Is your homeschooler planning to major in business in college? Students interested in business don’t need to wait until college to begin their studies. While homeschooling high school, an interest in business can be incorporated into extracurricular, summer, and academic experiences. Here are a few ways to get started:
Start a Business
What better way to learn about business than to jump into life as an entrepreneur while in high school? With a flexible daytime schedule, homeschoolers may have more opportunity to run their own businesses. Some of the small business options homeschoolers may wish to consider include: pet care, computer repair, tutoring, website development, and lawn care. Often students begin their business by working for a few friends or neighbors. These ventures are a great way to gain hands-on experience with business concepts such as planning, marketing, budgeting, and working with customers.
High School Business Clubs
A variety of organizations offer clubs and programs for teens who wish to learn more about business. One of the most popular options is Junior Achievement. JA makes curriculum resources available to volunteers who run clubs for teens. There are homeschool groups around the country participating in JA.
Read Business Publications
Your homeschooler can gain a better understanding of business by reading business news publications and popular nonfiction about economics and business. Reading a variety of high quality nonfiction is also a great way to prepare for the SAT or ACT critical reading sections. Resources you may want to consider include: The book Freakanomics, Forbes Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal online.
Academic Options
High school students can begin to study business by taking economics during high school. The Council for Economics Education has a helpful website with a wide variety of resources and materials available for grades K-12. For students who are prepared for more advanced work, Advanced Placement or College Level Examination Program tests may be a good options. These tests offer a way to document a student’s learning and may possibly lead to college credit. There is not a specific AP business test but economics would be a good field of study for business interested students. AP tests are available for both macro and micro economics. CLEP offers several exams that may be of interest to business students such as financial accounting, information systems and computer applications, introductory business law, principles in management, principles of marketing, and both micro and macro economics.
Business Summer Programs
Summer programs are another way for teens to explore an interest in business. There are a range of camp offerings to appeal to students with different interests with everything from entrepreneurial training to accounting. While some of these business camps can be quite expensive, others are offered entirely free of charge.
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