Planning a career or college pathway is not easy. While this book is only 128 pages, many teachers and counselors have concerns that there is too much reading and the concepts are too difficult for middle school and high school students to grasp. While I understand such concerns, my experience is that students are not only capable, but are receptive to the guidance being provided in this book. I recently spoke to classes of 9th grade students at a high school in Columbia, South Carolina where I asked students in each class to write a narrative response to the question, “What are your dreams and aspirations after high school?” 

While there were many students who failed to write anything, and other students who only wrote one or two sentences about becoming rich or becoming a professional basketball or football player, there were a good number of students in each class who wrote introspective and self-reflective narratives.

“My dream is to become a choreographer at my own dance studio. It has been a dream that I have had since I was young. I am willing to put in whatever it takes to achieve my dream, no matter what. I love dancing, which has been my passion since I took my first steps.”

“My dream is to become a veterinarian and to own my own veterinarian clinic. I recognize that I have to overcome obstacles that I have in math and science. Today, after writing about my dreams and considering the obstacles, I now know the importance of working more closely with my math and science teachers who can help better prepare me for college.”

“My dream is to enlist in the Navy and pursue the Nursing Corps option. However, prior to today, I hadn’t thought about how I would actually achieve my dream. Now I know that to pursue the Navy Nursing Option, I will need to research each of the colleges that offer the NROTC Scholarship, and that have nursing programs. I will also need to know the type of academic performance I will need throughout high school to qualify for the scholarship. All in all, I now know that having a dream requires a lot more than just talking about your dreams!”

“My dream is to become a legendary comic book creator, artist, author, director, and horror film creator. My inspiration is Stephen King and Eiichiro Oda. My favorite kind of horror is Analog Horror, which depicts themes of VHS tapes and old school cartoons/movies.”

At the end of each class, students remained behind asking questions about what they could do to pursue their dreams. We talked about the available career pathways at their school, the type of classes they should take, and how to build their résumés to make themselves competitive job, college, or scholarship applicants. During the discussion about grades, every student acknowledged that they were not earning the grades of which they were capable. They were not engaging in their classes as well as they could. They were not studying at home or preparing for tests as well as they could. These students were repeatedly, and consistently, acknowledging that their work ethic was not aligned with their career aspirations.

I raised another question, “Why aren’t you doing the things that are consistent with [following] your dreams?” The common response was that they had not made a connection between what they were doing in school today and the future they dreamed of having for themselves.

My final question prior to the students leaving was, “If I wrote a book providing step-by-step guidance as to how to maximize the available choices in your school or school district to follow your dreams, would you read it?” Not only did every student respond, “Yes!” It was the look in their eyes that they wanted someone to help them to plan their way toward their dreams.

The students who will benefit most from this book are students who either have aspirations for the future, or want to identify the type of career pathways in which they can earn a living and enjoy the work. If you are such a student, but find the reading difficult, then read a few pages at a time and begin with the chapters that reflect your aspirations the most. If your career pathway is not covered in the book, then focus on the basic information about how to choose your middle school and high school classes and how to take maximum advantage of the CTE/CTAE or college prep classes available in your school or school district.

The table above lists the 16 career clusters reflected in The National Career Clusters Framework, which serves as an organizing tool for CTE programs. The clusters represent 79 different career pathways. If you are entering, or have already entered high school through one of these career clusters, then focus your efforts on taking the Interest Profiler presented in the chapter, “What Are Your Interests?” to confirm that your chosen pathway is aligned with your interests.

Maximizing the opportunities during middle school and high school to explore career clusters or CTE/CTAE classes, especially those reflective of your gifts, talents, and interests can provide important considerations for the career or educational pathway you choose to pursue after high school, which should help determine the classes that you take during high school. 

The important consideration is that any of these career clusters can lead to pathways into the workforce, military, or college. Regardless of the career cluster you choose, you will have options of multiple career and occupational opportunities within a career cluster, such as technician, teacher, scientist, or veterinarian, as well as pursuing a workplace certification, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or MD/PhD. Your choice provides your context for learning. 

For every student who has dreams and aspirations for the future, even if you do not know what that future looks like, I have written this book with you in mind. I have also written, “Career or College Pathway: Individual Graduation Plan,” providing further guidance in planning and tracking a pathway toward your dreams for your future.