Undecided Students

Career Exploration Activities

Explore potential careers on your own:

• My Next Move

Take a brief online interest inventory:

• O*NET Interest Profiler

Learn more about your "Holland Code" and how your personality type can be used to investigate career options:

• Know Your Personality Type

Use your "Holland Code" (3 letters) from the "O*NET Interest Profiler" and the "Know Your Personality Type" activity to match your interests with careers:

• Match your interests with careers

Naviance Student Activities

• log into Naviance Student
• take the Career Interest Profiler assessment
• take the Career Cluster Finder assessment
• create a multi-year plan to draft your future high school courses
• research colleges you're interested in
• explore careers, career clusters, and career pathways
• watch "Road Trip Nation" videos of people in their careers
• update your Activities Record (in upper right corner, go to About Me, My Stuff, My Surveys, Activities Record)

Blue Ridge Community College

You will soon be transitioning into the next phase of your life after graduation. I want to make sure you are aware of the great options available at Blue Ridge Community College.

• Workforce Blue Ridge offers workforce training (including healthcare fields), to improve job preparedness and award certifications leading to financially successful careers. These are not "college classes" although college credits can be earned if the student begins in these "workforce" classes then decides to pursue a college degree as well. Follow this link to see all the workforce courses, timelines, and pathways available: https://www.brcc.edu/continuinged/
• Guaranteed Transfer In these uncertain times, many students are choosing to stay a little closer to home. They plan to take advantage of Virginia's Guaranteed Transfer agreements (also referred to as the 2 + 2 pathway). Simply stated, the student achieves two years of college credits through Blue Ridge, and will then be guaranteed acceptance into any of Virginia's Public Universities (and many private ones as well). Follow this link to learn more about these specific agreements: https://www.brcc.edu/services/advising/transfer/advising-guides/
• Associate's Degrees A surprising number of today's most lucrative fields of study only require a two year Associate's Degree before full employment. Follow this link and look closely at Blue Ridge's two year programs. You will see them labeled as AAS, AA&S, or AS: https://catalog.brcc.edu/programs-study/#programsbyawardtext
• Financial Advice Complete your FAFSA online. (45 minutes) https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa All colleges/universities use the FAFSA to determine how much federal money in grants or loans you will receive. The decision is based on the parent's income. If your family qualifies for free/reduced lunch you are likely to receive a grant each year that pays for the full cost of attending Blue Ridge. All students will be offered a loan regardless of parental income. The annually offered loan has a great rate and no payments are due until after you complete college.
• College Cost Estimates in Virginia Here is a ranked list of the cost of one year of study in Virginia's public and private colleges/universities. https://www.collegecalc.org/lists/virginia/most-affordable-in-state-total/?view=all
• Costs at Blue Ridge Community College Earning a College Degree at Blue Ridge costs less than $6,000 per year. Earning Workforce Credentials varies from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Most Workforce Credentials can be completed in 6 to 24 weeks while still employed in your current job. Many workforce credentials are supported, for all students, by state grants reducing the cost by two-thirds!

Ready to Attend Blue Ridge to increase your COLLEGE education?

1. Apply online. (10 minutes) https://www.apply.vccs.edu/applications/vccs/apply.html?application_id=3228

2. Prior to May 15, contact your Career Coach, Mrs. Martin, at jmmartin@rockingham.k12.va.us

3. After May 15, set up an appointment with a Blue Ridge Advisor at https://www.brcc.edu/services/appointments/

Ready to Attend Blue Ridge increase your WORKFORCE skills?

1. Do NOT complete the college application linked in number one above.

2. Instead, use this link to register for courses or to speak with someone for more information about your Workforce Credential options. https://brcc.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=templates.CustomTemplatePreview&ContentID=148&

Please contact your Career Coach, Mrs. Martin, at jmmartin@rockingham.k12.va.us if you need additional assistance or information!

Massanutten Technical Center

• MTC has a variety of affordable Adult Education classes that can be taken to increase your skills and certifications
• Click here for more information

Other Trade and Technical Centers

Attending a Trade or Technical Center can be a good option for some students but it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Trade and Technical Centers can often be expensive so it is important to fully research these institutions. If you are unsure of whether or not attending a Trade or Technical Center would be a good fit for you, please reach out to your Career Coach or High School Counselor.

Lincoln Technical Center

At the Nashville, Tennessee campus, they focus on Welding, Heavy Machinery, Collision, Diesel and Automotive Technology. Due to the current circumstances, Lincoln Tech has decided to waive their entire registration fee for any student that applies during the month of April. They are also offering a $1,000 Imagine America Scholarship www.imagine-america.org to students. If interested in more information, contact Chad Fleming at cfleming@lincolntech.edu or directly at 540-236-8172. Check out their video on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuLuay1tvKM. Interested students can also go directly to the website www.lincolntech.edu/sfa/apply-now.

Universal Technical Institute

UTI is an Automotive and Diesel Mechanic school. At their campus in Exton, Pennsylvania, their labs feature state-of-the-industry equipment that gives students the hands-on training experience necessary to prepare for the shop environment. This campus also a Roush Yates Power & Performance lab, where you’ll learn to tear down and rebuild engines. It also has a dedicated diesel lab featuring a full line of trucks and and equipment. For more information, go to https://www.uti.edu/locations/pennsylvania/exton.