Job paths directly out of high school

[Trilliums]

This is a bit of a spin off from the Minimal High School thread.

 

Can we brainstorm/discuss options for the non-college bound?

 

Let us assume this is for a bright teen with mental health issues.

Does not want to do child care or health care.

Shuts down in stressful situations.

Good with direct instructions.

Has had an interest in photography and editing photos but currently not doing anything to delve into this.

With homeschooling, asks a lot of questions about history but does not pursue anything independently.

In this case, the student has had traumatic past experiences. We hope she will heal and then be more capable of taking on challenges. But, a big part of her seems to have just given up. We want to help her explore options and have a realistic vision for her future though.

 

Retail work? I worked some retail jobs in high school--ages ago! Some were actually quite stressful though because we were constantly being badgered by managers to sell more stuff.

 

What does one need to do to become an administrative assistant these days?

 

Any interesting paths people care to discuss?

[Daria]

Is she more introverted, and interested in work she could do alone, or more extroverted, so that she'd enjoy work that brought her into contact with other people?  What kinds of situations does she find stressful enough to cause shut down?

[happycc]

By the way I took in a 17 yrs old girl like this a few years back. We spent the semester sitting outside while she drew pictures, and collecting frogs and frog eggs in my pond and raising them in my living room and then I will sit out with her and went over SAT vocab words for fun.  

At the end of the semester she was doing well enough to return back to her school  her father felt. He had sent her to this expensive teen torture program in North/South Carolina? and was expecting miracles when she came back. 

I thought it was a mistake for her to go back to school so soon as she really needed some down time. She didnt want to leave our situation. But dad was intent to get back on the college track. From what I know she is living with her mom now and not doing well at all. Never went to college. 

There just wasn't enough honestly going on (dad had his own agenda and the mom was stealing money from her) and not listening to the wishes of that child. She was an incredible anime artist. She should have gone that direction. She should have done visual graphics or whatever that field is called.  I was doing a favor for a friend of mine. It was his niece that was struggling. Dad had a lot of control issues in my opinion and mom was just plain nuts. Smart kid but lost. 

 

But here is a list of possible jobs:

 

 

gardening, interior decorating, ultrasound/CT/MRI technician (yes medical field)

 

work in nonprofits, writing grants, building websites, sign language interpreter, videography, film editing, 

 

manage volunteers, curriculum developer, 

 

cook, seamstress, printmaking

 

bike repair, car repair, computer repair

 

programmer, electrician

 

ABA behaviorist-working with kids most of the time

 

dental hygienist.

 

animal trainer/behaviorist

 

[TechWife]

Check out California Career Zone. There are interest inventories, and I think at some point you can tell the program that you want careers that require a high school diploma. 

 

 

[Lori D.]

Definitely agree that retail and fast food are high stress jobs now (from seeing DSs working those types of positions).

 

Also, a lot of jobs on the previous poster's great list used to be on-the-job training, but sadly, are now requiring 1-year certificates or AAS degrees from vocational-tech schools or community colleges. For example, I worked in as an ortho lab tech while taking classes at the university. It was quiet, worked with things, not people, and I was trained by the lab. However, this may now be one of those jobs that has to go through post-high school education and training to be able to even apply for jobs.

 

I'd suggest looking for jobs that:

- work with things or ideas, not people (typically much less stressful than dealing directly with the public)

- can be learned via on-the-job training

- can be done in the home (again, can drastically reduce stress, and if dealing with depression, easier to keep at it if you don't have to get up and out the door every day)

 

Perhaps something like:

Web Search Evaluator?

Virtual Assistant?

Freelance photo editing for several wedding photographers? Or as in-house photo editor for a graphic design firm or printer?

Office clerk? Billing clerk?

Data Entry?

Interview Transcriptionist? Medical transcription at home? (I know you used to be able to learn this via distance learning)

Parking Lot Attendant? Ticket Taker? Lockerroom / Dressingroom Attendant?

[katilac]

Retail and fast food tend to be fast-paced and have lots of "in the moment" stress (as in, pressure to work quickly during busy times). 

 

Administrative assistant covers a lot of territory; entry-level is generally expected to at least be familiar with Microsoft Office and be good at details. In my area, you can sometimes get these jobs with a h/s diploma and no special training - it will be minimum wage and sometimes part-time or odd hours, but it lets you get experience. 

 

Along those lines, what about government work? I know there is an "office support" civil service test (and many others, of course, but that would be a basic, low-stress one).  With a government job, there are generally decent benefits even when the pay is low, and you can stay at a certain level for a long time or work to move forward.  It can take a while to get hired, and the process can be a pain, but it might be ideal for her situation. 

[basketcase]

Temp work is a possibility, depending on the job market in your area right now. I worked as a temp in the summers after high school and did things like filing medical records; filing and other back-office work at a bank; and opening and sorting mail at a mail-order pharmacy. All were low-stress, did not require contact with customers and had the possibility of permanent work and promotion. If office work isn't interesting, light industrial is a possibility that pays better.