Center Feature ... Planning Your Future Career Path

• 10 Tips for an Effective Resume • The Right Attitude • What is a Resume? • Basic Courtesy Goes a Long Way • Resume Cover Letters and Applications

Planning your career is one of the most important things that you will ever do,

If you are between 16 and 21 years old, you will probably spend the next 50 years working - most likely 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 or so weeks a year. So, it's a good idea to like what you do. It's also a good idea to be well-suited for your career - having the right skills and interests.

Your success depends on you. The decisions you make in your young adult years will have lifelong consequences for you and others - decisions about how much schooling you get, how much time and effort you put into developing your skills, how much energy you put into developing a good support network, gaining work experience, and what jobs or careers you should pursue.

Career planning has enormous financial consequences. Pay differences among occupations can be considerable. You may know people who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year or more, and you may know people earning the minimum wage. When it comes to pay and career choices, the education and training you obtain will make a huge difference.

A high school dropout, on average, will earn $616,000 over a lifetime. The average high school graduate will earn $1,036,000 - $420,000 more! A college graduate, on average, will earn $1,900,000 during his or her lifetime.

So, where do you start?

Think about what interests, abilities, and experience you have, and what additional skills, knowledge, and experience you need to pursue your goals and dreams. Ask yourself: "What do I want to be when I grow up?" And: "What do I like to do?"

It's also important to determine the need for particular jobs and careers in the labor market. Think of the labor market (or job market) as all the jobs in your community, or in the country, or in the entire world. This is where you need to do some research - by talking to people, going to libraries and Web sites, meeting with career counselors, and reading books