Summer is a great time to explore careers.  Summer is a relaxed time of year.  While you may have a job, or other family chores, with the long days, you will also have time to investigate what kind of work you want to do for your first career.  Family reunions and Fourth of July give you access to lots of people you can ask about their jobs, how they got them, and what their jobs are like.  To find people doing jobs that interest you, you can also ask your parents, your friend's parents, youth group leaders or coaches.  Ask them if they know of someone doing a certain kind of job, or working in an industry or field, that you want to know more about.  Then ask them to send that person an e-mail or call them to ask if it would be okay for you to set up a 20 minute phone call with them.  This is called "Information Interviewing."  Once they agree, call or e-mail in order to schedule a short interview.

Before talking with someone, read up a bit about the job.  You also might want to go on the Internet and scan the web site of the company or organization that the person works for.  Knowing a bit about the job and the organization will help you ask better questions.  You can find tons of career information on the Internet.   You might want to practice this kind of interviewing for information on people you know first, so you aren't so nervous when you talk with people you don't know.  (To learn more about information interviewing, read Chapter 8 of What Color Is Your Parachute? for Teens.  Many public libraries have this book in their collection.)

Why should I take time out from having fun to do career exploration?

There are at least a dozen reasons why you should.  Here are two.

Reason for researching careers #1:  When I was writing What Color Is Your Parachute? for Teens, I talked with over 100 young adults who were out of school and working.  Of those who had enrolled in college or university, 38% mentioned that they didn't know much about the world of work when they made their decisions about where to go to school and what to study.  These young adults felt that they would have made very different choices had they known more.  Unfortunately, most couldn't afford further studies to get additional qualifications. They were going to have to get the best job they could with the education they had, work and save money for a few years before they could afford to go back to school.  

Reason for researching careers #2:While a few elect attend college because they just want to be well educated adults, the main reason students choose college is that it will help them achieve a highly paid, highly satisfying career.   This makes higher education a classic investment - money spent now in the hopes of making more money later.  Smart investors learn about investing and the financial markets and consider the likelihood that their investments today will yield greater gains in the future.  Warren Buffet, a very successful investor, doesn't make investment decisions on "they say" or hearsay and neither should you.

Many high school seniors admitted to college (and who start) don't finish within 6 years.  Those who do graduate credit the fact that they knew exactly how their studies would help them achieve their career goals.  These graduates see college as a means to a goal, not as the goal itself.  If you want to be part of the minority of young adults who not only get a bachelors degree, but also find a job that uses your education, spend some time this summer learning about jobs that interest you,  jobs that don't, and the different kinds of preparation that can help you build a first career path.  If you spend time this summer, and every summer for the next few years, developing your career goals and options, you will be more likely to find a job that you will enjoy when you graduate from college.

As we go to press, there are more and more articles about an impending student loans crisis.  The credit crunch that started in the housing market is spilling over into other markets.  Some 50 lenders have stopped making student loans.  The credit industry is recognizing that lending money to college kids with zero credit history and highly uncertain future earnings is a very risky business.  

Stafford loans, Perkins loans and PLUS loans, and private loans are still available.  However, students who find loans - and there will be a growing number who don't - will face higher interest rates, less favorable terms, and more difficulty consolidating their loans.

What can you do?  Two tips

1.  Consider an education ladder.  Gain a technical degree or certification that will get you a good paying job in just one or two years.  Work for a while and return to school or work and go to school part time.  This can take longer, but since a majority (56%) takes six years to earn a bachelors, taking longer is the norm.