Post High School Pathways
This type of education program typically takes 2-3 years and teaches specific job skills like plumbing or electrical work.
What is trade school?
You're having trouble understanding your math homework. Name one person who could be in your corner to help.
Who is a teacher, tutor, friend, parent, or older sibling?
This is a set payment from an employer, usually paid weekly or every other week, often stated as an annual amount.
What is salary?
For example, a $26,000 annual salary equals $500 per week or $1,000 every two weeks.
This is a plan for how you will spend your money on different aspects of your life.
What is a budget?
True or False: The lifestyle you want to live determines how much money you need to earn.
What is True?
Name two alternatives to traditional 4-year college mentioned in the curriculum.
What are trade schools, apprenticeships, coding boot camps, or community colleges?
These are three examples of titles that trustworthy people in your life might have.
What are parent, teacher, friend, coach, counselor, mentor, etc.?
Trustworthy individuals can have many different roles in your life - what matters is that you trust them to help you.
This is the amount of money paid based on hours worked multiplied by an hourly rate.
What is wage?
If you work 20 hours at $15/hour, you'd earn $300 for that week.
Name three categories that people typically include in their monthly budget.
What are housing, food, transportation, utilities, entertainment, clothes, insurance, education, savings, etc.? (any 3)
If your dream lifestyle costs $4,000 per month, this is the minimum you need to earn per month to afford it.
What is $4,000 (or more)?
Post-high school education is accessible to all students regardless of these five factors.
What are race/ethnicity, gender, income, citizenship status, and being a first-generation college student?
True or False: You should always be able to identify exactly who can help you with every problem.
What is False?
Sometimes you might feel lost and can't identify who to turn to - that's okay! You can reach out to a counselor or trusted adult to help figure out who might be best to help.
Salespeople often earn this - a percentage of the selling price paid to the person who made the sale.
What is a commission?
For example, a 2% commission on a $100,000 home sale would be $2,000.
This is what happens when you spend more money than you earn, often requiring you to borrow.
What is debt?
These two things about a job tell you whether you could afford your desired lifestyle (hint: they're related to money and qualifications).
What are salary/pay and required skills or education/degree?
Explain the difference between a scholarship and a grant, and why both are better than student loans for paying for college
What is: Scholarships are awarded based on merit (grades, sports, talents) while grants are usually based on financial need; both are better than loans because you don't have to pay them back, helping you avoid debt?
You're feeling stressed about your future and don't know which career path to choose. Name two different people who could help and explain how they might help differently.
Who are school counselor (career guidance), parent/family (life experience), teacher (academic advice), or mentor in a field you're interested in (real-world perspective)?
A McDonalds worker earning $15 per hour who works 20 hours would make this much for the week.
What is $300?
Calculate it: $15 × 20 hours = $300
According to the lesson, forming a budget is especially important when this happens in your work life.
What is when you first enter the workforce or switch jobs?
You realize your dream lifestyle costs more than the career you're interested in pays. Name two solutions to this problem.
What is: adjust your lifestyle to cost less, look for higher-paying careers in your field, gain additional skills/education to earn more, or find additional income sources?
Name three things students can do in middle school and high school to increase their chances of earning scholarships for college.
What are: maintain good grades/GPA, participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer in the community, develop special talents/skills, or take challenging courses?
Explain why it's important to identify your support system BEFORE you face a difficult situation or pressure.
What is: being prepared helps you respond better to pressure, you already know who to trust, it's easier to reach out when you've thought about it beforehand, etc.?
Explain the difference between being paid a salary versus an hourly wage, and give one advantage of each.
What is: Salary = fixed amount regardless of hours (advantage: predictable income); Wage = paid per hour worked (advantage: can earn more by working more hours)?
Explain why creating a budget can help you 'save money for a rainy day' and avoid debt.
What is: A budget shows exactly how much you have to spend, prevents overspending, helps you plan for expenses, and allows you to set aside money for emergencies or unexpected situations?
Explain the connection between the education or skills needed for a career and the lifestyle that career can support.
What is: careers requiring more education/specialized skills typically pay more, which allows you to afford a more expensive lifestyle; understanding this helps you plan your education path based on your lifestyle goals?