Having a high school diploma is getting more important every day, as those who don’t have one will tell you. Many companies require the completion of high school before you are allowed to work with them, and those that are more lenient do not give a very high salary. Statistics show that those with high school degrees earn approximately $8,604 more than those without. That is a rather huge gap for something that can be achieved so easy. The diploma does not even have to be from a local high school; even online high school courses apply. Online classes are cheaper, more convenient, and given the same value as diplomas gained from the school next door.

Finding schools that offer online high school courses is now easier than ever. The internet is full of websites that list a number of schools and their requirements, which are never that complicated. Enrolling can be done online or offline. It is even possible to find non-profit institutions, where a student will only pay for the material and nothing more. However, the mistake a lot of students make is not checking the accreditation of online high schools.

Without accreditation, the high school diploma obtained online can be worth nothing. Accreditation means the degree is recognized by the educational government and follows their standards. It encourages schools to improve the quality of education and inspires confidence in the students that choose to enroll. Accreditation is provided by private organizations created for that one purpose. As long as your certificate is accredited, you will be eligible for financial aid, credit transfer and employment.

Before singing up for any of the available online high school courses, make sure that they will provide you with the tools you need, be it books, extra material, tutors or anything else. Carefully read the school’s mission statement as well as accreditation, course duration and school requirements. Some schools have forums that can be accessed by guests, where enrolled students can answer any questions you might have before signing up. If you have a question that is not answered on their website, don’t be shy about contacting them. Do whatever is needed to be completely sure of your choice; it will end up affecting you for the rest of your life. This is one decision you do not want to end up regretting when you are in your mid-thirties and still earning less than a twenty-five year old.

According Ediger (2000), elementary school career education is important. Ediger stated that “the elementary school years are not too early to begin to achieve a vision of what one desires to do in life contributing to the world of work”. Without career education, students have unrealistic perceptions of careers due to a lack of knowledge and poor decision making. Students have limited knowledge and exposure to careers. (2,3) When students look at the different industries e.g. sports, media and entertainment, most students underestimate the skills and time required to have successful careers. (3)
The Basics for Elementary School Career Education Programs
In career awareness programs, students do not make premature career choices. Elementary school career education is not career exploration or career preparation. Elementary students remain open to new career ideas and possibilities. (7,8,13,15) Elementary students build awareness of self, personal interactions, school, and the workforce. (2,15) Elementary school counselors and teachers build self-awareness, family awareness, school awareness, community awareness, career/ work awareness, attitude development, skill development, decision making strategies, and self-worth. (2,4,11)
Career awareness programs use age appropriate materials that match the developmental levels of the students. Age appropriate activities expose students to a variety of different jobs, career information sources, and the reasons why people work. Programs also incorporate academic career pathways into classroom activities. According to CareerTec (2000), the preliminary career education skills serve as foundations for future skills. As the students progress, previous skills are reinforced, developed, and expanded. (2,4,11)
As elementary students get older, the students modify career visions and goals. After completing an elementary school career awareness program, students have higher grades, higher academic achievement, improved school involvement, as well as an increase in career awareness exploration, personal, and interpersonal skills. (1,15) In addition, the students complete more complex courses and have a higher graduation rate from high school. (9)
In summary, in career programs, students:
Learn and apply the academic material

Know and value self

Build self-esteem and confidence

Identify interests and build relationships between the school environment and the work force

Build academic, communication, problem solving, and social skills

Increase awareness of the need for future jobs skills

See the connections between learning in school, academic skills, job related skills, and careers

See career possibilities

See themselves as a future contributor to the job force

Receive empowerment

Build self-determination (2,7,9)
Examples of Elementary School Career Education Resources
Career awareness programs widely use tools are the Individual Career Plan (ICP) and the Individual Career Develop Portfolio. According to the Ohio State Department of Education (2000), Individual Career Plans (ICP) are essential for the development of self-awareness, employability skills, decision making and goal setting, community involvement, economics, and the reduction of bias. Students use the Individual Career Plans as they identify and explore initial career goals and educational plans. Elementary students use Individual Career Plan (ICP) to develop skills and to prepare to make future educational and career decisions. (12)
Another important tool is the Individual Career Develop Portfolio. Individual Career Develop Portfolios are collections of the career awareness activities and experiences that have occurred during the school year. (12) Other elementary school career awareness activities include:
Artistic displays

