Career Connections: Student Resources
Happenings
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First Day of School
Career Connections -
Senior Internship Applications Begin
Ms. Carson will begin meeting with Seniors during Senior Seminar classes to discuss applications for internships.
Career Connections -
Grade 11 Career Connections Field Trip
Juniors are invited to attend Aerospace Alley, a career fair sponsored by the Aerospace Components Manufacturers, held at the Convention Center in Hartford. signed permission forms are required and must be turned in by October 22.
Career Connections -
ASVAB Career Exploration Program Assessment
The ASVAB Career Exploration program is sponsored by the United States Armed Services and is an opportunity for students to assess their career aptitudes. While the military uses this assessment to determine both acceptance into the military and job placement, they also provide this assessment for school students to assist in career pathway selection. Westbrook uses this assessment as a tool to assist students in career selections and does not report assessment results to the military. See Ms. Carson to sign up. A test interpretation session is scheduled in December.
Career Connections
Explore Career Options with Ten Career Navigation Questions*
As you enter your career journey, reflect on the following ten questions. These questions contribute to your sense of career direction--what you want to do and how to go about getting there once you decide. Consider taking some time to answer these questions in a career journal.
Question 1. What is my "why"? It is important to find work that you care about. The first factor is figuring out how earning money can help you accomplish certain goals or desires. In other words, what is your purpose for earning money? Second, there may be a cause or problem in the world that really tugs at your heart. Does this cause offer clues to career directions you can take? Finally, finding your "why" is understanding the innate benefit that each job or career path brings to the world, whether the job is a private-sector job or working in a nonprofit organization.
Question 2. Do I believe in my ability to succeed? Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset? Do you believe that with sustained effort and experience you can cultivate success (growth mindset), or do you avoid challenges and avoid risks because you think something that is hard to do means you are not able to do it (fixed mindset)?
Question 3. What are my natural talents and aptitudes? Strong aptitudes are natural abilities that make it easier for a person to learn and be good at certain types of work. Taking the ASVAB test in November 2025 can help you identify which aptitudes are strongest and which are weaker. DIscovery of your aptitudes allows you to explore a wider range of careers in which you might be able to excel.
Question 4. What is my work personality and preferred work environment? The Naviance Career Key tool helped you discover the Holland Code category that best fits you: Realistic (hands-on and active), Investigative (requiring intellectual effort to student, conduct research and hypothesize), Artistic (expressive through music, visual arts, writing), Social (helping, teaching, supporting), Enterprising (competing, leading, influencing, and/or Conventional (organizing, creating, and flowing routines). This simple Naviance tool assists in making you more aware about the kinds of activities and tasks you like to do, and how those preferences can play out in different occupations.
Question 5. How much do I want and need to earn to live independently? Developing a basic degree of financial literacy is a key factor in being able to navigate your career path. You need to learn how to create a personal budget, understand the basics of payroll withholding and taxes, save and invest money, and avoid taking on too much high-interest credit card debt or car loan payments. Depending upon where you decide to live, the cost of living will affect how much you will need to earn to make ends meet and to put some aside for savings. The Living Wage Calculator from MIT provides a useful benchmark for how much an adult needs to earn to live on their own or to head a household with different numbers of children.
Question 6. Where do I want to live, and am I willing to move? Where you live is a personal choice, but it is also impacted by the availability of good jobs. This is very important factor to consider as you weight the relative pros and cons of different careers.
Question 7. How much time am I willing to put into preparation for a particular career? When you are considering different career options, how much time, effort, and money are you willing to invest to get what you want? Do you need to get into the workplace right now and plan to work, earn, and learn along the way? Or am I willing to wait four years (or longer) to defer career-level earnings before I enter the field? Questions you need to ask yourself: Can I apply myself to studying for the next one, two, four or more years? Can I see a career path relating to what I plan to study? Is the investment of time worth it for me to find a personally meaningful career path?
Question 8. How much money am I (or my family) willing to put into preparation for a particular career? About half of college students take out loans and when they stop going to school, they have to begin repayment on those loans. For each potential career path, you need to know several facts: What are the average earnings in this career path, especially in my region? What are my entry-level earnings likely to be once I finish the college or training program? Do I need to go somewhere outside of my region to begin my career? How many jobs in this career are likely to be available? How much money will I have to borrow and what will be my monthly repayment rate? How much of my entry-level earnings will be taken up by loan repayments, and will I have enough to pay for my other essential needs? You need to start with a strong plan to finish with success.
