Summer break is coming to an end and the brand-new school year will begin early this September. With a new term comes new grade twelve students who will soon be making important decisions about their future.
Trent Whippler is a Career Guidance Counsellor at Weyburn Comprehensive School. He says one of the most important considerations is passion.
"It does very much depend on your passion. Is it something that you really want to pursue? And you also have to keep in mind, you might get there, and take it for a year, you might not find it's what you want."
Applications for post-secondary institutions open as early as September.
"You want to get a feel for what your application dates [are] and what's needed and things like that."
"Some of the trade programs at Sask Polytech, they start taking [applications] in early September. Sask Polytech is generally taking applications sooner than universities do. There are some other programs at Sask Polytech that start taking them in October, November. Generally, November, December or even October is when you can start looking at some of the university programs."
Whippler names the school's reputation, costs, and locations as important considerations when selecting a school. Campus life and living accommodations also come into play, alongside the required classes and grade averages, especially for more competitive programs. He stresses the importance of giving a lot of thought to decisions about pursuing post-secondary education.
" If you're going to pay the money, you want to make sure that you're committed to seeing the process through."
When looking at funding, Whippler mentions various sources to find scholarships.
"On Microsoft Teams, we have a team set up for our grade twelves. And whenever we get a scholarship, and we get a lot of them coming in from all around North America, we'll put them up there, and students can look there and see, oh, does that apply to me? Is this something I'm interested in?"
Otherwise, he says there are local scholarships offered by businesses and organizations in town, scholarships through post-secondary institutions, and many to be found by simply looking online.
"We do try and keep our students informed. But as much as there is out there and that are connected to the school and the local community, there's tons out there that are just there waiting."
The Weyburn Comprehensive School is hosting a career fair this year to further help students find information about careers, schools, and scholarships. Surrounding schools will also be able to attend.
"That is everything from post-secondary institutions to local employers that come in and talk about their profession and what it takes to work in their field. It's a really great event for kids to get a sense of what's out there for them."