Career Days

Career Fairs

Career research

Career videos

Collages, murals

Community speakers

Educational games

Family group discussions

Field trips

Information interviewing

Job shadowing

Library book report

Mentors

Poetry

Phonics

Pictured dictionary

Puppets

Role playing

Scrapbook

Story reading

Student group discussions

Word search and comprehension activities (8,9,11,12,16)
Elementary school programs help students build connections between academics and real life situations. (9) Teachers and counselors use career education principles to stress the importance of language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Language arts have many uses in the workplace: Reading, writing, and listening skills. The uses for Mathematics include: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills to solve problems. In Social Studies, students gain understanding about other countries, languages, cultures, and the aspects of living in a global marketplace. Students learn the importance of Science having skills to solve problems as well as understanding how science is involved in different industries, such as food, media, agricultural, and automotive industries. (8)
Guidelines for Elementary Education Career Resources – National Career Development Guidelines
The NCDG Guidelines is a career knowledge, skills, and decision-making framework. The NCDG framework has three domains, goals, and indicators. Teachers and counselors use the domains, goals, and indicators as guidelines to design and create career resources. The three domains are: Personal Social Development (PS), Educational Achievement and Lifelong Learning (ED), and Career Management (CM). Each domain represents a developmental area in a career education program. Under each domain are goals or competencies. Under each goal, indicators highlight the knowledge and skills needed to achieve the goal. The National Career Development Guidelines (NCDG) is the foundation for career education products, research development, tests and tools. (14)
Summary
Elementary school career education programs build self-awareness, family awareness, school awareness, community awareness, career/ work awareness, attitude development, skill development, decision making strategies, and self-worth. Elementary school career awareness programs use age appropriate materials that match the developmental levels of the students. As a results of career education, schools reported that students had higher grades and academic achievement, improvement in school involvement and performance, as well as an increase in career awareness exploration, personal, and interpersonal skills. Career awareness activities include Individual Career Plan (ICP), Individual Career Develop Portfolio (ICDP), Career Days, Career Fairs, Field trips, information interviewing, and library book report.
References
1. American Counseling Association, Office of Public Policy and Legislation. (2007). Effectiveness of School Counseling. Alexandria, VA: Author.
2. Angel, N. Faye; Mooney, Marianne. (1996, December). Work-in-Progress: Career and Work Education for Elementary Students. (ED404516). Cincinnati, OH: Paper presented at the American Vocational Association Convention.
3. Benning, Cathleen; Bergt, Richard; Sausaman, Pamela. (2003, May). Improving Student Awareness of Careers through a Variety of Strategies. Thesis: Action Research Project. (ED481018). Chicago, Illinois: Saint Xavier University.
4. Career Tec. (2000). K-12 Career Awareness & Development Sequence with Appendices. (ED450219) .Springfield, Il: Author.
5. Carey, John. (2003, January). What are the Expected Benefits Associated with Implementing a Comprehensive Guidance Program. School counseling Research Brief 1.1. Amherst, MA: Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research.
6. Dare, Donna E.; Maddy-Bernstein, Carolyn. (1999, September). Career Guidance Resource Guide for Elementary and Middle/Junior High School Educators. (ED434216). Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education.
7. DuVall, Patricia. (1995).Let’s Get Serious about Career Education for Elementary Students. AACE Bonus Briefs. (ED386603). Hermosa Beach, CA: AACE Bonus Briefs.
8. Ediger, Marlow. (2000, July). Vocational Education in the Elementary School. (ED442979) Opinion Papers
9. Gerver, Miriam, Shanley, Judy, O Cummings, Mindee. (2/14/02). Answering the Question EMSTAC Extra Elementary and Middle Schools. Washington, DC: Technical Assistance Center, (EMSTAC).
10. Hurley, Dan, Ed.; Thorp, Jim, Ed. (2002, May). Decisions without Direction: Career Guidance and Decision-Making among American Youth. (ED465895). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Ferris State University Career Institute for Education and Workforce Development.
11. Maddy-Bernstein, Carolyn; Dare, Donna E. (1997,December).Career Guidance for Elementary and Middle School Students. Office of Student Services Brief, v9 n1. (ED415353). Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education.
12. Ohio Department of Education, Division of Vocational and Career Education, Ohio Career Development Blueprint, Individual Career Plan, K to 5 (ED449322). Columbus, Ohio, 2000
13. Splete, Howard; Stewart, Amy. (1990). Competency-Based Career Development Strategies and the National Career Development Guidelines. Information Series No. 345. (ED327739). Columbus, Ohio: ERIC Clearinghouse on Education and Training for Employment & Ohio State University
14. U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education. (1994, 2004). National Career Development Guidelines (NCDG). Washington, DC: Author.
15. Williams, Jean A., Ed. (1999, January). Elementary Career Awareness Guide: A Resource for Elementary School Counselors and Teachers. (ED445293). Raleigh, NC: NC Department of Public Instruction, NC Job Ready.
16. Woal, S. Theodore. (1995). Career Education–The Early Years. AACE Bonus Briefs. (ED386603). Hermosa Beach, CA: AACE Bonus Briefs.

Everyone knows that it is quite hard for a person to get the position that he wants, considering the advent of the global crisis today. However, it is definitely not a reason for anyone to be pessimistic about one’s career path. There are still some ways in order for a person to grab a job that he really likes. One of the methods is to strengthen his skills by obtaining post-graduate education.

A doctoral degree is certainly a good way for a person to further improve his career status. On the other hand, there is an impending difficulty for individuals who would like to pursue advanced studies because of the work that he needs to do in his job. In this case, the best thing that a person must to is to settle for online doctoral programs.

With the help of technology, it is not a wonder that people may now opt to get their education with the help of the information superhighway. Earning a doctoral degree is the highest academic merit that one may get, and this may signal the improvement of his career status. At a glance, this type of program will require a student to pursue independent researches and seminars to further improve his skills. If one still has a day job he needs to attain to, fulfilling the requirements of the course may be quite hard. Online doctoral programs may be an excellent option to obtain the academic merit the easier way.

By pursuing a doctoral program with the help of the internet, one will be required to complete the course through online forums and study groups. There may be times that the professors or facilitators may give you a schedule to attend a seminar or two, but this will be quite easier in comparison with attending campus-based courses. Professors also require students pursuing a doctorate degree to attend classes at the most convenient time possible. This is needed because intensive studies and researches are a must. However, this is quite easier than having to commute to and from work to university every day. One does not have to worry about class attendance by completing an online course.

Every student who wishes to complete the program must bear in mind that he should have a lot of motivation and discipline. Since this program requires a student to complete the requirements at his own pace, one must work to the fullest once that deadlines are set. This means that there will be sleepless nights if ever there are some delays with the coursework. Study routines must also be established so as it would not be a hassle for anyone. With these in mind, one will surely be able to finish the coursework in time and obtain a much-deserved academic merit for him to succeed in his career.

Online doctoral programs are a surefire way to improve one’s career status. It will further improve your knowledge and skills regarding the tasks that one needs to accomplish in his work.