Question 9. What do I want most from work? Another way of asking is, "What do I value in the workplace itself?" The Theory of Work Adjustment suggests there are six work values that may be of greater or lesson importance to a person, but you will be happiest in a workplace that matches your personal work values. The work values identified in this theory are: Achievement, Working Conditions, Recognition, Relationships, Support, and Independence. There is a free survey-based assessment related to this theory called the "Work Values Matcher." Understanding these work values gives you another tool to decide between different job opportunities.
Question 10. In light of my answers to these questions, what is my basic career fit? You can use technology tools like Naviance AchieveWorks Profiler, Career Cluster Finder, Strengths Explorer, and Career Interest Profiler or the ASVAB Career Exploration Assessment to begin looking at a variety of occupations that match to your natural aptitudes and interests. By weighing all of the factors from the first nine questions and the information you discover about yourself from Naviance, you can begin to reach "for now" decisions about your best fit career path. My "why" + belief in my abilities + My innate aptitudes + My preferred work environment = Career Options A, B, and C. Now look at additional factors based and weigh each career option "Does the answer weigh in favor of the career (+1), Is it neutral (+0), or does this answer weigh against the career (-1). Weigh each of the following factors using these questions: Where I want to live (+1, +0, -1). How much time I will devote to school to prepare for the career (+1, +0, -1), How much money I'm able to invest in school (+1, +0, -1), How much money I need to earn (+1, +0, -1), and what I want from the workplace (+1, +0, -1). How do the career options rank now? If it still unclear to you what career options fit you, be sure to talk with parents, school counselors, the school's career/readiness coordinator, and other trusted adults for input on what might be the best options for you.
Take advantage of Career Navigation Skills through Portrait of a Graduate Activities and Career-Connected Learning Activities offered at Westbrook High School give you time and opportunities to explore your best fit career options.
* Adapted from Meeder, Hans. Preparing Tomorrow's Workforce. YouScience Media, 2024.
Job Board
From time to time, employers contact Westbrook High school with opportunities for employment. Stop in to see Ms. Carson with questions you may have. Check back often, as this list will be updated when new opportunities come up. Here is the most recent list of opportunities:
- Lighthouse Printing in Old Saybrook is seeking a part time summer assistant to help with printing, answering phones, etc. The hours flexible and could be in the morning or afternoon. This is a great job for a rising Junior or Senior or a recent graduate. Call 860-388-2677 for more information. This could become a part time job during the school year
- Mother's Helper Position. A local Westbrook family is looking for a young lady to be a mother's helper to assist with two young boys. This is a perfect summer job for a 9th or 10th grade student. Get in touch with Ms. Carson if you are interested in this position. The pay is hourly at the "going rate."
- Hog Wild Smokin' Cue at the Westbrook Town Beach is looking for a part time employee to work 20 hours per week during the summer season. The season opens on Memorial Day weekend and runs through October 15. If you are interested, please contact Mr. John Annello at 860-661-2000 or by email at annellojohn@sbcglobal.net Opens in a new browser tab .
- Looking for a babysitting position? A local resident is seeking a part time babysitter for one to three afternoons per week for three hours each of the days. This position is ideal for a senior with a study hall who is able to leave school during the last period of the day. The position is open beginning after spring break until the end of the school year with the potential of occasional summer employment. Please see Ms. Carson for further details.
- Killingworth True Value is hiring for part-time student associates who can provide customers with excellent service. You must be able to work after school one or two days and work at least one weekend day for a total of 12 to 16 hours per week. Heavy lifting is required. This is a year-round position. You must be 16 years old to apply. Applications are available at the front registers or online at www.killingworthtruevalue.com Opens in a new browser tab . Pay is $16.00 per hour.
- Shayna B's By the Sea is looking for a part time front of the house worker to answer phones, take orders, handle cash, bagging up cookie orders, etc. The restaurant is at 631 Boston Post Road in Westbrook. If you are interested, please call 860-339-3144 and ask for Shayna. If you are an interested senior interested in pursuing a career in hospital and tourism/culinary, this could work into a paid internship for your Senior Project Seminar Class. Talk to Ms. Carson about the internship thing, but call the restaurant directly if you are interested in employment.
- The Ivoryton Tavern is looking for kitchen help. The Tavern is under new ownership. Some of you met Mr. Shane during our advisory lessons on business ethics. He has just purchased the Tavern and spend some time renovating. See Ms. Carson for more information.
