STOP!!! pawing on the outside-in road. Start with the inside-out approach. Knowing yourself first makes a lot of difference when it comes time to consider your future.
How can you get to know who you are? Use technology. Take all kinds of free assessments to help craft a real understanding of who you are and what’s important to you.
Here are a few places to consider looking for help (remember that every site has limitations!):
•www.makingitcount.com –take the My College Styles and All About Me tests
•http://www.nacacnet.org/StudentResources/Pages/default.aspx
•https://myroad.collegeboard.com/myroad/navigator.jsp --a resource from College Board
•http://www.mycollegeoptions.org/
•http://www.actstudent.org/college/index.html --the ACT has resources for college and career planning (or http://www.actstudent.org/wwm/index.html for career information)
•Check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/OCO/) to get career information—these guys can tell you what the job market is projected to be—pretty useful information.
•http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/05/best-colleges-ranking-screener-opinions-colleges-09-tool.html
•http://www.careercornerstone.org/scccnews/issues/2009/scccnews0909.htm
•http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings/national_iniversityrank.php
•http://nsse.iub.edu/
•Ask your counselor what resources he or she recommends to help you determine areas of strength and/or interest.
Are you getting the idea that tons of information awaits your paws on the keyboard?
To make your paw prints count—first find out who you are and what will make you happy (as long as it’s legal, ethical and moral)! It’s easy to lose your focus and feel pressured into doing something else. For inspiration, google Chad Hurley—he didn’t go to a big name school, but pursued his dream, did something he loved, was really good at what he did, and what an impact (and, if it’s relevant to you—he can buy a lot of bones for meal time!).
Woof—till later,
Clyde
