What are career pathways?
Career pathways are clusters of occupations/careers that are grouped because of shared skills and aptitudes. All pathways include a variety of occupations that require different levels of education and training. Selecting a career pathway provides you with an area of FOCUS, along with FLEXIBILITY and a VARIETY of ideas to pursue.
Are career pathways designed for me?
Career pathways are for ALL STUDENTS.
By selecting a career pathway, you can prepare for the future, regardless of your interests, abilities, talents, or desired level of education. All pathways have equal dignity.How can career pathways help me?
Deciding on a career pathway can help you prepare for your future. The intent is not for you to decide on a specific occupation for the rest of your life, but to select a career pathway into which you can begin directing your energies. Identifying a career pathway can help you in selecting school courses, activities, and part-time employment. It can also help guide your participation in work-based learning opportunities.
What can career pathways exploration do for me?
As you have new experiences, you will learn new things about yourself and about career pathways. When you decide on a career pathway, you should discuss it with your counselor and adjust your future course selections in accordance with your choice. A career pathway choice is not a permanent commitment.
What career pathways are available?*
* Your school may have already selected different pathways.
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Agriscience and Natural Resources PathwayAre you a nature lover? Are you practical, curious about the physicalworld, and interested in plants and animals? Do you like to be physicallyactive? Do you like to observe, learn, investigate, or solve problems? Thismay be a career pathway for you! |
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Arts and Communications PathwayAre you a creative thinker? Are you imaginative, innovative, and original?Do you like to communicate ideas, work with audio, visual, graphic, or writtenmedia arts? This may be a career pathway for you! |
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Business/Information Management/Marketing PathwayAre you organized, accurate, and self-motivated? Are you able to writeand speak well to communicate ideas to others? Do you enjoy being a leader,organizing people, planning events, and working with numbers or ideas? Doyou like operating computers or other business machines? This may be a careerpathway for you! |
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Engineering/Industrial/Technological Sciences PathwayAre you able to analyze problems and to understand and pay close attentionto standards? Are you good in math and science? Do you like to create, build,install, and maintain physical systems? Do you enjoy drawing detailed plansor patterns or working with diagrams? This may be a career pathway for you! |
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Family and Human Services PathwayAre you able to be flexible and adapt quickly, and to make quality judgmentsunder stressful situations? Do you like working with diverse groups of peopleand serving the public? Do you possess emotional stability and strong self-esteem?This may be a career pathway for you! |
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Health Sciences PathwayAre you interested in your own health and wellness? Are you able to remaincalm in a crisis? Do you have an interest in working with people who areinjured or sick, promoting wellness, and sharing knowledge with others?This may be a career pathway for you! |
How do you decide which career pathway best fits you?
This web site is designed to guide you as you make career pathway decisions by helping you to:
- Identify your interests, abilities, and talents. Start by answering the questions on the Self-Inventory and Career Pathway Survey (at the beginning of the worksheets you will be printing out). Take some of the on-line interest and preference inventories in the Area 10 Student Career Center.
- Consider the possible careers in each pathway in relationship to your interests, abilities, and talents. If you would like to learn more about a specific career, you can refer to the pathways listed in the Contents Section at the end of this page and review theOther Ways to Explore Career Preparation section.
- Decide which career pathway seems to fit you best. (You do not have to decide on the specific occupation that you want to pursue.)
- Select courses that are related to your career pathway.
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Information for parents and other adults.... How can parents and other interested adults help?Career pathways give you a focus for discussing career opportunitieswith your student. Concentrating on selecting a career pathway can enableyour student to make an initial career decision, whereas the idea of selectinga career for the rest of his or her life can be overwhelming.
Purpose of this guideThis web site is designed to help students make an initial careerpathway decision and then select appropriate school courses and work experiencesto prepare for that pathway. Benefits of career pathways for students
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How do I get started?
First, print out the worksheets. To do this, go to the "Worksheets" page and follow the instructions there. You will be printing six pages. After printing is completed, you should proceed to the "Instructions".
Credits for "Exploring Career Pathways"Exploring Career Pathways: A Guide for Students and Families was developed by:
A collaborative team of Regional Tech Prep Coordinators led by Laverne Hueholt, Iowa State Tech Prep Director, Des Moines, IowaArtwork:
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IowaAuthor and maintainer of this site:
Lucy Choisser, Grant Wood AEA, Coralville, IowaAdapted the book Exploring Career Pathways to the Internet:
Bill Choisser, San Francisco, California
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