Many students think of the Career Center as a place where they go once a year during English class to look for possible careers, majors, and colleges. However, to those who look forward to their education and careers after high school, the Career Center is a vital tool in planning their future.



Pat Carter, Mary Herold, and Alma Magaña serve as the counselors. They provide SAT and ACT information, let students use the computers to apply to schools, and provide help in the UC and CSU application process. All three counselors attend UC and CSU counselor conferences to assist students who want to apply to those types of universities.

SAT and ACT prep books can be checked out of the Career Center, and schedules of when free SAT prep classes held at the school take place are posted. Students can also obtain recommendations to websites, where they can receive more help and review sample questions for both major tests. There are fee waivers available to students who are in need of financial aid. The fee waivers will also cut the application fees of three private universities, six California State Universities, and four Universities of California.



The Career Center also provides college exploration programs. Two are internet-based, so students can access them from both the Career Center and home. Students must pick up login information and passwords at the Career Center. The other program is on a CD-ROM. All three programs have information about job trends, salaries, and education requirements for specific careers. The college sections contain information about the admission process, test requirements, and enrollment majors at different colleges.



Although there has been an increase in students coming to the Career Center and using many of the programs that have been purchased for them, Herold hopes that many more will come and use the programs.

“It’s such a great resource at their fingertips and even if they aren’t using it here, I wish they would use it at home because they have almost every piece of information that they could ask for available to them,” Herold said.

Even though the Internet is an incredibly helpful tool to find information on colleges, the Career Center counselors suggest that students attend presentations by admissions officers of any colleges they are interested in.



“It’s nice to have the admissions counselor come and talk to the students because they can give you a realistic, personal view of the school, because, not always but a lot of the time, those admissions counselors are people who have just graduated from that college,” Herold said.



Admissions counselors can provide inside information that is otherwise unavailable on the Internet or college brochure.



“Sometimes it’s just easier to talk to a person and get questions answered, or they might give you information that you never thought to ask. They can tell you what they think of the food or dorms,” Herold said.

Along with college admission information, the Career Center offers a peer-tutoring program. Students who would like to be tutored or participate as peer tutors can inform the counselors. A benefit of joining the tutoring program through the Career Center is that there is always a place for students to meet because it is open before school, during lunch, and after school, which gives much needed flexibility to students who need tutoring.



“[The students] are able to have as tutors their fellow classmates, who often have not only taken the same course, but had the same teacher, which makes them well aware of that teacher’s expectations and style of teaching,” Carter said.



The counselors are happy to help students fill out job applications, obtain work permits, and put together résumés and cover letters. Students should not be afraid to come to the Career Center and ask the counselors questions.

“We’re here for the students—to make them successful after they leave high school. Whether they choose to go straight into college or work… we want them to leave with the tools they need to be successful,” Herold said.