•
marketing, Sales
One of the most helpful is the Occupation and plans include college study, ask your counselor about
Skill Computer-Assisted Researcher (or OSCAR, tests required for admission to college, such as the
& Service cTSos
for short) from the Texas Workforce Commission. PSAT, SAT, or ACT.
one of the best ways to acquire
It is a vast database of information about hundreds
experience in your chosen
of professions. You can find OSCAR at www.ioscar. seek Out special Programs
career is by joining a career and
org/tx. Another good place to start is O*NET Many Texas schools offer innovative programs to
technical student organization
(online.onetcenter.org). prepare students for specific career areas. These
(cTso). In marketing, sales &
Gather information about what you can earn in the include career and technical education (CTE)
service, the most helpful
careers in which you are interested. Find out whether programs, academies, and magnet schools. Once
cTsos are:
the careers you are considering have a promising you’ve decided on a career direction, ask your
future—are they adding or losing jobs? Check out the counselor about special programs in your area that • Business Professionals
education you’ll need to enter those careers. may provide related experiences in your chosen career.
of America (BPA)
The chart on pages 10–11 presents data on 25 Samuel Odamah, an undergraduate student in
www.texasbpa.com
possible professions. Remember, though, that these are architecture enrolled at the University of Texas at
• DECA, Texas Association
just a sampling of careers available in the cluster. Go Arlington, found his career calling at Dallas’s Skyline
www.texasdeca.org
to OSCAR, O*NET, or another resource to investigate Career Development Center, a high school with career
other careers. 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
beyond. The Texas Achievement Plan, or TAP, is your licenses right in high school. It
plan for preparing for the career of your choice. was a great place because you
“Students first choose a cluster,” says Terry Brock, could find out whether you
“not a particular occupational goal. In the eighth grade really wanted to enter a career.”
a student might choose Health Science and then later Odamah says that the career
become interested in a narrower field such as surgery cluster system at Skyline taught
or radiology technology.” him the value of planning for
The program of study you choose—your plan— his career and his life. “We
does not stop with graduation from high school, learned about planning ahead,”
Brock emphasizes. “A student could then pursue a he says. “Those who plan things
two-year degree as an x-ray technician or a four-year ahead of time don’t have to
degree as a radiologist.” catch up. It’s just a matter of
You should set up a TAP that takes you through what a person wants out of life.
career preparation after high school, revising your Planning gives you a better
blueprint as needed as you go along. If your career platform for success.”
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