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McPherson Alternative Center » Student Support & Career Planning

Student Support & Career Planning

The student support counselors strive to give each student an opportunity to explore, develop, and progress toward individual goals. Students may schedule appointments to visit with a counselor as needed for educational, personal-social, or career purposes. (you may click the underlined portion for quick access to appointment booking)

As an integral part of the school operation, the student support department provides planned activities to help achieve the overall educational goals of the school, which include:
  • College and career planning night for students and parents,
  • Planned conferences with students,
  • Freshman orientation.
  • Freshmen orientation meetings with parents,
  • Financial aid information night for seniors and parents,
  • Senior Honors Night,
  • Administering and interpreting the ACT, PSAT, ASVAB, State of Kansas Assessment, and career planning tests,
  • Career planning and student support.

Student Support Services Page
 
Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. At some point during their years at MHS, all students will take a Career Interest Inventory. This will be a survey that should assist in the identification of areas of interest or potential career pathways.
 

In your lifetime you will work (at something) for about 86,000 hours, or 2,150 weeks, or 43 years. Since you are going to spend so much time working, you should find work that you are good at and that you enjoy. How do you find out what you might be good at and enjoy? Like anything else, you ‘try-before-you-buy.’ You try on clothes before you buy them, you test-drive a car before you buy it, and you should try out a few careers to help you figure out what will work for you.

Trying-out careers is really pretty easy! Participate in job shadowing opportunities, participate in work-study opportunities, apply for independent study opportunities where you can be on a work site, and VOLUNTEER. Volunteering to spend an afternoon helping at a business/industry that you are interested in is a great way to learn more about careers. All of these opportunities are available here at McPherson High School/McPherson Alternative Center. Take advantage of them!

In his book, Teenagers Preparing for the Real World, Chad Foster gives 12 pointers for teenagers wondering how to get ready for life after high school.

  1. Find your passion.

  2. Buy an address book and fill it (with the names/addresses of people you meet -- and keep in touch with them.)

  3. Meet all kinds of people.

  4. Ask a million questions.

  5. Stay in touch with everyone.

  6. Read everything you can.

  7. Uncover your natural talents.

  8. Try a few jobs before college or university.

  9. Dream and pursue your dreams.

  10. Always do the right thing.

  11. Volunteer for community service.

  12. Remember, success is a journey, not a destination.

 
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS