Post-High School Transformations

May 8

Times are uncertain for everyone, but seniors are in an especially strange position, having unexpectedly lost their last months of high school. Choosing what to do after graduation is difficult enough, but this year the graduating class must also make guesses about what the world will look like as they finalize their post-high school path.

On one hand, there is great opportunity to take advantage of a flexible admission process. Many schools are offering extended application and commitment deadlines. Distance learning options are expanding. Along with virtual tours and admissions counseling, it’s easier than ever to explore college and technical school options. And with more free time at home, seniors (and juniors, sophomores, etc.) can explore careers and lifestyles with less distraction and outside pressure. There are many guides and quizzes available online. Scheduling regular time to work on planning for after high school can make the process less overwhelming, and can also add structure while people are staying home.

Additionally, Department of Education counselors are still available remotely — encourage students to reach out! It’s also important for families and those who work with students to continue to check on them, ensuring they have help with exploring, planning, and follow-through.

Here are some skills and resources that housebound students and families can explore as they consider options for careers and continuing education.

Financial literacy:

Financial literacy is an important skill for young adults preparing to transition out of high school. Planning ahead is important, but so is keeping tabs on expenses, income, and goals. There are many digital options for learning, planning, and monitoring. It’s a good idea to check with your credit union or bank for resources or financial advising; most will have their own apps to keep track of things like budgeting, credit score, and saving. Many also offer scholarships!

List of financial literacy resources: https://y4y.ed.gov/financial-literacy-for-all

Social-Emotional Skills:

Hokupa’a believes strongly in the importance of social-emotional skills. Things like resilience, self-care, self-determination, optimism, and the ability to find/maintain support networks during the stay-at-home order are especially important during times of personal and societal stress. Adjusting to social distancing before adjusting to further education or joining the workforce are big asks for our seniors, so this may be a good time to learn about and cultivate the social-emotional skills that can prepare students to thrive in whatever they want to do.

The main areas of social-emotional wellness are

Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.

Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.

Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.

Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.

Source: https://casel.org/what-is-sel/

College and Career Readiness:

Apart from taking time to explore education and job options, including job prospects, training requirements, and costs (all of which may be impacted by COVID-19 in the short and long terms), there are some general “soft skills” that are desirable in most modern work environments.

LinkedIn chose these as the top 5 soft skills for getting hired in 2020: Creativity, Persuasion, Collaboration, Adaptability, & Emotional Intelligence. The World Economic Forum chose Growth Mindset, Creativity, Focus Mastery, Innovation, & Communication Skills. Lists vary depending on who you ask and when you ask, but the bottom line is that personal and interpersonal skills are important! As you plan for the future, it’s important to cultivate these skills along with building work, internships, volunteering, certifications, and “hard skills” into academic and work records.

“Hard skills” relevant to desired career fields are also worth pursuing right now. There are myriads of free online resources to learn technical skills with common business software, coding, design, communication, and more. (Challenge: Research what skills would be most useful in your desired career areas, and set aside regular time to do “professional development” on your own.)

What are some skills that are important for the college transition specifically? Learning to ask for help is a major barrier for many students, who often do not seek help before or while in college unless nudged. This is why support systems are so important — successful, satisfied students tend to have relationships with their professors and their peers. Look beyond a college’s selectivity, programs of study, sticker price, and location. Opportunities for things like study abroad, social organizations, on-campus events, work-study, counseling, job placement, and more should all be considered in determining whether the school is a good fit. There are many sites that aggregate such considerations to make it easy to search. Reaching out directly to schools (and your high school counselor) is one of the best ways to get questions answered thoroughly and talk through concerns. Knowing what to expect should help the transition and improve the odds of satisfaction upon beginning college.