- Seeking an occasional babysitter. Mr. Kevin Pryor, a local Westbrook resident, is seeking babysitters for his 11 year old granddaughter who lives with he and his wife. If you are interested in babysitting, please call Mr. Pryor at 203-922-2161.
- Goodwill Southern New England is hiring. You may have met Ms. Baptie, HR Specialist for Goodwill, in the cafeteria during this past school year. The Clinton Goodwill store is hiring. Apply at www.goodwillsne.org Opens in a new browser tab .
- Shop Rite is seeking part time afternoon workers. They will work with your schedule and are very flexible even if you can only work two days a week. Stop by the store in Clinton and ask for the manager, or apply online.
- Masonicare at Chester Village in Chester seeks to hire Westbrook students for several wait staff positions at their independent senior living community. If you are 16 yrs old or older you may apply for positions in their dining rom, bistro, and kitchen. You can go to Masonicare at anytime to hear about the Masonicare community and the opportunities available. This community is a wonderful and rewarding first job for young people as they gain experience on every level; teamwork, social, generational and business while being in a very supportive environment. Masonicare appreciates all of the students at WHS who have worked there in the past and throughout their college years as it has been a wonderful experience for both the Masonicare staff and the residents they serve. They offer a scholarship program for students who work at least 200 hours within a year. They look forward to meeting new students !
- Essex Meadows is hiring part time servers and bussers for their dining room and for their nursing home. You must be 16 years old to apply. The pay rate is $17.16 per hour, and there are opportunities for scholarships if you plan to attend college after high school. Stop by Essex Meadows office for an application, or email the Human Resources Director, Ms. Michelle Davis, at davism@essexmeadows.com Opens in a new browser tab .
Links to Industry Career Panels
Do you want to hear about careers from Westbrook business/industry partners? Follow the links below to view moderated industry career panels co-sponsored by Westbrook High School and Junior Achievement.
- Click here to watch the recording of the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Panel. Westbrook Career Connections, Junior Achievement and the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Virtual Career Fair collaborated to produce a virtual Advanced Manufacturing Industry Panel. Watch the recording to hear some wonderful advice from leading manufacturers in the Westbrook area. They provide excellent advice and share opportunities for employment. Participants included Bo Bradstreet, moderator, Executive Recruiter and Consultant, Bohan and Bradstreet; Oliver Bausch, President and Owner, Bausch Technologies; Jeff Dickey, Executive Vice President of Hydraulics, The Lee Company; Bill Neale, Director of Operations (retired) Radiall USA; and, Christopher Heyl, Vice President of Operations, CiDRA.
- Click here to watch the recording of the Government Employees Industry Panel. Westbrook Career Connections, Junior Achievement and the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Virtual Career Fair collaborated to produce this virtual Industry Panel. Panelists provide excellent advice and share opportunities for employment. Participants represented the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the CT Judicial Branch, and the CT Department of Public Health. The panel was moderated by Sumayya Ayoub, Senior Education Manager at Junior Achievement.
- Click here to watch the recording of the Sports and Sports Entertainment Industry panel. Professionals from the industry described their occupations and career journeys and gave students some important tips for career success.
- Consider an apprenticeship in the building trades as a post high school education option. Apprenticeships offer tuition-free training, and you get to earn while you learn on the job. Click here for information about apprenticeships in the construction trades (electricians, brick masons, carpenters, construction workers, boilermakers, painters, pipelayers, etc.).
- Click here for a video of the Medical/Health Industry Panel discussion on December 10, 2019. Professionals from the industry described their occupations and their career journeys. Learn what you can do in high school to be successful in the field.
Student Resources
- Developing Compelling Resumes.pdf Opens in a new browser tab
- What should I be doing in high school to get ready for my career? Opens in a new browser tab
- Successful Career Fair and Job Shadowing Opens in a new browser tab
- Occupational Outlook Handbook Opens in a new browser tab
- CT Department of Labor Job and Career Connection Resources Opens in a new browser tab
- Find Occupations Based on Your Skills and Interests (My Next Move) Opens in a new browser tab
- The CT Office of Apprenticeship Training Opens in a new browser tab
- CT Career Paths Opens in a new browser tab
- Preparing for Work
- Tips for Virtual interviews.docx
- LinkedIn Overview Opens in a new browser tab