Opportunity Next Colorado offers free education and career coaching to Colorado Class of 2024 high school and GED graduates. Sign up today to meet with a coach.

Figuring out how to reach your goals after high school isn’t easy, and the path from high school to continuing education and a career isn’t a straight line. But you’re not alone! As you navigate what to do next, a coach can help you reach your goals and overcome bumps along the way. The best part? You decide when and how often to meet and what you’d like to focus on. A coach empowers you to identify what you need and how to get there. 

“Coaching played a huge part in my college career… It changed the whole trajectory of college and what I want to do with my career path.” — Charles Montano, CO Class of 2020

What topics can you discuss with a coach?

Opportunity Next coaches can help you create a personalized game plan across seven focus areas:

• academics
• career 
• finances
• managing commitments
• school community
• wellness
• motivation

‍Academics‍

As you continue your education, a coach can help you strengthen your study skills, advocate for yourself, develop plans for tackling projects, and more.

Career

Talking through your interests, values, and skills with a coach can help you identify potential careers to explore. Sometimes you already know what field you want to pursue, but you aren’t sure how to get there. A coach can be a partner to brainstorm how your coursework or training connects to future jobs in Colorado — and help you map out steps to get closer to your goals. 

Finances

Navigate how to pay for college or other continuing education programs by creating a personalized game plan or building a budget with your coach to manage day-to-day expenses like housing, food, and transportation so you don’t have unexpected gaps in funding.

Managing commitments

You have a lot going on in your life. You might be juggling school, work, child or sibling care, or other family commitments. A coach can work with you to create a time management plan so your education and career goals stay on track.

School community

When you start college or a training program, you join a new community of peers and instructors. Is your program a good fit? Do you feel good about your selection? Do you feel connected to the people and resources around you? A coach can support you as you engage with your new community and cultivate a sense of belonging. 

Wellness

When you feel your best, physically and mentally, you do your best. A coach can help you find the right resources to address challenges keeping you from feeling — and doing — the best you can.

Motivation

Understanding why you’re pursuing education after high school can help you stay motivated. Articulating your “why” can help you stay focused, reach your goals faster, and kickstart your career — especially when things feel challenging.

How does a coach support you?

In your first conversation, a coach will work with you to learn about your goals and what you want to work on. They’ll ask you questions to learn more about you, listening in a judgment-free space.

“Oftentimes, [coaching] is just asking questions. Everyone has their own story.” — Lisa Thompson, Coach

You’ll work with your coach remotely and can connect with them by phone or text – whichever method works best for you.

What can you expect during a coaching conversation?

Each coaching conversation is different depending on your needs, but here’s an example of how a coach helped one student connect their college studies to potential careers.

Tamia was a student majoring in healthcare information management working with her coach, Kelly. Tamia was wondering about jobs after graduation and stability in her chosen field. She asked, “Is this a field that will remain relevant in 10 years, and is there room to grow?”

Kelly framed the conversation by explaining that she’s not a job forecaster or expert in the healthcare field. But as a coach, she can guide Tamia towards relevant resources that can offer insight. Additionally, Tamia learned about informational interviews and how they can help her learn more about specific careers. Together, Tamia and Kelly came up with a list of relevant questions around the longevity of jobs in her field, general job expectations, and opportunities for advancement. Then they discussed who to talk to — starting with Tamia’s professor.

By the time they met again, Tamia had completed two informational interviews — one with her professor and another from her professor's network. Armed with real-world information, Tamia grew confident that her chosen path was a good fit for her in the short and long term. 

How can I connect with a coach?

Sign up for education and career coaching today and a coach will reach you by phone, email, or text to schedule your first session.