As a high school student, you may think that you have plenty of time to decide on your career path and to acquire the skills you need to market yourself successfully. Some people believe that completing an academic programme will guarantee them a job. But this is not always true.

According to the Bermuda Careers Centre, it is important to start exploring your career interests and developing your job skills at the middle school level.

In today?s competitive job market it is essential that you possess relevant skills and experiences that will set you apart from everyone else. Work-based learning experiences can help you focus your career interests and develop job skills. Below are descriptions of typical activities and services your school may offer and all provide opportunities in work settings:

Informational Interview

In informational interviews, you meet with people working in your fields of interest to ask questions about their particular occupations, qualification requirements, job duties, and companies. These interviews help you gain insights into your career interests from the people who do those jobs every day.

Job Shadowing

In a shadow, you visit a business to observe the everyday functions of an occupational area of interest to you. Experiences vary in time from one hour to a full day depending on the amount of time employers can provide as well as your interest and school requirements. Job shadowing experiences offer you opportunities for career exploration and provide you with a realistic view of the day-to-day activities of specific jobs.

Service Learning

Service learning programmes offer opportunities to be concerned, informed, and productive by providing community service in non-paid, volunteer positions.

These volunteer programmes increase the relevancy of your academic learning as you apply knowledge and skills while making a contribution to your community.

Independent Study

Your school may allow you to earn academic credit for work experiences. In an independent study option you would work one-on-one with a teacher, or other educator, to develop your work project for credit. Work experience, coupled with written work, such as a journal or essay, is an excellent way to practice, demonstrate, and expand the skills you?ve learned in school.

Internship

An internship is an intensive learning experience that is not part of a regular class. You work in a supervised learning situation with an employer doing planned learning activities.

An internship can give you a broad overview of an occupational field, while providing you with opportunities to experience work responsibilities and develop work skills. Some internships are paid; some are not paid.

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