Whether you are impressing colleges & universities or your high schooler is preparing for the workforce, there are a handful of high school electives career-minded homeschoolers need to have on their transcript. At the same time, there are some pretty fun electives out there that will hold up on a high school transcript.
Homeschoolers have the unique ability to choose wisely and pack their high school transcript with quality elective courses that can reflect their goals, priorities & personality. Some of the electives below have the potential for your homeschooler to be earning and saving money to help pay for college expenses while still in high school.
How to Select A High School Elective
In a traditional ‘brick & mortar’ school model, there is not much room for selecting classes and even less for high school electives. You take your core 4 (math, science, social studies, language arts) and then hope you can squeeze in something you enjoy that will fit your schedule. Unfortunately, you are never quite sure what you may end up with.
On the other hand, as a high schooler learning at home, there are so many options to choose from it can be overwhelming. So what high school elective should a homeschooler actually take?
Add a High School Elective to Your Teens Transcript
Personal Finance
This type of elective has been all but eliminated in traditional education models, however, it remains vital for success in life. In Economics for Everybody, your homeschool student will develop an understanding of economic freedom, inflation, stewardship, and the roles of trade and markets. A course like Economics for Everybody shows an employer and university that your teen has the tools to act responsibly and with common sense in financial matters.
Foreign Language
A requirement for most college and university admissions, a foreign language is a must for college-bound homeschoolers. However, it is also impressive on a job application if you have basic knowledge and can speak a modern foreign language, like Scottish Gaelic. Ancient foreign languages, like Latin, are valuable too. Knowing a foreign language makes learning modern foreign languages and even subjects like biology and medicine easier to understand. There are also ‘critical languages’. These are languages in which proficiency is in short supply, but vital to commerce, diplomacy, and defense. Knowing a critical language can catapult you to the top for both college/university or military acceptance, as well as improve your overall employability.
Computer Coding/Digital Technologies
It’s a vast field of interest and specific electives that can and should support your career path or academic pursuits. Choose wisely, but also explore different areas of computer science and digital technology and find something that suits your goals & dreams. As a homeschooler, online classes are available for every level. Start with typing and coding. You may also find you enjoy the more creative side of digital technology by exploring animation, photography, or game creation.
Public Speaking & Debate
Public speaking can have some people ‘shaking in their boots’ at the mere idea of standing up and talking in front of a group of people. But the fact is that presentations, proposals, and boardroom briefs are vital skills for both career-minded and college-bound high schoolers. These days, they are more likely to be digital presentations on group phone calls, but this skill is as vital now as it was in the day of great orators like Shakespeare, Lincoln, or Churchill. So, add public speaking to your electives like The Art of Rhetoric or Logic & Debate: High School Apologetics. Let your teens choose fun topics they know about or present research papers or projects they’ve completed in the past. Gaining the skill and confidence that only comes from a public speaking class will provide a solid skill for the transcript and an incredible foundation for communicating ideas to others throughout life.
Writing
It’s probably obvious that writing, like public speaking, is vital to communicating with others. Texting & chatting is for casual interactions, but being able to effectively communicate in written form in a professional manner is needed now more than ever, as we live in an ever-increasing digital world. Persuasive, creative, fiction, non-fiction, how-to, critical analysis, letters, resumes, and professional emails are just a few of the different types of writing a career-minded high schooler needs to have a few extra of on their transcript. Excellence in writing can be found by adding a few writing course electives.
Various types of critical and creative writing do more than ‘look good on paper’; they show the evidence of a student who is skilled and thinking both critically and creatively to provide solutions. That is a valuable skill in any workplace. A high school elective dedicated to writing will be another ‘gold star’ on any transcript for a career-minded or college-bound teen.
Choose a High school Elective that’s Just For Fun!
It’s important to have a healthy balance in your education. Having an elective that is fun and inspirational makes the difference on the hard days. It also allows you to have an outlet for stress relief that is still a worthy high school elective to have on a transcript. Consider something athletic or creative. Theatre, music, sports, fitness, or art are all excellent high school electives that are enjoyable to learn more about and participate in.
Where to find high school elective courses for college & career-minded homeschoolers
For these types of courses, having small live classes, in-person or virtually is perfect for cheating the objective grading standards often required for many of these types of classes. Participating in a co-op, community college, or online academy is the perfect way to complete these courses for a solid transcript.
Pick a high school elective that allows your teen to earn while they learn
There are also many high school electives that allow your teen to earn while they learn. Have fun choosing from this list I brainstormed with my teens.
This list of ideas for high school electives might tick the boxes on your teen’s “That looks fun!” list and be able to hold some weight on a transcript.
- Art & Design
- Cooking classes
- How to Launch a Podcast
- Photography
- Virtual Assistant or Social Media Manager Training
- How to be an eBay Reseller
- Typing
- Writing & Publishing a book
- How to Create and Run an Etsy Shop
- Computer Repair
- Automobile maintenance
- Bike repair
- First Aid or Lifeguard Training
- Outdoor Skills or Survival Skills
Read how your teen’s high school electives can help them earn while they learn.
Put your high schooler on the path to college and career success with this checklist. It gives an overview and step-by-step approach to everything to consider when pursuing a career or college/university admission.
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Download the Checklist for College & Career-Minded Homeschoolers.
Help your college & career-minded teen keep track of ‘all the things’ with this checklist.
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