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Excellent High School Elective to Help Your Teen Learn Essential Life Skills

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Did you know that a high school elective can help your student get ready for life after graduation?

You want to make sure that your high schooler has the life skills needed to thrive and be happy.

But, you might not be sure what to teach them (or have the time to do it!).

No worries! There's a new online course for life prep, teen purpose, and much more. Check out my son's experiences and see why this program might just be the key to your student's success.

Voyage is an excellent high school elective that teachers your teen essential life skills & more.

Disclaimer:  I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. As always, I’m sharing my honest opinions and was not required to provide a positive review.

Read on to find out more about our experiences with Voyage, an online life prep program.

The High School Years Don't Have To Be So Hard

The high school years can be tough.

Classes get harder. Hormones are raging. And you start getting peppered with questions about what you're going to do with your life.

Teenagers struggle with figuring out what they're going to wear that day (gray sweats or ripped jeans?). Being grilled about going to college or getting into a trade can be paralyzing!

I remember these days very well - and now I'm reliving them with my older boys.

Orrin (a.k.a. Professor) is just like any other teenager. Yes, he's homeschooled so that makes him a bit different than some. But, he's like most teens who feel unprepared for life after high school.

Now that Orrin is entering his junior year of high school, reality is hitting him in the face. He'll be taking the ACT soon. He's learning how to balance his rigorous schedule of honors-level classes with playing competitive soccer.

And he's trying to figure out the whole college thing. Like, what to study? Where to apply? And how to know he's ready for it all?

When I casually asked him about a college major, I got that deer-in-headlights stare.

I knew that we needed something to help him go from overwhelm to confident. And I'm too close to the situation (and don't have the time) to give him the guidance that he deserves.

Luckily, Voyage entered our radar! And I added this online program to our homeschool elective ideas 😊

Teen boy using laptop for Voyage, an excellent high school elective for learning essential life skills for after graduation

Why Teens Need to Learn These Types of Life Skills

I'll share more about Voyage and why it's a great way for teens to learn life skills.

But, it's important to share why teens must gain this type of information and abilities.

When I was in high school, I struggled with figuring out my future. I worked super hard in all of my high school classes and extra-curricular activities. Unfortunately, I didn't get much guidance and had no idea what to do with my life.

After randomly picking a college major (Biology Pre-Med), I switched majors (to Psychology). I ended up spending an extra year so I could complete all the classes needed for my degree. So much misery to end up spending extra time and money!

I'd rather my boys (and your kids) not go through that 😉

Too many young adults are also dealing with:

The good news: These situations are avoidable. With a program like Voyage, teens learn smart options, enjoy financial literacy activities for high school students, and more.

But, these life skills aren't covered in core courses to fulfill graduation requirements. Your teen's high school experience could be so much richer with these lessons.

Teens are expected to know how to deal with whatever life has to throw at them once they become adults. And that's simply not the case.

These life skills don't need to be learned the hard way.

Your high schooler can learn these skills at home. They can discover their purpose and find what career will best fit their interests. All under the safety of your home and with your support!

Voyage is an amazing online program for your teens to take. Your high schooler will learn essential life skills for thrive after graduation.
In Voyage, your student is led step-by-step through the modules. And your high schooler can always access their profile & resources to take the lessons to the next level.

Earn High School Elective Credits & Learn Life Prep

When I found out about Voyage, I felt like turning cartwheels.

Earning high school elective credits for working on essential life skills? Win-win!

Voyage has 5 modules that guides your high school student through:

  • Who I Am: Exploring Strengths, Skills, & Purpose
  • Career Planning: A Personalized Profiler to Discovering Careers to Pursue
  • College Planning: Step-by-Step Guidance to Choosing & Applying to Colleges
  • Financial Responsibility: Foundational Concepts to Avoid Costly Mistakes
  • Everyday Living: Developing Life Skills & Establishing Healthy Habits

Your student is taken step-by-step through these modules. Lessons provide helpful information and tips. Your high schooler can take these lessons to the next level with printable resources.

At first, some of the exercises felt a bit weird to Orrin. He's more into reading history books and plotting battle points than self-discovery.

After going through a few lessons and working on a few activities, Orrin found his groove.

He even enjoyed an activity that I thought would make him cringe - My Brand Crest.

My Brand Crest guides your teen through 4 areas:

  • Core Values
  • Passions
  • Traits
  • Animal

I thought this type of activity might be a bit woo-woo for Orrin. But, he found it helpful!

