Exploring Schools
In today's society, people change careers multiple times in the new gig economy. For many students, navigating which career industries and majors interest them is a first step in the college going process. It is important to engage in opportunities at New Tech High to explore what potential career clusters interest you as a student.
Here are a few good resources for students interested in exploring possible career options:
- Planning a Career – This site has one of the best overall career planning strategies available on the web.
- JobStar Central – Includes career guides, salary information and resume hints.
- CareerZone – Divides careers into six categories and then lists the careers for each category, with well organized descriptions for each career.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook – From the US government
- Family Connection includes "Do What You Are," a self discovery assessment that can point you to careers and college majors specific to your interests. It takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete this assessment.
- US Military Careers – Army | Navy | Air Force | Marines | Coast Guard
- Health and Medicine – Health Careers | Dentistry | BA-MD Programs
California's Master Plan for Higher Education establishes a three-tiered approach to public institutions: California Community Colleges System, California State Universities, and the Universities of California. All three tiers are great options for students to explore:
- California Community Colleges System: Consists of 114 community colleges throughout the state of California
- California State Universities: Consists of 23 campuses throughout California. Arguably considered the largest four-year public university system in the US.
- Universities of California: Consists of 10 campuses throughout California. Considered the highest tier of the California public institution structure.
Students must be A-G eligible to be considered for acceptance to the CSU and UC systems. Most California Community Colleges do not have entrance requirements.
Many New Tech High students qualify to apply for private and out-of-state institutions. Examples of private schools in California are St. Mary's College, Stanford University, University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. Each private school or out-of-state institution will have their own application and criteria processes. We advise you visit the schools website for more info.
All New Tech High students have access to Family Connection, a personalized college and career tool to help students navigate their exploration. New Tech High also tracks students college applications via Family Connection. The College Super Match tool is a great starting place to research and compare schools. Students may select multiple factors (campus size, GPA, athletics, majors) to explore schools that match their interests and compare them to other schools. Family Connection is a robust tool, but we also suggest you explore:
Books can be valuable in providing a succinct, bird’s-eye view of schools. We would suggest that you look through some or all of the following:
- The Best 381 Colleges, by Princeton Review
- The College Finder, by Steven Antonoff
- Colleges that Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges, by Lauren Pope
- Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late-Blooming, and Just Plain Different, by Donald Asher
- Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians, and Writers, by Elaina Loveland
- The Fiske Guide to Colleges, by Edward Fiske
- The Hidden Ivies, by Howard Greene and Mathew W. Greene
- The Insider's Guide to Colleges, by the Yale Daily News Staff
- Looking Beyond the Ivy League, by Loren Pope
Students can find copies of some of these and other resources in Student Services.
