Heights High School Students Have a Powerful New Career Tool

The Hasbrouck Heights Board of Education knows that the first step to preparing high school students for college or technical school is to arm them with information, because after all, knowledge is power. In order to accomplish this goal the board has recently adopted Naviance, a powerful software program that allows students to research different careers—some they may never have heard of.

Naviance then takes things a few steps further by matching career choices with higher learning institutions that offer courses in that field.

Student volunteers were on hand during this week’s college fair to demonstrate the software that is now up and running. Alex Sisco, a junior at the high school, skillfully showed how simple the software is to use.

“It is fully customizable” explained Sisco. “The student can enter his or her SAT or ACT scores, create a profile, and search for jobs or majors that look interesting. Then they can click to see what colleges or technical schools would suit their needs and if they have the grades to get in.”

In seconds a student can pick a career choice such as nutritionist and instantly see every school in the U.S. that offers nutrition programs. Moreover, full information on each school including size, cost, location and entrance requirements are just a click away.

High school guidance counselor Kathy Stevenson is leading the roll out of Naviance. Currently juniors have been fully instructed on the software but the plan is not only to roll it out to all high school students but middle schoolers as well.

“I would like to get the sixth graders using the software so they can get into a mindset about what the options are for the future," said Stevenson. “They can build a profile and mark jobs and career options down as they go. Then when it comes time to apply to school they will have an entire history of everything they have ever considered.”

Many colleges are directly connected to Naviance and it is likely that more will move in that direction in the near future. SAT scores, school transcripts, and teacher recommendations, and some college applications such as the common application can be completed right through the software.

Parents are also able to use Naviance which can be accessed from anywhere. Because it is a web-based program all that is needed is a log-in so parents and students can use Naviance from home.