Post-Secondary Planning

As a North Carolina graduate, you can take a gap year, begin a career or job training program, or attend a college or university. Explore each option and the steps that you need to take with your School Counselor.

Start a Career or Job Training

You can enlist in the military, engage in co-operative education or an apprenticeship, or begin a career. 

Any of these options will require you to know your personality, work style, and job skills or interests, so begin taking the assessments in the "Self-Discovery" tab in Naviance and the "Work Values" and "Skills Matcher" assessments on NC Careers. Once you have an idea of the careers that would suit you, you could research them using the recommended career resource sites and create a tailored resume that summarizes your experience. 

If you want to apply to a job or begin a career, you will need to learn how to interview and request recommendations from others that can verify your experience. You may also want to gain experience related to the careers that you are interested in through a job training program, shadowing experiences, interest organizations, or volunteering.

If you want to enlist, you will need to take the ASVAB and connect with a recruiter to ensure that you are on track for graduation and can pass the medical and physical examinations. You would also want to understand the military branches and the potential jobs open to you based on your ASVAB score.

Apply to College or University

You can apply to a technical college, two-year college, or four-year college or university. Higher education enables you to access professions that require refined knowledge gained through skill certifications or advanced degrees, such as Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees.  Pursue certificates or degree concentrations that align with your interests and research what you can do with the qualification.

To apply to these schools, you will first need to understand if you meet the program requirements and learn about the application process. Second, you would need to learn more about the certificate- or degree-granting institution. You could consider multiple aspects of the school, such as GPA requirements, athletics, testing requirements (ACT or SAT), size, location, commute, residential requirements, cost, population, legacy connections, culture, history, campus resources, organizations and clubs, and overall opportunities. Compare colleges in Naviance to evaluate all of these factors at the same time.

Most applications will be done through Common Application, but some school may require that you apply directly. If you apply directly to a program, you would need to still add the technical school, college, or university to "Colleges I'm Interested In" to Naviance. You would also request your transcripts and recommendations through Naviance.  

If you are applying to a school, you need to be aware of application deadlines and begin looking and applying for scholarships in the Fall of your senior year. Financial aid will be dependent upon your expected family contribution determined by your FAFSA (and NC Residency Status if you are applying in-state). 

Take a Gap Year