Oswego High School

College and Career Center

Remember your grades are very important. Colleges will review your transcript, which reports semester grades from every class taken during your high school career.

Develop a career plan. Think about what you want to do and find out more about the kind of training, education, and skills you will need to achieve your career goal. (Use Career Cruising to help with this.)

Get involved in sports, clubs and community service. Colleges and scholarship organizations look for an active and motivated person. For community service opportunities, stop by Student Services.

Job Sites

Snagging a job is an excellent site for high school students. It posts part- and full-time positions open to high school students in this area. Students can post their resume or fill out an application online. Resume writing tips are also offered on this site. www.snagajob.com

Search for a job by category, company, and location on Hot Jobs. This site allows you to post your resume. www.hotjobs.com

Learn how to compose a job-winning resume, post your resume, or apply online. A message board is also available to chat with other job seekers. You must create an account profile to participate. www.monster.com

Career Sites

America’s Career InfoNet. Here you will find information on wages, employment trends, occupational requirements, state-by-state labor market conditions, millions of employment contacts nationwide, and an extensive career resource library. www.acinet.org

This site offers assessment surveys on personality, interests and skills to help you choose a career field. www.wiredscholar.com

Under the CIS section, students are able to generate a list of occupations that use their skills, abilities and interests and the training involved. They can explore military options and also nontraditional employment opportunities. www.ILWorkInfo.com/icrn.htm User ID: iletc Password: etc 99

This is a nationally recognized source of career information that describes what workers do on the job, the working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations. www.bls.gov

Career Builder offers profiles of many career fields and industry insights into these careers. www.careerbuilder.com

On our local education-to-career information website, you will learn how students can earn credit at Waubonsee Community College for classes taken at Oswego High School. On this site, students and parents can find information on the National Vocational Technical Honor Society and other career and technical areas. www.valees.org

Explore careers and the training required. Multimedia interviews with real people in a career field are available at this site. This site also enables you to build your own portfolio. www.careercruising.com

Armed Services

This website compares all branches of the military. www.military.com
U.S. Army www.goarmy.com
U.S. Marines www.marines.mil
U.S. Navy www.navy.com
U.S. Air Force Academy www.usafa.af.mil
U.S. Naval Academy www.navy.mil
U.S. Military Academy West Point www.usma.edu
U.S. Coast Guard Academy www.uscg.mil

An excellent resource for learning how a military branch can be used as a springboard for funding your college education. Explains in detail the programs each branch of the military has to offer. www.keycolleges.com

Why go to College?

Whether you are uncertain about going to college or you just need some reassurance, you're on the right track. Here are a few reasons to go to college:

Every bit of education you get after high school increases the chances you'll earn good pay. Most college graduates earn a lot more money during their working years than people who stop their education at high school.

The more education you get, the more likely it is you will always have a job. According to one estimate, by the year 2028 there will be 19 million more jobs for educated workers than there are qualified people to fill them. Continuing education after high school is much more important for your generation than it was for your parents' generation. Today, most good jobs require more than a high school diploma. Businesses want to hire people who know how to think and solve problems.

Education beyond high school gives you a lot of other benefits, including meeting new people, taking part in new opportunities to explore your interests, and experiencing success.

Trade Sites

Information on careers in construction and Chicago-area apprenticeship schools and application availability. www.cisco.org

Senior Appointments:

During September and October, Seniors, your counselor will contact you to set up your senior appointment. We meet with each senior individually to review post secondary plans and complete a credit check. Thank you for your patience as you await your appointment as counselors have about 120 seniors each that we are looking forward to meeting with.