UtahFutures.org, a website that students can use to plan ahead and get some direction for what comes after college in terms of careers, held two seminars for students on Tuesday, October 4, at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
Whether you are undeclared, declared, or just majoring in general studies, Utah Futures is built to help.
“It’s easy to go graduate and panic because you didn’t plan afterwards,” said Sukimo Martinez of Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority, a partner of Utah Futures.
The website gives students a variety of places to start, by searching job fields, degrees and education, and for those that are undecided, a variety of assessment tests that examines the answers and gives ratings and options according to how it was answered.
The SKILLS Assessment tests is one of those assessments. Students are asked to list five very satisfying skills, 10 moderate, and 20 somewhat satisfying skills. Based on the information given, a list is generated of both educational paths and job fields with a rating of what would best fit how those skills were ranked.
From there, selecting any of the fields displayed takes students to a separate page filled with more information, such as what kind of education is required, which colleges offer degrees for that field, what the job duties are, whether or not that field is in demand and how much on average it pays, not only locally but also throughout the country for students who plan on moving elsewhere.
Utah Futures adds a fun twist to finding out what fields are of interest by adding a survey called “Reality Check” where one can go and choose how one would want to live in the future, like driving a big SUV, owning a house and overall “living the dream.” Once all the lifestyle choices are chosen, the survey adds up how much yearly income is needed to maintain that kind of lifestyle including how much state and federal taxes will have to be paid along with that income. Its main focus here is to give students a reality check about how much it costs to maintain a certain lifestyle. Following this survey Utah Futures shows which job fields in the Utah area pay enough to live that lifestyle.
Utah Futures isn’t all about showing what types of degrees and job fields are out there. The site gives free study tools and guides to assist in furthering a student’s education from a bachelor’s up to a doctorate. It also offers GRE study guides, math tutorials and more.
Utah Futures also has the resources to help with building and managing a professional resume, searching and finding information about scholarships and seeing what jobs are currently available and who is hiring now in the local market through one of the many state run partners.
“While in college your interests and your choices are going to change quickly when learning new material. Utah Futures is a valuable guide post to help make informed decisions,” said Martinez.
Utahfutures.org was created in 2009 with its partners Utah State Office of Education, Utah System of Higher Education, Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority, Department of Workforce Services, Utah State Library and Gear Up.
