research Your Career Options does not stop with graduation from high school,
Once you’ve learned about yourself, learn more Brock emphasizes. “A student could then pursue a
about your career options. There are thousands of two-year degree as an x-ray technician or a four-year
occupations out there of which you may never have degree as a radiologist.”
Agriculture,
heard, and others that do not yet exist because the You should set up a TAP that takes you through
food & natural
technologies have not been developed. Fortunately, career preparation after high school, revising your
Resources cTsos
there are plenty of resources (see inside back cover) for blueprint as needed as you go along. If your career
you, and they are as close as the nearest computer. plans include college study, ask your counselor about
one of the best ways to acquire
One of the most helpful is the Occupation and Skill tests required for admission to college, such as the
out-of-class experience in
Computer-Assisted Researcher (or OSCAR, for short) PSAT, SAT, or ACT.
your chosen career is by
from the Texas Workforce Commission. It is a vast
joining a career and technical
database of information about hundreds of professions. seek Out special Programs
student organization (cTso).
You can find OSCAR at www.ioscar.org/tx. Another Many Texas schools offer innovative programs
In agriculture, food & natural
good place to start is O*NET (online.onetcenter.org). to prepare students for specific career areas. These
resources, the most helpful
Gather information about what you can earn in the include career and technical education (CTE)
cTsos are:
careers in which you are interested. Find out whether programs, academies, and magnet schools. Once you’ve
the careers you are considering have a promising decided on a career direction, ask your counselor
• Business Professionals
future—are they adding or losing jobs? Check out the about special programs in your area that may provide
of America (BPA)
education you’ll need to enter those careers. related experiences in your chosen career.
www.texasbpa.com
The chart on pages 10–11 presents data on 25 Samuel Odamah, an undergraduate student
• Family, Career and
possible professions. Remember, though, that these in architecture enrolled at the University of
Community leaders of
are just a sampling of careers available in the cluster. Texas at Arlington, found his career calling at Dallas’s
America (FCClA)
Go to OSCAR, O*NET, or another resource to Skyline Career Development Center, a high school with
www.texasfccla.org
investigate other careers. career programs in a number of different fields.
• Future Business leaders
“Skyline is one of the few schools in the country
of America (FBlA)
Create Your TAP that offer programs in architecture,” Odamah says.
www.txfbla.org
Once you have a better idea of your interests and “In some careers, Skyline students could even get
abilities, you are ready to plan for high school and professional certifications or licenses right in high
• Texas FFA Association
beyond. The Texas Achievement Plan, or TAP, is your school. It was a great place because you could find out
www.texasffa.org
plan for preparing for the career of your choice. whether you really wanted to enter a career.”
“Students first choose a cluster,” says Terry Brock, Odamah says that the career cluster system at
“not a particular occupational goal. In the eighth Skyline taught him the value of planning for his career
grade a student might choose Health Science and then and his life. “We learned about planning ahead,” he
later become interested in a narrower field such as says. “Those who plan things ahead of time don’t have
surgery or radiology technology.” to catch up. It’s just a matter of what a person wants out
The program of study you choose—your plan— of life. Planning gives you a better platform for success.”
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