Here’s how a school district is helping students prepare for their career

SALT LAKE CITY — A new report released by Fortune highlights the 10 worst-paying college degrees, right as many college graduates are about to enter the workforce.

The report, based on data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, listed foreign languages, performing arts and social sciences as some of the lowest-paying college degrees.

The report also indicated that students who major in STEM fields like computer science and engineering often have earnings higher than those of other fields because those specialized skills are in demand by higher-paying industries.

So… how can students prepare for a successful career?

To help students decide what degree and career path is right for them, the Granite School District holds counseling sessions with each student and their parents each year to discuss their plans.

Scott Bell, director of college and career readiness for the Granite School District, said they also discuss the practicality of certain career paths during those sessions.

“We want to be careful that we’re not being, I guess, dream killers in a way. We want students to be able to select things that are in their interest, but also have an awareness … Having that awareness of the decisions you’re making is important as students evaluate their choices and options and pursue.”

Bell said the key to student success is having a plan.

“Our approach to helping our students prepare for their futures is deliberate and systemic,” he said. “We have a system in place to help our students, and that’s important to us, that all students have every opportunity to have those successes and to explore their abilities to be successful.”

Using a program to help students

As soon as the sixth grade, the district begins working with students to help them discover their interests, so they can take the classes that will help them be ready after graduation.

“In Granite School District, we use an assessment tool called YouScience to help students to look at their aptitude as well as their interests, and we encourage them to use that so we can look at what their abilities are and interests are to help guide them into pathways,” Bell said. “We definitely use that as one way that we help students … identify where their interests are and help to guide where they want to go in class selections as well as in determining next steps.”

Bell said that while not every career may be the most lucrative, it’s important that students pursue a career that aligns with their strengths and interests.

According to Bell, YouScience sorts potential career fields into categories like “strong fit” and “okay fit” to help them explore their interests.

“In there, you’re able to look and see, okay, what’s the job market? And what’s the growth in that field over the next 20 years?” he said. “What are some ways that it matches your aptitude and doesn’t? What are some things to be aware of as far as the median income of that profession? And also by region throughout the country?”

Bell said the program has some other advantages as well.

“It allows us to tailor the opportunities to each student and help them to have access to those. Not always is a four-year degree the best route. There’s lots of jobs out there that are well-paying jobs, and there’s a need for them where we don’t have enough workforce. And so our CTE department is also deliberate in being able to identify what programs … we carry that are meeting the needs of our workforce and in the industry.” Bell said.

Bell said the school district strives to give its students the necessary information to make them aware when they’re making decisions as they approach adulthood.

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