Careers - José

Hey. Are you ready to check out the career section from the Texas Transition & Employment Guide or the Guide, as we call it? Trust me. This video can really help you get set up for a successful career after high school. My name is Jose. I'm sixteen years old and go to Rio High School in the Valley. In this video, I'll take you on a walkthrough of the career section of the Guide. You know, I had no idea where to start or what to do when it came to finding a job. My aunt told me finding employment was just another step toward adulthood. Then I had a teacher show me the Guide. I realized that finding a good job is about matching my interests and strengths to something I want to do. Like Jenny said in the Transition Planning and My Rights video, we are here to help. I'm going to share with you some of the tips my teacher and aunt shared with me. For starters, think about the people in your life. Who can you go to for advice or ask if you have questions? Having someone you can talk with makes a difference when setting your goals. It seems like adults love to ask, what are you going to do after graduation? You're probably starting to hear that a lot. Right? Well, here are some starter questions I use from the Guide to help me begin planning for the future. Do you need more than a high school diploma for your future job? If yes, what other degrees or certificates do you need for the job? And where can you get them? Do you want to work in a large or small business or even have your own business? What salary do you need for the life you wanna live? Finally, would you like to volunteer? You're off to a great start if you can answer some of those questions. My teacher told me and my aunt that I might be eligible for financial help, for training, or certifications if a job I was interested in required it. You might be eligible too. My teacher and transition specialist connected me to the Texas Workforce Solutions Vocational Rehabilitation Services this year. So I could start getting the employment support I needed. It was awesome. I got help with things like writing a resume, getting a job, and finding camps for after school in summer. It turns out vocational rehabilitation can help while you're in school if you qualify for something called Pre-Employment Transition Services, sometimes it's called PRE-ETS. Something else I learned from the Guide is that I was able to get accommodations at work. That was a shock. I thought I would only get those at school. Some job accommodations include American sign language interpreters, visual support, extended breaks, checklists, writing software, and so much more. If you're curious about other accommodations your current or future employer may provide, check out the career section of the guide. Here's something I bet you didn't know. Texas is an employment-first state. This means it's the state's priority to make sure that everyone who wants to work can work and earn enough money to live on while working in the community with everyone else. One thing is for sure. The sooner you start preparing for a job, the better. Don't wait until after high school. Start now. The career section in the Guide will really help you get going. An excellent suggestion from the Guide was to meet with my school counselor. So I did. That's how I found out about different graduation plans and the classes I would have to take depending on which plan I chose. Counselors are great, so get to know yours. Ever heard about Career and Technical Education or CTE courses? Well, the counselor at your school can help you learn about them and decide which ones are best for you. CTE courses can give you the experience and skills you may need to get a job. My ARD Committee helped me to decide on the right CTE courses for me. I'm taking CTE courses to get certified as a pharmacy technician before I graduate. That is my plan. Not everybody is sure of what they wanna do. In the assistance section of the Guide, you can find more information about support for careers. It has a list of resources to help you start planning. My favorite is Career One Stop. This site matched my strengths, needs, and preferences to the perfect career for me. Look, when choosing a career, you'll probably change your mind a million times. I know I did. First, I wanted to be a pro football player, then a vet, then a doctor, And now I'm set on being a pharmacist. Changing your mind is okay. Remember to dream big and don't let your disability limit your imagination. You can have the career you wanna have, but you've got to work for it. In the career section of the Guide, you can find some resources that can help you transition from school to adult life in the job force. I hope this video helped Guide you to explore your future career options. Don't forget to check out the other videos in this series to learn more about using the Guide to plan your transition.