Not sure of what you want to do after high school to earn a living or what to major in when you get to college? Are you weighing going to college vs. entering the world of work? We know that these are not easy questions to answer and some people spend many years doing this type of self-exploration. Your College/Career Information Coordinator can assist you through this process. They will help you get organized, guide you through this process, and answer any questions you may have.
Regardless of your situation, doing some research can be extremely helpful. Many of these sites can give you insight on what it takes to become a professional, expected growth of a profession in the coming years, expected range of earnings, and more. The more you know, the more you can visualize your goal and make it a reality. Happy surfing!
uwannadu.com - explore careers, watch videos of professionals in their field, and more
www.onetonline.org - comprehensive tool for career exploration and job analysis; great resource and lots of info!
www.thestemnet.com - STEM Workplace Exposure and Career Exploration
bigfuture.collegeboard.org - Explore careers; see how others made their choices
www.bls.gov/ooh/ - Occupational Outlook Handbook; great resource for in-depth career information
montgomerycollege.emsicc.com - Montgomery College's Career Coach; great resource and free to use; explore careers, take an assessment, create a resume, and more!
Federal Jobs Network - jobs & scholarships in government
InsideCareer - everything about careers, from the real world
monster.com - is not only a great job finding resource but has a search function that allows you to find career fairs in your area.
futurelinkmd.org - Future Link provides low-income, first-generation-to-college young adults with the tools, skills and resources to achieve lasting economic self-sufficiency. Click on the link to learn more.
The Career Cluster Finder is an inventory that will allow you to match your interests, strengths, and personal qualities with potential career areas or clusters. Your top career areas will be ranked based on your responses.
StrengthsExplorer assesses 10 talent themes for individuals and identifies each student’s three strongest emerging talents, such as Confidence, Dependability, or Future Thinker. It provides explanations of these themes, strategies for capitalizing on each, and action items to help students gain insight into their greatest talents – natural patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior – to leverage in the classroom and in life.
The Career Interest Profiler is an online career interest assessment for students based on Holland codes. It allows students to complete an inventory that analyzes their own interests and pairs the results with potential career matches.
Considering a Gap Year?
https://youtu.be/WsgccGwPQjc
Whether your seniors are still exploring what’s next or you have recent graduates from the last few years who are still seeking direction, this is a transformational, paid gap year experience designed to help them grow, explore, and succeed.
Through the Maryland Corps/Service Year Option, Members are matched with a nonprofit, for-profit, or government agency to serve full-time for nine months, earning a minimum of $15/hour. But it doesn’t stop there—they also receive:
A mentor from their host site
A dedicated Service Success Coach to support personal and professional goals
Hybrid, in-person, or remote placement options
Weekly professional development sessions
Healthcare benefits
A $6,000 completion award
Pathways to apprenticeships, career exploration, and next steps
This is the kind of experience that can shape the next five years of a young person’s life—with just 15 minutes to complete the application.
You can encourage your students to apply directly by visiting: serve.maryland.gov
Application deadline: June 1, 2025