Career Coaching
Your Future
Making life decisions are very difficult and complex no matter what age you are or background you come from. Below are some tools you can use to help you make decisions and continue to move forward toward your dreams and goals.
Career Research
Housing
Before you embark on your career research, you may want to determine what your end goal (i.e., lifestyle) is. An idea, would be to determine which state you would like to live in, from there, define, the city, neighborhood and finally pick a house that is for sale in that neighborhood and figure out what the monthly mortgage would be. Multiply that monthly payment by 12 and set the projected annual monthly payment aside. You can use the following tool to do so:
Transportation
Use the above tool to determine your monthly payments for a car or anything else you may anticipate you will be need to get a loan from the bank to purchase. Always multiply the monthly amount times 12 and set the number aside.
Essentials
A average estimate for living essentials (i.e., insurance, utilities, food, etc) is approximately $1,500 to $2,000 per month. Of course it can be less or more. This is a good guide to use when you are doing your career research. The annual total would be between $18,000 and $24,000.
Annual Income
Add your projected housing, transportation, and essential numbers together. Now you have an idea of how much you need to make from your career to support the lifestyle you have chosen. Use the tool below to help you design a monthly income:
Funding Source
There are several sites that offer career research tests, take at least 3 tests and look for career paths that show up in the results of all three tests. Once you have researched three careers, determine which career path best suits your needs and passion.
College Applications
Now you are ready to choose which school and program is the best fit for you. As you are researching it is difficult to keep all of your information straight and in a format that is easily accessible. Use the tool below to track the colleges you apply for and the information you need.
Application Record Sheet 
Application Record with Examples
Financial Aid
Applying for financial aid is critical to beginning a college career. Below are two documents that will help you track your financial aid progress.
Financial Aid Username and Password
Financial Aid Username and Password with Examples
Financial Aid Record Sheet
Remember, you have not completed the financial process until you can answer how much aid you will or will not receive in summer, fall, winter and spring quarters of the academic year you apply for.
Scholarships
Scholarships are accessible to everyone to apply for. If you are applying for several, you may want to use the document below to track which scholarships you have applied and where you are at in the process of each one.
Scholarship Record Sheet
Scholarship Record with Examples
To Do Checklists
Applying and going to college can be extremely time sensitive. Missing a deadline can be detrimental to your plans and timelines that you have set-up for yourself. Use the document below to track critical due dates so you are not caught unaware:
To Do Check List
To Do Check List with Examples
Beginning Your Career
Resumes and Master Application
Beginning your career can be intimidating and will require you to be on top of your game in yet another way. Below is a template that you may use as a master application. This tool is especially helpful when you are applying for positions online because you can copy from it and paste directly onto online applications.
Interview Questions
Once you have secured an interview, you may want to use the two documents below to help you prepare for that interview. The first document is a list of 20 interview questions and hints as to what employers are looking for in the answers. The second document is the same 20 questions with room for you to type your own answers in it.
Interview Questions with Hints
Interview Questions
Questions? Contact a Career Coach for help.
Lisa Fritch, 425-388-9984