USU Eastern GEAR UP Newsletter, January 2017

January 2017

GEAR UP

! e r u t u F r e t h g i r B a for

January 6 ACT registration deadline for test on 2-11-17 January 16 MLK day (no school) February 3 Colorado Mesa University campus visit February 3 Eagle Experience “Local Connection” February 11 ACT Test February 17 GEAR UP Senior College Catch Up Day at USU Eastern February 17 Annual Diversity & Inclusion Conference @ USU Eastern

Are you wondering which career direction is right for you? As high school graduation looms in your future, deciding upon a career can be difficult. To select one, you must know something about yourself, the world of work and how to find occupations that are suitable for you - this is no easy task.

Your decision may have lifelong ramifications; for example, your choice of career can play a major role in determining your income, status within your community, opportunities for success, circle of friends and even your choice of a spouse. The career you choose helps shape your identity and sense of self-worth.

One of the great benefits of life in America is the freedom to choose your line of work. To respond to this opportunity as well as the challenge it presents, many career guidance professionals have developed systems or programs for helping you select a career path.

Here is a breadksown of the steps to select a career path for you.

• Begin with a Thorough Self-Assessment - Through the use of personal-awareness techniques, peer-assessment surveys, professional testing or counseling, your first objective should be to identify your interests, skills, values, needs and behavioral traits.

• Time for Research - Using what you’ve learned about your interests, review various sources of occupational information to identify occupations you feel best match your interests. For this, create a list of career possibilities.

GEAR UP is always accepting new participants. • Learn More - Now research job titles on your list to learn more about each option. Gather such information as duties, entrance To enroll, contact the GEAR qualifications, training options, salary and benefits, advancement UP advisor at your school opportunities, and positive and negative working conditions. or through any of our social Continued next page media sites.

GAINING EARLY AWARENESS AND READINESS FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Selecting the Right Career Path

Selecting the Right Career Path, continued • Make a Tentative Career Decision - Based upon what you know about your interests and matching occupations, select an occupation to pursue. Don’t worry about making a bad or final decision at this point. Just make the best decision you can.

• Test Your Decision - it’s often impossible to determine if an occupation is right for you without trying it out, and there are several ways to do this. You could take a related course, work as a volunteer, shadow a professional worker for a day, interview several people working at the job or take a part-time job within your chosen field.

Do something to get a feel for the real job. Test all your career options before moving on to the next step.

• Make a Final Career Decision - Based upon what you know about your personality and the world of work, select an occupation you feel is the best match for you.

• You’re Almost Done - Finally, if appropriate, complete any necessary training to develop the recommended qualifications.

Upon completion of this step, you should be ready to seek a position in your chosen field.

New Year, New Chapter

By Brandon Flores To me, starting a new year is a nice time to reflect and begin anew. Someone once said the new year is like writing a book - every chapter is blank until you fill it. Chapter 2016 may have been a great year for you, or a very challenging one all the same. Whatever it was for you, I challenge you to look ahead and fill chapter 2017 with positive experiences and less regrets. I’ve always believed that when we look back on our lives 10 years from now, we won’t necessarily remember the assignments we did in a class, but we will remember the challenges we had to overcome, the organizations we were involved in, and the adventures we had.

To you students, and really to any one reading this, let’s make chapter 2017 a productive year filled with good memories. What does that mean for you? Well, for some of you it may mean being willing to step outside of your comfort zone a bit by joining or starting a club, volunteering within your community, or advocating for something you value. For others, it may mean adjusting your everyday habits or lifestyle to take your life in a better direction.

Remember, you are a person of great worth who can do extraordinary things.

Going to college can help bring out the extraordinary person in you. For me, college was a wonderful time of self-discovery and personal growth. My hope is that each of you will wisely use the time and space you have been given to write chapter 2017, and prepare for college. You can do this by exploring different career options, by being more involved in extracurricular activities, attending GEAR UP field trips, participating in GEAR UP activities, meeting more regularly with your GEAR UP advisor, and completing those pesky college and scholarship applications. In the end, if you do all this, you’ll be able to look back on the pages of life that you have written with less regrets and greater personal fulfillment.

8 Things to Consider When Choosing a Job Whether you’re looking to land your first job out of school or to move up from an entry-level position, you’ll need to be smart about your hunt and your ultimate choice. No matter how ripe the field of opportunity, it’s easy to focus so much on impressing the right people to land a job that you may forget to ask yourself an important question: “Do I actually want to work here?”

Many first-time job hunters overlook this key point until it’s too late.

