Long Term Planning For University/College For Students

Hi there. In this education post, I cover long term planning for students when it comes to plans for university/college.

This motivation is based on my work where Grade 10, 11 and 12 students are discussing plans and choices for post-secondary education in the Toronto area and in Ontario province.

Figuring Out Careers

Kids when they are very young are asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?". Answers could be vary from:

• Firefighter
• Police Officer
• Doctor
• Lawyer
• Chef
• Baker
• Singer
• Dancer
• Pop Star
• Actor/Actress
• Sports Pro

The young kids don't really know the amount of education required for these professions. They may not know the steps it takes for these professions.

As the kids grow up to their teenage years and high school years, they have a better idea of what they like or don't like through their course.

Specific School Courses For Careers

The school courses that students take in school does have an impact in their choices for universities and colleges as well as careers. It is well known that doctors have to do a lot of school compared to most students. Those who wish to be engineers have technical courses and heavy workloads. This is the general idea but it is better to dig in more to get a better idea of what type of courses these students take.

Singers, Dancers, Performing Arts

I have a limited understanding of schools for aspiring dancers, singers and other performing arts. There are public schools that are art schools that specialize in music, art and dance. I think they all have applications where you apply to them and see if they accept you or not.

There are also dance schools for after school classes as well as specialized art schools for education after high school. I am aware of the existence of them but don't know much about them.

Culinary Schools

Culinary schools can vary in length, specialization, course program, cost, prestige and location. In the Toronto, Canada area, culinary schools can be found in colleges or found in smaller places that cater to younger kids.

I think there is a good cooking school near Niagara Falls. I do recall visiting there as a high school student during a field trip.

Doctor

The path to becoming a doctor is not very easy as it is long. Before graduating high school, you do need high competitive marks in Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Calculus courses to be accepted to a Health Sciences or related university program.

On top of a four year degree and good grades in key courses, you do need to have a good score on the MCAT exam to be considered for medical school. That is all I know. You can find more information from this University of Waterloo link.

Those are a couple of professions that I have listed and know some things about. In general, students should really do research on career options given on what they are good at in school. Those who don't like science should avoid careers in engineering and medicine.