Venture Concept No. 2

Opportunity
As a student on the verge of graduating college and about to start my career, I realized that there was a major problem with our education system. Our schools educate and prepare us for the academic rigor of higher education. Our institutions of higher education prepare us for the challenges we are to face in our careers. However, there is no organization or program, private or government funded, that connects the two key stepping stones in our professional careers and guides us towards the right careers for us. Whether they know it or not, every student K-12 has a need for career guidance, especially in their middle school and high school years. Currently, the only source of career guidance the average high school student receives is from their parents or their guidance counselors. This however is not enough if we want to give our future generations the best chance to pursue the best career for them. This is a huge opportunity to improve our education system and make in more efficient and effective. This opportunity however will only last until someone else steps up to address this need. If the solution can be applied nationwide, it could help millions of students save time, money, and could help them fulfill their potential.

Innovation & Venture Concept

What students need is an innovative program that guides them along the right career path as they transition into high school and eventually college. The innovative program would have to implement several key features:

• Career shadowing program
• Professional mentorship
• Career counseling
• In depth academic analysis

The career shadowing aspect of the program would expose the students to different professions and careers in various industries. This shadowing program would help students explore their career interests and perhaps introduce them to something they had not considered before. This exposure to different careers would help eliminate, create and modify career options as the student understands that that career in greater depth.

The program would also assign mentors who can connect with the students and help guide them along, answering any questions or concerns that the students may have. These mentors would change as the students’ interests and career direction changes.

The program would also provide counsel and career advice as the student progresses through his education. By periodically meeting with a trained career counselor the student can continue to narrow his career choices as he approaches graduation.

By working together with the student’s schools, the program can analyze the student’s academic strengths and weaknesses. Having a clear picture of where the student excels academically, the program can help guide the student toward a career he can be successful in.

Although this program is initially intended to be part of a nonprofit organization, it could be
privatized and its services could be sold to private schools. The price of these services have not been established yet since I have no idea would be an appropriate price. That being said I think there will be many parents, students, and schools interested in this idea because it is a major issue as the students begin college. And seeing as there is currently no competitors, I think it would be easy to capture the interests of many students nationwide. The most important thing is to have this service available to as many people as possible, and to give them the best experience they could have. And being a non-profit, we can rely on other organizations or on government support to help finance our services.

Three Minor Elements
I think my most important resource will be my clear vision for this venture and my motivation to make this idea a reality and a success.


The next service the program could provide could be connecting students to different internships or volunteering opportunities that could help them on their professional journey. Another possible step for the program is to partner with companies like Monster.com that can help connect students to jobs and or internships.


In five years I want this venture to gather enough support to be implemented at least locally. As I evolve as an entrepreneur, I will try to make this venture a reality and get it to the point where it can grow steadily and continue to help students as I move to the next venture. In the following decade I want to have gained enough experience with this venture so I can start to work in the business side of the design industry.

Summary of Feedback
Most of the feedback I got was other students relating to the issue and opportunity at hand. A lot of them reinforced the fact that they never got the proper help as far as career counseling and that they believe it is a good idea. One suggestion that I got was to create partnerships with companies like Monster.com so they can connect students with job opportunities. 

Changes
I thought the suggestion to partner with job search companies like Monster.com was a great idea so I included that in the future plans of the program.