Where to start Personal Learning & Career Plans (PLCPs)? How to start? Which direction should I take? I had these same questions when I sat down to write this blog entry. There are so many directions I could go - just get to the point; draw some mind pictures. There is so much to write about PLCPs. You are probably having similar questions as you approach the transition from high school to college and career training. There are so many resources, many of them raising more questions than they answer.
You are probably being asked, “What do you want to be?” more often than “What would you like for dinner?” (A very open-ended question at my house.) Family members, neighbors, teachers, and anyone meeting you for the first time are asking, “What do you want to be?”
Do you have an answer? Many do not have an answer while they are still in high school, while some of your classmates know what kind of career they want, but have not planned about how to get there.
PLCPs help you organize your thoughts while you focus your planning. www.AKCIS.org is an online tool and database that lets you take assessments based on Interest, personality, and ability to help you narrow down the list of hundreds of occupations you can choose from.
Once you have an idea of what general career path you may want to work in, there are School Sorts and Financial Aid Sorts, also found at www.AKCIS.org, to help you create manageable lists of schools and scholarships matching your choices.
Course and Career Planners are also a part of www.AKCIS.org and are in place to remind you of where you have been and what goals you have set for your future.
“What do you want to be?” You might not be ready with an answer today, but today is a great day to get started planning and exploring! Create your PLCP today! Login to www.AKCIS.org .
AKCIS is provided FREE of charge to everyone in Alaska. For more information and login assistance, contact your school counselor or the AKCIS Help Desk at (800) 441-2962 Option #3 or at akcis@alaska.gov .