asseTs In
Texas banks
ToTalled
$83.9
bIllIon
In 2006.
of the Texas Counselors’ Network, a group that helps a student might choose Health Science and then later
counselors statewide advise their students on career become interested in a narrower field such as surgery or
planning, says, “These tools give most of our students radiology technology.”
finance Ctsos
some career exploration awareness by the time they The program of study you choose—your plan—does
enter eighth or ninth grade.” not stop with graduation from high school, Brock
one of the best ways to acquire
Ask your principal or counselor about the career emphasizes. “A student could then pursue a two-year
experience in your chosen
assessments available at your school. degree as an x-ray technician or a four-year degree as a
career is by joining a career and
radiologist.”
technical student organization
research Your Career Options You should set up a TAP that takes you through career
(cTso). In finance, the most
Once you’ve learned about yourself, learn more preparation after high school, revising your blueprint
helpful cTsos are:
about your career options. There are thousands of as needed as you go along. If your career plans include
• Business Professionals
occupations out there of which you may never have college study, ask your counselor about tests required for
of America (BPA)
heard, and others that do not yet exist because the admission to college, such as the PSAT, SAT, or ACT.
www.texasbpa.com
technologies have not been developed. Fortunately,
there are plenty of resources (see inside back cover) for seek Out special Programs
• DECA, Texas Association
www.texasdeca.org
you, and they are as close as the nearest computer. Many Texas schools offer innovative programs to
One of the most helpful is the Occupation and Skill prepare students for specific career areas. These include • Future Business Leaders
Computer-Assisted Researcher (or OSCAR, for short) career and technical education (CTE) programs,
of America (FBLA)
from the Texas Workforce Commission. It is a vast academies, and magnet schools. Once you’ve decided
www.txfbla.org
database of information about hundreds of professions. on a career direction, ask your counselor about special
You can find OSCAR at www.ioscar.org/tx. Another programs in your area that may provide related
good place to start is O*NET (online.onetcenter.org). experiences in your chosen career.
Gather information about what you can earn in the Samuel Odamah, an undergraduate student in
careers in which you are interested. Find out whether architecture enrolled at the University of Texas at
the careers you are considering have a promising Arlington, found his career calling at Dallas’s Skyline
future—are they adding or losing jobs? Check out the Career Development Center, a high school with career
education you’ll need to enter those careers. programs in a number of different fields.
The chart on pages 10–11 presents data on 25 “Skyline is one of the few schools in the country that
possible professions. Remember, though, that these are offer programs in architecture,” Odamah says. “In some
just a sampling of careers available in the cluster. Go careers, Skyline students could even get professional
to OSCAR, O*NET, or another resource to investigate certifications or licenses right in high school. It was a
other careers. great place because you could find out whether you
really wanted to enter a career.”
Create Your TAP Odamah says that the career cluster system at
Once you have a better idea of your interests and Skyline taught him the value of planning for his
abilities, you are ready to plan for high school and career and his life. “We learned about planning ahead,”
beyond. The Texas Achievement Plan, or TAP, is your he says. “Those who plan things ahead of time don’t
plan for preparing for the career of your choice. have to catch up. It’s just a matter of what a person
“Students first choose a cluster,” says Terry Brock, wants out of life. Planning gives you a better platform
“not a particular occupational goal. In the eighth grade for success.”
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