Orrin liked having a word cloud to choose from and how Voyage assembled his choices together. The visual of his crest made it easier to connect his personal interests and see his strengths.

Back to the high school credit...Voyage is a semester course for one-half credit.

But, that one-half credit will boost your teen's success now and in the future!

laptop featuring Voyage program to help your teen learn essential life skills

Voyage: A Smart Choice for a High School Elective

You can ditch the stress about your student's future success.

Voyage (from Thrive Academics) is an affordable program. Your teen will discover their purpose and earn high school elective credit.

For only $60, your high schooler gets access to 5 modules. And those modules are full of meaningful lessons!

For each of these 5 modules, your student has access to a Resources tab (upper right corner). This tab is FULL of amazing PDF (printable) activities that takes the lessons to the next level!

I list out a brief overview of the all the topics and resources your student will find so you can see just how much is covered!

  • Who I Am:
    • Purpose and Passion (Includes figuring out your purpose statement)
    • Strengths (Skills profiler)
    • Personal Brand
    • Vision
    • My SMART Goals
    • My Mission (creating an action plan based on all of the above)
  • Career Planning:
    • Career Profile (finding your career path, O*Net Building, and Life Skill: Notetaking)
    • Your Career Profile (job vs. career, comparing careers, occupational videos)
    • Higher Education (plus student networking)
    • Building Your Resume (essential application steps, resume sections, cover letter, job search, and examples)
    • Virtual Job Interview (walks your student through an interview with step-by-step suggestions)
  • College Planning:
    • Researching Schools (College Readiness Fair - provides information about 2-year/community college, 4-year university & tech/trade school based on your student's career aspirations, selecting your major, in-state vs. out-of-state schools, side-by-side comparisons)
    • Applying to School (tips & ideas, practice application, application checklist)
    • Financial Aid (scholarships, grants, loans FAFSA)
    • Getting Accepted (selecting classes, scheduling classes, reading a map, college transcripts, housing, buying textbooks)
    • Campus Life (clubs and organizations, college sports, transportation costs, getting an internship, socializing and partying - making responsible decisions)
  • Financial Responsibility:
    • Types of Accounts (checking accounts, check writing, online banking, check/debit card, ATM, balancing accounts, savings account, interest, retirement)
    • Understanding Credit (introduction, FAQs, maintaining good credit, credit scores, credit cards & fees, interest)
    • Financial Responsibility (introduction to taxes, W-4 form, filing deadline, W-2 form, filing options, reading paychecks, tax resources, paying bills, disputing a fee)
    • Budgeting Basics (needs vs. wants, calculating income, create a plan, money saving tips)
    • Student Loans (understanding loans, types, amoritization, repayment)
  • Every Day Living:
    • Personal Health (healthy eating on a budget, activity, fitness, creating a fitness plan, sleep, personal hygiene, health insurance FAQ, doctor visits)
    • Travel (preparing for your trip, at the airport, on the flight, enjoying your trip)
    • Home and Vehicle (driver's license, getting a vehicle, housing, roommates)
    • Communication (making a good first impression, body language, talking, listening, healthy relationships, social media)

To me, $60 for an online course that teaches all of these essential life skills to my teen is priceless!

More details about Voyage:

Each course will have a 10 question final exam that must be passed with an 80% or higher to complete the module. The quizzes are graded within the module, and you can run a report for the grades.

A few notes about Voyage:

1. You must have a strong internet connection.
2. Some lessons access outside web browsers.
3. There is audio, so students need to either have headphones or speakers to hear the audio.
4. Although the course can be completed in a semester, the subscription is valid for one year. This option allows students to review lessons multiple times.

Help your teen learn essential life skills with Voyage, an online program for a fantastic high school elective.
Here's an example of one of the PDF resources your student has access to with Voyage.

Try Voyage with Your Homeschooler!

Voyage is an excellent choice for a homeschool elective.


If you have a high schooler (or an older middle school student) that could use some guidance, it's a great idea.

Get a feel for what Voyage has to offer with this FREE Adulting checklist that helps high school students prepare for life after they graduate.

Please let me know if you have any questions about Voyage, a high school elective from Thrive Academics, in the comments area below.

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2 Comments

  1. How much time per day did your boys spend on this course and would you count it as 1/2 or a full credit? Thanks!

    1. Hey Lauren! I'd say my son spend about 1/2 hour to an hour per day. I gave him a 1/2 credit for the course 🙂

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