Tiffany Marie Johnson
Thesis: Many graduating high school students do not have a career plan because high school
does not focus on the students’ careers.
Answer to your fullest ability and remember there is no right or wrong answers! Read
thoroughly, there is more than one question to each question stated below. When you can please
answer in at least 3-5 sentences but, there is no maximum limit. Lastly, answer honestly!
1. Have you decided on a career? Are you going to college with a selected major or will you
be undecided?
I have decided on a career. In college I am going to major in Pre-Health Studies. My
main focus will be Pre-Physical Therapy. However, I have a feeling that some point
in college I will change my major.
2. Has high school helped you find out what you want your career to be? Or are there other
factors that played a role? (family, friends, inspirations, etc.)
No high school has not helped me find out what I want my career to be. I decided on
physical therapy through my extra-curricular activities. I do not think high school
has taught me how to choose a career.
3. On average twenty to fifty percent of students enter college undecided. Also On average
students will change their major up to four times while in college (includes undecided
students AND students with a major decided). Are you certain the career you choose is
for you? If you are certain about your career then why do you think that students are so
undecided about their careers? Could high school make any changes to decrease these
numbers?
I am not certain about what I want my major to be in college. I have picked
something that I have little interest in because I want to see if that interest could
grow into something bigger. I think high schools should have career choice classes in
order to help the students find out what it is they like to do and guide them on the
right path to their career.
4. Do you think that junior and senior year is too late for high school to get students
thinking about their career? Do you think many students choose a career based off of
their projects and then decided they don’t actually like what they chose? Should students
Tiffany Marie Johnson
be required to do projects, essays, shadowing, etc., about their careers from at least
middle school until they graduate high school? (Side note: even though no one likes to do
added on projects or essays, what if the student really found what they wanted to be or at
least got them thinking about careers while in middle school when their engagement in
school is much higher than high school students. Consider this when answering.)
I do not think junior and senior year is too late for students to start thinking about a
career. I did not choose my career until my senior year as well. NO students do not
choose a career based off projects because projects feels like work to students. A
career should be something you like to do and if you add work into that, then it is no
longer a career.
5. Some high schools offer career programs to their students to help them figure out the best
careers for them. Some high schools that I researched had programs that let high school
students shadow people in the careers that they were interested in. Other schools had
classes that showed students about careers in a certain type of field. Do you think this
could have helped you choose a career or could have impacted you in any way? Do you
think that more students would decide on a career with programs like these?
I think this could help. I know a lot of students would appreciate it if more schools
offered these choices to them. This would help put them on the right track to
choosing the right career.
6. Do you think that high school guidance counselor care more about helping you get into
college or helping you decide on a career? Do you think high schools could change their
guidance office to offer more career guidance or add more programs to help undecided
students?
School guidance counselors care more about helping students get into college. They
want the number of students that get into college to be higher to improve the wellbeing of their school.
7. Any other thoughts on high school and undecided students?
Tiffany Marie Johnson
Thank You for your help