Welcome to Learn More, your guide to the future. Maybe you have an idea of your college and career goals. Maybe you’re still exploring your options. No matter what, Learn More can help you plan your next steps.
In this digital magazine, you’ll learn about:
Your path to success starts now—and that means taking the right steps to prepare yourself for life after high school. Try your hardest every day and ask for help when you need it. Look through this website to start learning about how you can reach your goals.
After you finish this digital magazine, talk to your family and teachers about your goals and check in regularly so they can help you succeed.
Have a great school year!
This website will help you plan for the future. What you enjoy, what your strengths are and what skills you want to develop are all good places to start. It’s okay to not have all the answers for your future, and most people change their minds about what they want to do for a career.
Take your time and think carefully about the following questions before reading through the rest of the website.
Did you know that the average American spends about 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime? That’s more than 10 years! That’s a lot of time, so you want to find a career you enjoy. Start thinking about your personality, hobbies and interests. How can you combine these to find a job?
Do you like to build things, play sports or draw? What’s your favorite class? When you stop and think about what makes you happy, you can think about finding the career that fits you.
When little kids think about what they want to be when they grow up, they think in a direct way: if I’m good at math, I should be a banker or accountant!
In the real world, skills are applicable in a range of fields. Electrical engineers have become journalists; police officers have become politicians; music majors have become CEOs. Most people change careers several times in their lives. As you chase your goals, remember that you’ve got skills that can be applied in many ways.
Select an interest/strength and an industry you are interested in to see what careers could be right for you.
Did you know one of the best ways to figure out if a career field is a good fit for you is by talking to people who work in that field?
There are a lot of people in your community willing to talk about their careers. Consider interviewing family members or other adults you know at school, in your community, through extracurricular activities or at your house of worship.
Here are some questions to get you started:
After your interview, make sure to follow up with a thank-you note or email!
Everybody has skills – things they are especially good at. Just like life, our skills and our interests don’t always stay the same as we grow. That’s fine. Changing and growing is good!
A program that allows you to learn a skilled trade from an expert in your field, and get paid while you do so! There are apprenticeships in all kinds of careers, like automotive, construction and information technology. Once you’ve completed this specialized training, you’ll have credentials that will be valued anywhere you go.
The Military includes branches such as the Army, Navy, Marines and more. In the military, you can access education and training in high-tech fields while serving your country. You can use this training to earn college credit during or after your service.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time in college, you can jump into a career in Indiana’s high-growth industries with a workforce certificate in about a year. The state’s Next Level Jobs initiative offers grants to pursue a workforce certificate.
Many associate degrees can be earned in two years. With an associate degree, you can qualify for careers in nursing, management and web design. Your associate degree can also count toward a bachelor’s degree if you decide you’d like to continue your education later.
When most people think of college, they think of getting a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college. The more years of college you attend, the more jobs you are likely to qualify for. Indiana has a lot of great four-year colleges to choose from!
Middle school is an important part of your educational journey. What you do now will set you up for success in high school, college and your future career.
There are a lot of reasons to continue your education after high school. The first thing you might think of is that college grads make more money than those with only a high school diploma.
Consider this: Living in Indiana in 2021, you’ll want to make at least $40,000 a year to cover living expenses and have some spending money. To get a job that pays $20 an hour you will need some education beyond high school. That doesn’t mean that getting a four-year degree is the only option, though
High school is quickly approaching! There are a lot of choices when it comes to what and how you learn in high school. The good news is, your school counselor, teachers and parents or guardians can help you come up with a plan.
Your plan should include the diploma you want to earn and classes that spark your interest and are academically challenging. You can even get college credit while you’re in high school in some classes. Here are words to look for as you create your high school plan:
College-level courses offered in high school. If you score well on AP exams, you may earn college credit, saving you time and money.
College courses taught in high school or at a local college that will earn high school and college credit. Talk to your high school counselor to learn more.
A high school diploma that requires students to complete college and career prep courses. Some technical programs and apprenticeships require this type of diploma.
For more information, talk to your school counselor or visit the Indiana Department of Education’s website.
Time for some real talk: middle school and junior high can be some of the toughest years of your life! You and your peers are going through big changes: academically, physically and socially. Nobody skates through it with ease — it’s OK not to feel OK all the time.
It’s easy to get caught up worrying about things like school, friends and sports. One of the best things you can do to make sure you are at your best (now and throughout your life) is to take care of yourself by practicing self-care.
Self-care means doing things that are in your control to keep yourself mentally, emotionally and physically healthy. It ranges from things like brushing your teeth to practicing meditation.
College can be expensive. There are many things to pay for like tuition (the cost of classes),
books, room and board (housing and meals) and other costs.
The fact is, investing in your future education is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. You are more likely to earn more money and to have a career you enjoy with education and training after high school. Luckily, there are steps you and your family can take to make it more affordable. The State of Indiana gives out more than $350 million to help students pay for college! This is called financial aid.
Most financial aid is given out by the government, the college you will attend or community organizations like churches or non-profits. Here are some words to look for as you get older and closer to college; they’re sure to make a difference.
Did you know that you could earn a scholarship from Indiana to get your college tuition paid for? This scholarship is called the 21st Century Scholarship. It offers students the chance to earn up to four years of tuition at an eligible Indiana college. Over the past 30 years, the 21st Century Scholarship has helped over 40,000 Hoosier students earn a college degree!
Read more about a couple of talented 21st Century Scholars alumni…
SANOVIA GARRETT graduated from Muncie Central High School in 2010. As a first-generation college student, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Ball State University. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Urban Studies and is considering pursuing a doctorate degree, too.
According to Sanovia:
CHARLES BROOKS grew up in Terre Haute and graduated from Terre Haute North Vigo High School. After high school, he attended Indiana University – Bloomington where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education. He also earned his master’s degree in student affairs and higher education from Indiana State University. Now, he works at Indiana University in their career development center helping students find their path in life.
Charles said:
Goal setting is an important part of staying focused on the future, but setting a goal is just one step. Once you have a goal in place, it is very important that you understand the steps it will take to achieve that goal, and know how you will overcome any obstacles along the way.
The exercise below will help you think about your long-term goal — what type of career you would like — so you can start planning for how you will get there. You can write down your answers in a separate document and go back to it later to see how your goals may have changed.
Financial aid helps a lot of students pay for college, but it might not cover everything. To help you pay for future expenses, you can start saving money now. Do you get money for your birthday or holidays? Do you get an allowance or get paid to mow lawns in the summer? Try saving a little bit of it for college. An adult can help you set up a savings account where your money can grow by earning interest.
In addition to financial aid, loans and grants, scholarships are one way to help pay for college. Scholarships are granted by a wide range of sources, including professional clubs, governmental organizations, colleges and more. Scholarship awards also have a variety of criteria for determining who receives them. These include:
