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3 Careers That Are Best to Prepare for in High School

Let's take a look at three career paths that are advantageous to start preparing for when you are still in high school.

By Andrea DawsonPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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There are numerous career paths that require state examinations and a state license in order to practice. In many cases, the testing and requirements for licensure might be different from state to state. Additionally, many career paths require a college education or an advanced degree as an entry-level requirement to find work. This has resulted in a situation where many college degree programs have the specific goal of preparing their graduates to pass the examinations and obtain state licensure in the state where the conferring academic institution is located.

Here's the main takeaway for high school students: If you think you might want to pursue one of these types of career paths, you'll have to do some planning ahead before you choose a college. One of the most important questions you should answer: Where do I want to live and work after I graduate from college? The answer to this question can help to determine where you focus your efforts in applying to colleges.

Although it's possible to practice your profession in a different state than the one in which you graduated college, it might be a major hassle to get your career launched—particularly if the state you move to has more rigorous and challenging requirements than the state in which you obtain your credentials.

Let's take a look at three career paths that are advantageous to start preparing for when you are still in high school:

1. Teacher

According to the Education Commission of the States, there are thirty-one US states that currently require out-of-state teaching candidates to gain additional credentials such as taking additional training or coursework before they're allowed to teach in that state.

The easiest course of action is to graduate from college and pursue your teaching career in the state where your education prepared you to teach. Life after college graduation will be easier for you if you think ahead to where you want to live; then focus on getting accepted to colleges that offer the teaching degree program you need and are located in that state.

2. Veterinarian

Becoming a veterinarian is notoriously challenging. This is a role that requires state licensure in addition to passing both a federal and a state examination. Since there are only 30 accredited academic institutions conferring the necessary Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees, there are typically more aspiring veterinarians than there are seats in veterinary school.

To make matters even more challenging, there are few US states that accept veterinarian's licenses from other states. So if you want to live and practice as a veterinarian in a state that doesn't have an accredited veterinary school, you might end up having to pass TWO state exams plus the federal exam before you can legally practice. If you don't plan for all this before applying to school, you might be in for a big logistical headache, or a huge disappointment, before you can launch your veterinary career.

Additionally, acceptance into veterinary school is extremely competitive. As a high school student, you'll want to prepare yourself by loading up on AP science courses if they are available to you. You'll also want to gain experience working with animals. You could volunteer at a local animal shelter, work with the animals at a nearby farm or ranch, or assist with laboratory research at a local scientific institution.

3. Nurse

There are relatively few qualified nursing school candidates in proportion to the significant need for them. Admission to nursing school degree programs, even Associate's Degree programs, is extremely competitive. You'll need impressive grades in high school to even qualify for an associate degree at your local community college, never mind a bachelor's degree from the best nursing degree programs. Then if you want employers to consider hiring you for the most prestigious and highest paying nursing jobs, you'll eventually need a Master's Degree in nursing.

High school students who want to become nurses should work hard to earn good grades. Additionally, it's becoming increasingly important for nursing school candidates to gain experience working in a healthcare environment. High school students can accomplish this by volunteering at a local hospital or nursing home facility. Additionally, it's important for aspiring nurses to give some thought to where they want to live and practice after graduation, because it's easiest to gain credentials in the same state.

This is not a comprehensive list of careers that high school students should begin preparing for; It's wise to start preparing for any career as soon as you decide that it's the career you really want to pursue. These are three careers where advanced preparation starting in high school can help to propel you toward success.

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About the Creator

Andrea Dawson

A fitness blogger and a personal trainer.

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