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So who do you
ask for help? Your high school career counselor? Declining
budgets and shrinking staffing have left the average high
school counselor with nearly 500 students under his or her
care. If your school has a career counselor, their workload,
plus the general anti-military bias found in education
today, means that they will be of little help.
That leaves military
recruiters. Military recruiters have detailed information,
but they are advocates for only their branch of service, and
have quotas to fill. The individual student's best interests
may not be their first priority.
For these reasons, the
Institute offers the Virtual Online Guide, and a
Military Education and Career Counseling Program for
young men and women who are interested in either enlisted or
commissioned (officer) programs.
While being pro-military, the
Olympic Institute is not biased toward one branch of the
armed forces over another. Our counselors work with each
individual to help them clarify their educational and career
goals, and, based upon their qualifications, advise them as
to which branch, occupational specialty or enlistment
program might best meet their goals. An Institute counselor
will provide initial free counseling with individual students and/or
their families via phone, fax or email.
For those who are committed
to making application to federal service academies, ROTC
programs, college scholarships, etc., and who want
professional assistance in doing so, the Institute offers
fee-based guidance and mentoring programs.
Click here to go to
Olympic Institute's main website.
Contact information
for Military Education and Career Counseling Program
Click Here
Why a Virtual Online Guide for Military
Education and Careers?
There is a
crisis in the availability of career consultants in our
nation's high schools. Declining budgets and shrinking
staffing have left the average high school counselor with
nearly 500 students under his or her care. Busy parents
frequently don't have enough time to research all the
options and then counsel and encourage their children.
Consequently, many students are left on their own to
navigate four years of high school with little or no help
planning for the future.
Without
counseling, guidance and encouragement, many students do not
graduate from high school, or they graduate with low grades
and SAT scores. These students may not even consider higher
education, or be able to qualify if they did apply. The
increasing cost of higher education is another deterrent.
Generally, these youth end up stuck in low-skill, minimum
wage jobs.
A military
education and career is a viable option for most students.
Entrance requirements range widely from enlisted to officer
programs, but both enlisted and officer ranks are afforded
significant educational and career opportunities, wages and
benefits vastly superior to a minimum wage civilian job,
even at the lowest enlisted ranks. In addition to providing
an education and career, military service affords
opportunity for honorable and patriotic national service.
However, the military is often overlooked when youth are
considering their future.
If a college
education is a priority for your son, daughter or student,
the military might be one of the best ways to meet that
goal. From military service academies to military colleges,
the ROTC, credit and tuition support programs, there are
many options available to young people today. For many, the
military has proven to be the perfect preparation for life
in college.
As you can see
from Education Opportunities
section above, pay and benefits in today's armed forces are
substantial for both enlisted and officer ranks.
ASVAB/ASFQT
All applicants
for the armed forces must pass a written examination--the
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). One test
in that battery is the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT).
The military will not accept an applicant who scores below
the level passed by 90% (tenth percentile) of the test
takers.
Every year
over a million young men and women take the AFQT and other
tests in the ASVAB as part of their high school counseling
service to provide guidance on career directions. The ASVAB
is the most widely used multiple aptitude test battery in
the world.
The ASVAB
Career Exploration Program is intended for use with students
in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades. It is a comprehensive
career exploration and planning program that includes a
multiple aptitude test battery, an interest inventory, and
various career planning tools designed to help students
explore the world of work. Results of the aptitude test and
the interest inventory enable students to evaluate their
skills, estimate performance in academic and vocational
endeavors, and identify potentially satisfying careers. The
ASVAB was originally designed in 1968 to predict future
academic and occupational success in military occupations.
Numerous validation studies since then have indicated the
ASVAB is useful in assessing academic ability and predicting
success in a wide variety of military and civilian
occupations.
Virtual Q & A Help Desk:
(877) 818-3651 voice | (541) 385-7732
fax | Email:
brian@olympicinstitute.com
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