College & Career Exploration
There are a lot of websites and resources on careers, trainings, educations, occupations, and job market information. Here is a list of some of the resources that I find usefel and a short description on what you might find on the website.
General Career Resources
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor
Information about different careers, salaries, trainings, local help, assessments, COVID-19 Unemployment Insurance Information, and links to other websites. This is a great resource to go over with the students because this is a resource that they can use throughout their life and career development.
Offers career, training, and job search resources to young adults age 16 to 24.
Helps individuals plan, locate, and pay for education, training, and other credentials to help them start, change, or advance their career.
Helps laid-off workers and other career changers explore new careers that may use the skills and experience gained in previous jobs.
CareerOneStop offers six mobile apps for job seekers including Find an American Job Center, Find a Job, Veterans Job Search, Salary Finder, Training Finder, and Unemployment Insurance.
A website that introduces you to a different career every day, either from a company or a nonprofit organization. This is typically used for college students but this can help high school students to see if there are any interesting careers for them to explore and gain more information.
Bureau of Labor and Statistics employment projections. Contains 329 occupational profiles and 576 detailed occupations.
Nation’s primary source of occupational information. There are many assessment tools and descriptions of and information about over 1,000 occupations, that includes training/education needed. The assessments can be done on your own or with a counselor, parent, or educator. You can go back into the assessments after you get your results and go back and research different assessments.
The interactive website specially created for K-12 students. There are many games, quizzes, and resources for students to relate their interests to a career and for teachers to bring career education into their classroom.
"Non-Traditional" Resources
Information for students who want to enlist in the military after graduating high school. This includes how to become a military officer, information on the five branches of military service, and general information about the military
This website has many different opportunities for students to look into when considering doing a gap year. It includes volunteering, internships, and international opportunities. Additionally, this website contains a planning guide for families to give parents and caregivers more information about what a gap year for their student would entail.
Resources for Parents & Guardians
Specific for Iowa schools
Has free resources and materials available for middle and high school educators to add in college planning, specifically financial literacy, into classroom instruction.
Also has a toolkit for parents to help them talk about college planning with their students and a scholarship and programs toolkit. Along with scholarships for students to apply for and a giveaway for parents to apply for.
Place to register for a weekly email newsletter that has tools and tips for working with your student on planning for college (if that is where they want to go after graduation). You can also enter to win money for your student’s college fees.
Created by a partnership with College Savings Iowa 579 Plan, Iowa College Access Network (ICAN), Iowa School Counselor Association (ISCA), and Strada Education Network
Universities and Colleges in Iowa
Here is a link to Iowa College Student Aid Commission page on Iowa degree-granting Universities and Colleges and their links.
BestColleges has created a comprehensive resource that features the top public and private colleges in Iowa. Click on the link to find more information on the top colleges in Iowa.
Step-by-Step guide on how to complete the common application. This guide walks students step-by-step through each question of the Common Application, including why it’s asked and how to best answer