The initial phase in the career planning and preparation process is to identify the student's career and educational goals based on their interests and desires. The Advisor facilitates the process of helping the student and their family explore career areas of interest and how they plan to prepare and pursue their career and educational goals.
Current progress is reviewed along with plans for achieving future goals and objectives.
CBSA provides basic information on how to understand and pursue the job market for their chosen career, earnings potential, competition factors, program and institution requirements, and the process of getting into the college or vocational school of their choice. CBSA also works with the student's family in identifying areas of financial aid needs and planning, providing an overview of how to apply and get accepted into the school and program of their choice, and how to prepare for the transition to college life. At the end of this initial phase, the Advisor compiles the information collected into a list of Student Needs and recommended steps for the remainder of the preparation process. These needs typically cover basic career and educational preparation areas and any student special interest areas. CBSA also recommends services that can be provided to assist the student with their unique needs and plans to help them accomplish their career goals.