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Stay Educated for the Long Run. Even when you’ve completed your high school and college educations and you’re a full-fledged working adult, you’re not done learning! Learning new skills and improving old ones increases your job security and earnings potential. In fact, many professions have standardized certifications and licenses for specific skill sets. This is called professional development . Employees take classes and receive training to advance their career, increase their earnings, and keep their skills sharp and competitive. Reflect on Learning: Should you rigorously prepare for college even if you don’t plan to go to a traditional college? Answer: Yes! The best way to prepare for any postsecondary path is to aim for the highest target: college. The hard work of college prep will assure you are well-qualified for other postsecondary options if your plans change or things don’t work out as you hoped. Admission to alternative path programs can be competitive. Are any of these alternative postsecondary options of interest to you? If so which and why? Let’s Apply for a Job! Hooray, you’ve graduated college. Time to start your career! The process of finding a job often takes months. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average unemployed person spends about 1 to 4 months searching for a new job . You can expect to send out dozens of cover letters and resumes in a job search. Cover Letter. You introduce yourself to a potential employer with a resume and a cover letter . A cover letter is a simple document that accompanies the resume, indicating the purpose for submitting the resume, such as “I am submitting my resume in response to your company’s advertisement for a _____________.” Resume. A resume is a single page document that lists your work experience, education, and skills. Virtually every company looking for employees will require you to submit a resume. In the resume, you’ll need to convince a potential employer that your human capital will increase their productivity and value. The goal is to entice the hiring manager to interview you. Building a Resume. A few sites that can help you build an effective resume are monster. com, resume-help.org , and livecareer.com . Most importantly, however, you must have the education, skills and experiences to put on it! As you move through high school and college, seek out experiences and opportunities to build practical skills that are attractive to a potential employer , such as how to operate different software programs, build a basic website, handle social media marketing, create a podcast, or edit videos. There are many online programs such as Coursera, that can help you learn practical skills. Engage in activities to help build your human capital. Join clubs, intern, volunteer on committees, attend seminars and lectures. Update and Revise. A career is a life journey which must be carefully plotted, reviewed, and adjusted throughout a life time. Over the course of your career, you will write, rewrite, refine, revise, and update your resume many times. As you gain education and work experience, update your resume to showcase your qualifications and skills. PRODUCT PREVIEW
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THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT’S GUIDE TO FINANCIAL LITERACY
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