We are often told that each choice you make now will impact your future. This is not quite the case; high school is a great time to try and narrow down what you’re passionate about. There is never one path in life and especially when choosing a career. Luckily Eastlake has many resources to help. At Eastlake there are three main programs designed to help you explore various opportunities. These are the Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, the Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC), and your high school and beyond plan.
CTE Classes are essentially dual credit courses. They offer credit at Eastlake along the pathway to graduation and can get you college credit through the pnwcollegecredit.org website. These are courses such as photography, computer science, and anatomy and physiology. For a full list of the CTE dual credit courses you can look on the Pacific North West College Credit website through this link, https://www.pnwcollegecredit.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CREDIT-SHEET-LakeWash-SD.pdf.
But the pathways don’t end there! One of the other main programs is the Washington Network for Innovative Careers or WANIC. WANIC is very similar to running start and is an off-campus activity. These programs take you to different campuses around the LWSD district to offer more classes and opportunities. WANIC’s deadline to apply is on April 15th and may be offering new courses such as Core Plus Aerospace and Core Plus Maritime. For a full list of current courses check the WANIC webpage at https://wanic.lwsd.org/academics/course-catalog. The new courses will be revealed in late January or early February.
Another way to find your passion is using all the elements of your High School and Beyond plan (HSBP). The HSBP is a state requirement and uses various elements such as personality quizzes to try and help guide students into a career path they want to do. Most of the elements inside the HSBP take around 30 minutes and can be instrumental in helping students prepare for their future.
The bottom line is that no one knows what their future holds. While some do have plans for their future in high school most end up finding their passion later in life. It is important to remember that you can always change your pathway. High school is a great time to explore your options and find the best pathway for you.