PmWiki | THS / Career Exploration

Task List:

1. Make a list of three career fields that interest you. Also make a list of three potential colleges you have heard about that perhaps you would be interested in attending (do this even if you are not sure you plan to go to college). (HW due 3/15)

2. Choose one of the careers you are thinking about and do the following research on the internet...everyone in class must pick a different career, so make a list and pass it around for everyone to sign up. First come, first serve!

a. What type of post-high school education is required to enter this career field (number of years of study, type of degree, and licencing requirements)?

b. What is the starting salary for this career field?

c. What is the median salary for this career field?

d. How many jobs are projected to be available when you complete your training/education? The federal government's Bureau of labor Statistics is probably a good place to start to find these answers.

Here are some links that I put together to help you get started...if you find other good links, tell me and I'll add them (and you'll earn bonus points)

3. Choose a college or tech school that offers training/degrees in the career filed you chose. research the following questions...

a. What is the name of the degree program and how many years does it take to complete?

b. Get a list of all the courses you are required to take as part of this program.

c. What is the cost per year to attend this program. Find the annual (i) Tuition, (ii) Fees, and (iii) room & board charges.

d. What is the reputation of this school and how difficult is it to gain entry? The Princeton Review and other similar websites summarize this type of information. I'm not sure how much I trust this information (it is opinion based). You should also see what the schools tell you about their admission statistics.

4. Create a template spreadsheet to summarize all of the income and expenses you expect to receive/incur over the next 20 years (don't fill in numbers yet).

a. Copy this spreadsheet for (Entertainment Expenses). Fill it out in Excel!

b. Copy this spreadsheet (for your overall financial planning) into your workbook. Fill it out in excel (you must fill out 20 years of data, so you'll need to add some additional columns)!