You may be thrilled that someone actually wants to hire you and jump at the first offer. Or, if you have more than one offer in hand, you may instinctively choose the job with the highest salary -- after all, you’ve got bills to pay. But there are other financial factors to consider, as well as the job’s compatibility with your skills, lifestyle and ambitions.

To help you make the smartest choice, check out these eight things you should evaluate when mulling a job offer: Continued next page

Scholarship Spotlight ACLU of Utah Youth Activist Scholarship Type: • Application/Essay Eligibility: • Be a Utah resident • Be a current high school senior planning on entering an accredited college or university as a full-time, degree-seeking student • Have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If the GPA is less than 3.0, the applicant is still eligible but must submit an explanation for the lower GPA • Have proof of strong commitment to civil liberties through some form of activism addressing such issues as equality, racial justice, free speech, religious freedom, tolerance, and privacy.

Award: Tuition and room and board for 1st year of college Deadline: Postmarked by January 23, 2017 http://www.acluutah.org/images/ PDFs-docs/2017_Scholarship_ Application.pdf

8 Things to Consider When Choosing a Job, continued 1. Benefits - This is something often overlooked by young adults just starting their careers, but benefits can be worth up to 30% of your total compensation.

2. Location - Tempting as it may be to launch your career in Boston, New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco, you may find it just as rewarding - and a heck of a lot cheaper - to look beyond the bright lights and high rents of those meccas. Consider locations with a lower cost of living such as Utah, Colorado, or Wyoming., your paycheck dollars will stretch further.

3. Commute - This may not seem like a big deal at first, but fluctuating gas prices can impact your budget if you’ve got a long commute.

4. Opportunities for advancement - Look at the possibility of moving up within the company and what it’ll take for you to get a promotion.

5. Work enviroment - Consider the company’s size and culture. Is it fast-paced or laid back? Hierarchical or more democratic? Do the company’s values match yours? Is it family friendly? Would you get along with your co-workers?

6. Job security - People tend to change jobs at least ten times during their adult life. Ask yourself, is the job at a start-up or a mature company? Is the firm well respected in its industry and performing well? Is the company financially stable? The last thing you want is to end up without a job because the company went out of business.

7. Level of responsibility - You’ll want a job that’ll allow you to utilize your hard-earned education and sharpen your skills, not one that reduces you to a coffee runner. But bear in mind that you probably won’t land your dream job right out of school. You may have to “pay your dues” in some respect and work your way up the career ladder.

8. Where do you want to be in ten years? - Will this job take you where you want to go with your career?

Students of the Month Antonio Herrera Green River High School Tony has been chosen as one of our GEAR UP students of the month because of his determination to complete high school and continue his education in college. He is currently a senior at Green River High School. Tony is new to the GEAR UP program, but is a joy to work with and always has a positive attitude. Once he graduates, he would like to attend Snow College for their music program. Tony plays the electric guitar for most of the school’s sporting events during half time.

Miriah Johnstun Pinnacle High School Miriah has been chosen as one of our GEAR UP students of the month because she is an excellent student and is engaged in her next step in life ... college. Miriah is very dedicated to her success in school and is a straight A student. She has been meeting with her GEAR UP advisor regularly to take care of items such as FAFSA, college admissions, scholarships and more.

She has successfully been admitted into Weber State University where she will be pursuing her career in athletic training.

Carmen Villalba Lighthouse High School Carmen has been chosen as one of our GEAR UP students of the month because she is an outstanding student and has straight A’s. She is a junior at Lighthouse High School. Carmen has a very outgoing personality and is eager to always learn more.

Carmen is continuously searching for information on scholarships and is excited to learn new ways she can improve her college readiness.

Once she graduates, she would like to attend Dixie State University where she plans to be a nurse or a teacher after she graduates college.

Upcoming ACT® Dates Test Date February 11, 2017 April 8, 2017 June 10, 2017

Registration Deadline January 6, 2017 March 3, 2017 May 5, 2017

(Late Fee Required) January 7-20, 2017 March 4-17, 2017 May 6-19, 2017

Score Release February 22, 2017 April 18, 2017 June 20, 2017

The ACT® is an important college entrance exam. Scores can affect college entrance and scholarships.

All Utah eleventh-grade students will take the ACT® in March or April at their schools.

Students who want to take the test again can visit the following ACT® website to register for the test: www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html GEAR UP students may contact their GEAR UP coordinator to obtain an ACT® test fee waiver. (GEAR UP cannot pay for or waive late fees.)