So what are you going to do with your life?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Unless you’re one of the lucky few who has it all figured out, this question can be a scary one! Develop your answer to this classic question - and share your progress with the caring adults in your life who ask it – by using an online tool to explore your talents and skills, and find a career path option for you.
This tool, called AKCIS, can be used to narrow down your career options, understand options for education and training beyond high school, and find scholarships to cover related costs. AKCIS is provided free for Alaskans by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education.
A neat feature in AKCIS is the parent account – a way for you and the adults who care about your plans to connect.
You may already be using AKCIS as part of your school curriculum, or this may be your first time hearing about it.
To set-up your own student account (the first step to creating a parent account), contact the AKCIS official at your school (usually a counselor or teacher) or contact the AKCIS Help Desk at akcis@alaska.gov or call 800-441-2962 and select option 3.
What are AKCIS Parent accounts?
Each student account has the capability to have an accompanying parent account. These accounts allow parents to see saved items, results from assessments, entries you’ve made, and the reflections you’ve written – a great way for you and your parent to connect on your plans for the future.
Please note: for each student the parent/guardian needs to make a separate parent account. So, if you have siblings your parent/guardian will need to set-up a separate parent account for each sibling.
How do you get a parent account in AKCIS?
Your parent/guardian will need to contact the person at your school who is in charge of the AKCIS accounts, usually a counselor or the teacher who assists you with AKCIS and who can verify parental relationship.
How does my parent/guardian login to the parent account?
After the account has been set up your parent/guardian will receive two emails. One email has a link to the set-up page and also the username – the second email contains the password. After logging in for the first time, your parent/guardian will be asked to change their password.
Can my parent/guardian change my information?
When your parent/guardian signs into their parent account, they can read items and they can message you – but they cannot take assessments or edit what’s in your account. The parent account is a read-only account.
Can parents get their own AKCIS account?
They sure can. If your parent/guardian is excited about the assessments, activities, and information in AKCIS, they can set up their own account by logging in with their zip code and city from the main AKCIS.org page. This way parents will not be saving their interests and preferences in your AKCIS student account. (And they will not be able to change what you have saved.)
How do I get the most out of AKCIS?
There is a handy checklist guide (download here) that breaks down the tools available in AKCIS by grade, as well as, other transition resources across Alaska.
You can also read this blog post about using AKCIS to find financial aid options (click here) or this post about PLCPs (click here).
The next time your parent or guardian brings up the conversation of “what do you want to do with your life” or “what do you want to be when you grow up”, answer by setting them up with a parent account in AKCIS, and share your plan with them.
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If you have any trouble with AKCIS contact the Help Desk at akcis@alaska.gov or call 800-441-2962 and select option 3.