10th Grade
WHEN
COLLEGE
CAREER
All Year
Do well in school and keep those grades up. Select high school classes you are interested in that will prepare you for college and your intended career path. Make sure you’re on track with the 4-year plan you’ve been working on with your high school counselor.
Do well in school. Select high school classes you are interested in that will prepare you for college and your intended career path. Make sure you’re on track with the 4-year plan you’ve been working on with your high school counselor.
All Year
Continue to update your high school brag sheet/ resume with your accomplishments, activities, shadowing, volunteering, and work experiences. Update your e-portfolio if you have one.
Your list will come in handy later as you try to remember everything you've done when filling out applications for colleges, loans, jobs, grants and scholarships.
Continue to update your high school brag sheet/ resume with your accomplishments, activities, shadowing, volunteering, and work experiences. Update your e-portfolio if you have one.
Your list will come in handy later as you try to remember everything you've done when filling out applications for colleges, loans, jobs, grants and scholarships.
All Year
Educate yourself on post-high school options (college/ technical school/ apprenticeship/ military).
Start to narrow down your post-secondary pathway(s): 2 or 4-year college, technical school, military, apprenticeship or work force.
Make sure you understand the requirements for your preferred pathway so you can be sure you're taking high school classes that will help you reach your goal.
Educate yourself on post-high school options (college/ technical school/ apprenticeship/ military).
Start to narrow down your post-secondary pathway(s): 2 or 4-year college, technical school, military, apprenticeship or work force.
Make sure you understand the requirements for your preferred pathway so you can be sure you're taking high school classes that will help you reach your goal.
All Year
Participate in school activities and/ or volunteer efforts to develop time management skills, develop workplace skills, and enrich your high school experience. Remember - sustained involvement in a few things you care about is better than light involvement in many things.
Explore activities related to your career interests. Take on leadership roles.
Participate in school activities and/ or volunteer efforts to develop time management skills, develop workplace skills, and enrich your high school experience. Remember - sustained involvement in a few things you care about is better than light involvement in many things.
Explore activities related to your career interests. Take on leadership roles.
All Year
Attend presentations that highlight careers/ college majors that interest you. Both virtual and in-person programs and workshops may be available. Check with your Career Center for a list of upcoming activities.
Attend presentations that highlight careers/ college majors that interest you. Both virtual and in-person programs and workshops may be available. Check with your Career Center for a list of upcoming activities.
All Year
Tour college campuses to get familiar with different college options, including ROTC. If possible take advantage of vacation or other family travel time to visit colleges and see what they’re like. Even if you have no interest in attending the college you are visiting, it will help you refine what is important to you in a college campus.
Ideally, by the end of the year you will have the beginnings of a "long list" of colleges that you will narrow down later.
Continue to explore future careers that match with your interests, skills, and strengths:
Do an interest profiler activity if you haven’t already.
Conduct virtual career research, including learning about job functions, education requirements, and potential earnings.
Arrange informational interviews and/ or job shadows.
Work at an off-campus internship or part-time job.
Go on field trips to local businesses.
All Year
Regularly check-in with yourself to decide if your classes and extracurricular activities both support your long-term goals and enrich your life at the present. Remember to breathe and enjoy high school!
As you continue your career research and refine your preferences, update your career profile on California Career Zone.
All Year
Develop relationships with teachers, especially in subjects you are strong in. This will help when asking for college/ scholarship recommendations later on.
Talk to some adults you know to find out if they are satisfied with their job.
Many factors go into job satisfaction—job location, daily stresses, colleagues. Prioritize the top five or 10 things you want from your professional life and consider careers that you would genuinely like to do, not just those that will make you a lot of money.
The more informed you are, the more prepared you'll be when you start your career.
Fall
Meet with your academic counselor to check in on progress you are making on the 4 year plan you started last year and make adjustments as you become more clear about your college/ career interests.
Meet with your academic counselor to check in on progress you are making on the 4 year plan you started last year and make adjustments as you become more clear about your college/ career interests.
Fall
Take the PSAT in 10th grade. These tests provide valuable feedback through the Student Score Reports; you can then work on any academic weaknesses while there is still plenty of time to improve upon them.
Note: you must take it again in your junior year to be considered for National Merit Scholarship.
Fall
Attend college fairs at your school and in your community. The Tri-Valley College and Career Fair is in October.
Attend college fairs at your school and in your community. The Tri-Valley College and Career Fair is in October.
Winter
Think about what matters to you in a job. Complete the Work Profiler activity to discover how much you value achievement, independence, recognition, relationships, support, and working conditions in a job. What jobs fit your values?
Connect this exercise to the types of occupations you explored through the interest profiler exercise and industry sector exploration activities you did earlier (9th grade).
Winter
Attend any Career Fairs/ Apprenticeship Fairs or other career related events may take place on your campus in the winter (around February).
Attend any Career Fairs/ Apprenticeship Fairs or other career related events may take place on your campus in the winter (around February).
Winter/ Spring
Take a mock SAT and mock ACT to get a sense of your strengths/weaknesses, and which test may be better for you.
How much money will you need to support the lifestyle of your dreams, and which occupations will enable you to lead the life you want? Complete the Making Money Choices exercise at California Career Zone to learn about what salary you need to support your lifestyle goals and what occupations will get you there.
Winter/ Spring
Plan next yearʼs schedule to reflect your interests, post-high school goals, and emerging career plans. Once you identify some career areas that interest you, take a look at your high school curriculum to see what classes may help in your career decision-making.
Challenge yourself with honors/ AP courses; maintain rigor and balance.
Consider Career Technical Education and ROP classes that can earn both high school and college credit, and can provide career exploration opportunities.
Check with your high school to see if it has any established career pathways that can help you plan your classes.
Plan next yearʼs schedule to reflect your interests, post-high school goals, and emerging career plans. Once you identify some career areas that interest you, take a look at your high school curriculum to see what classes may help in your career decision-making.
Challenge yourself with honors/ AP courses; maintain rigor and balance.
Consider Career Technical Education and ROP classes that can earn both high school and college credit, and can provide career exploration opportunities.
Check with your high school to see if it has any established career pathways that can help you plan your classes.
Spring
If you are interested in attending a military academy, such as West Point or Annapolis, now is the time to start planning and getting information. You should request a pre-candidate questionnaire.
Spring
Along with your family, learn more about college costs and financial aid. Find out what financial aid is, where it comes from, and how you can apply for it. Have a discussion with your parents or guardian about what they think they can afford.
Thinking about getting a summer job? Job applications require a lot of the same information. Complete a Master Job Application at California Career Zone (you must have an account to access this feature - it’s free) to have the information readily available whenever you need to fill out an application.
Spring
Explore summer opportunities.
Look for a job, internship, enrichment or volunteer position that will help you learn about a field of interest.
Find a job/ career-shadowing experience.
Consider taking a concurrent enrollment class at a community college.
Explore summer opportunities.
Look for a job, internship, enrichment or volunteer position that will help you learn about a field of interest.
Find a job/ career-shadowing experience.
Consider taking a concurrent enrollment class at a community college.
Summer
Spend your summer mindfully - work part-time, intern, volunteer, take a college class, and/ or participate in an enrichment program.
Update your high school brag sheet/ resume.
Spend your summer mindfully - work part-time, intern, volunteer, take a college class, and/ or participate in an enrichment program.
Update your high school brag sheet/ resume.