When I was a freshman, I was convinced that I wanted to be a chef. More than convinced, I watched all the television shows, read the magazines and dreamed about having my own television show just like Rachel Ray. So when it came to the class Career Research and Decision Making, I knew what I wanted to do, so I focused on that, and only that. I’m a senior this year, and since then I have learned that there is absolutely no way I will ever be a chef. I burn everything and I often leave ingredients out with horrendous results.

The problem does not lie in the fact that I can’t bake a cake, the problem is that it is now time to declare a major, and choose a college, but I don’t have a clue what I want to do with my life. What I could have used right now is a class like Career Research to help me narrow my choices.

Requiring students start to consider career choices at the beginning of high school is a good starting point and I
would even encourage it, but there is no follow-up for when minds change and more guidance is needed. Senior or even junior year would be a better year to offer this class because students would have more of a clear idea what they are interested in, plus at that time, students are actually starting to feel the pressure of choosing a career path and would be more serious about the class. While other schools offer vocational classes so that students can take to see what they are good at or interested in, we are left searching for relevant career options.