Path

You may know your career path by now, but, if not, it is extremely important to begin thinking about your plans for the future. There are three terms that you should know before you get out of high school: job, occupation, and career.

  • A job is an activity through which an individual can earn money. It is a regular activity in exchange for payment. An example of a job may be a bank teller, an aircraft mechanic, a book publicist, or a hair stylist.
  • An occupation is generally thought of as a series of related jobs. An occupation is a broad title for what someone does on a continual basis. A bank teller's occupation is finance. An aircraft mechanic's occupation is mechanics. A book publicist's occupation is public relations. A hair stylist's occupation is cosmetology.
  • A career is your lifelong journey of opportunities related to your occupation. You may have one or five jobs that are all a part of your career.

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you will make. It is wise to have career goals to help you focus on what you want to do for a living and/or discover opportunities that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise. A career goal is generally based on interests and skills.

Steps to take:

  • Identify your strengths. What skills do you excel in?
  • Explore your opportunities. Are there ways in which you can match your interests and skills?
  • Recognize any other important factors: interests, skills, aptitudes, experience, and / or personality. Do you need job security, a particular salary, or training beyond school?
  • Do your research. There are lots of jobs tailored to fit your needs.

Even in high school, it is important to choose courses that will prepare you for your future career. Most schools have career tech. programs that offer you experience and/or exposure in the field of your choice.



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Writing Careers

If you have a passion for writing, there are many different writing careers. Some of them are listed below, but you can also check out the Glossary of Writing Careers.

  • greeting card author
  • comic book writer
  • novelist
  • playwright
  • writing coach
  • news reporter
  • advertiser
  • songwriter
  • creative writing teacher
  • ghostwriter
  • journalist
  • grant writer
  • blogger
  • proofreader
  • product reviewer
  • curriculum developer
  • copywriter
  • content marketer


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Résumé Writing

A résumé is a document that summarizes your education, skills, work experiences, and accomplishments so that potential employers can judge whether you are an appropriate applicant for the job.

A résumé has several sections, which include

  • name,
  • contact information,
  • objective,
  • education,
  • work experience,
  • volunteer and/or extracurricular experience,
  • skills.

A successful résumé is limited to one page, no more than two. Most prospective employers do not look at the second page.

Your name will be the largest part of the résumé because you want potential employers to remember who you are. Below your name, you will include your contact information.

  • Address: street, town, state, and zip code
  • Telephone numbers: home and cell
  • Email address: professional one (check daily)

The objective is optional on your résumé; however, it is a smart idea to choose to include the objective so that you can show potential employers your career goal. This is a one sentence summary of the position you want. The objective explains the purpose of your résumé by presenting a clear statement of your goals.

Under the section labeled Education, you want to list all of the places you have attended secondary and post-secondary school (high school and college).

  • Name and location of the school
  • Major, minor, and area of concentration
  • Graduation or anticipated graduation date
  • GPA - if 3.0 or higher

Add your experience whether it is

  • part-time or full-time,
  • internships,
  • volunteer work,
  • community service,
  • clubs,
  • campus group involvement, and
  • summer jobs.

Look at the Top 5 Résumé Don'ts...
5. Use fancy or unusual fonts
4. Use a font size below 10 point
3. Use personal pronouns or abbreviations
2. Use false information
1. Use poor spelling and/or grammar

Before you give your résumé to anyone, make sure you proof to see if your résumé is

  • grammatically correct,
  • spell checked, and
  • professional looking.

Open the Résumé and Cover Letter Slide Presentations page from OWL, and select the "Résumé PowerPoint slide presentation" to review.



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