Students’ lack of college and career preparation takes on many forms beyond academic deficits.
It shows up with them not knowing what to expect from college, not knowing how to anticipate challenges and obstacles, and not having the grit and determination to succeed. It shows up with their lack of follow through skills, and their not knowing how to take advantage of resources to craft a college experience that will deliver the abilities and connections to launch a successful career.
Adams County is helping high school students make the connection between high school, college, and career with their program Experience 9 to 5. Students choose to explore a career, ranging from agriculture to health care to communications, and meet with professionals in their chosen field to see if it is the right fit for them. Professionals will provide students with hands-on experiences in the field, share the ins-and-outs of their career, and take any questions about how high school students can go from a high school graduate to a new professional.
This year LifeBound is excited to participate in this experience. We are looking forward to having as many as 10 high school students in our office learning more about the day-to-day work as a writer and publisher, including blogging, editing, networking, and brainstorming with a team. We will share the student blogs on the LifeBound website at the end of the session.
If we want higher high school graduation rates, college entrance rates, college completion rates, and employee success rates, it’s essential we start bridging the gap between education and the world of work for students before they get to college. Through a program like Experience 9 to 5 students will learn they found their path, they need to keep searching, or that they are more interested in another aspect of the same profession. We can’t wait to meet these career seeking students and help guide them toward any profession.
Learn more about Experience 9 to 5, and don’t miss the interviews of participating professionals speaking about how they got into the profession and what benefits students can get out of attending their session.
