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Making Career Plans

In order to make the best decisions about your future career,  it is necessary for you to look at your interests, abilities, and talents.After determining what those are, review the six broad career pathways, and consider the possibilities in each pathway.

The intent is not for you to decide on a specific occupation for the rest of your life but to focus on a broader career path to help you select school courses.

The Counseling Department provides specific activities at each grade level to help students discover and explore the various career paths.  Career paths will help you focus on and provide relevance to your course selections throughout high school.  Each career path provides a suggested program of study for careers from entry level to levels requiring a baccalaureate degree and beyond.  No matter which career path you select, we feel that Webster Groves High School offers you an excellent background of courses with content that prepares you for a two-year technical school, a four-year college, a community college, or a high-wage job.

CAREER PATHS
What are they?

  • Clusters of occupations/careers are grouped because many of the people in them share similar interests and strengths.
  • All paths include a variety of occupations that require different levels of education and training.

What are the benefits for students?

  • Career paths provide a plan for ALL students, regardless of their interests, abilities, talents, or  desired levels of education.
  • Career paths provide ALL students with areas of FOCUS, along with  FLEXIBILITY and a VARIETY of ideas to pursue as they make decisions regarding course selection.
  • Career paths allow ALL students to see a relevance to their selected school courses. Thus, students are more apt to do better in school.

How can parents and other interested adults help?

  • Help students identify interests, abilities, and talents by discussing strengths with them.
  • Share information about careers and work experiences.
  • Arrange for students to talk with people about careers that are of interest.

How can I decide which Career Path best fits me?

  • Consider the possible careers in each path.
  • Decide which career path best fits your interests and strengths.
  • Select courses that are related to your career path.

What if students change their minds?

  • A career path choice is not a permanent commitment.
  • As students have new experiences, they will learn new things about themselves, and many students change career paths. A student should discuss changes with his/her counselor and adjust future course selections accordingly.

What steps are involved in making a career path decision?
Step 1
Identify interests, abilities, and talents.

Step 2
Consider the possible careers in each path in relation to your interests, abilities, and talents. A brief description of each career path is provided below. Additional career information, job descriptions, employment outlook, and post-secondary education is available in your guidance office. As you investigate each occupation, think about how it matches your interest, abilities, and talents. 

ARTS and COMMUNICATION
These occupations are related to the humanities and the performing, visual, literary, and media arts. They may include architecture, interior design, creative writing, fashion design, film, fine arts, graphic design and production, journalism, language, radio, television, advertising, and public relations. If you are creative, imaginative, innovative, or original this may be the career path for you.

BUSINESS  MANAGEMENT and TECHNOLOGY
If you like to lead, organize people, or plan activities for others, you will like this career path. These occupations are related to the business environment. They may include entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, computer/information systems, finance, accounting, personnel, economics, and management.

HEALTH SERVICES
Do you like observing how the body works and helping people to stay well?  Well you may want to go into health services. These occupations are related to the promotion of health and the treatment of disease. They may include research, prevention, treatment, and related technologies.

HUMAN SERVICES/TRANSPORTATION
These occupations are related to economic, political, and social systems. They may include education, government, law and law enforcement, leisure and recreation, military, religion, child care, and social services. If you are outgoing, good at solving problems, and interested in making things better for others, then this may be the career path for you.

INDUSTRIAL and ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
These occupations are related to the technologies necessary to design, develop, install or maintain physical systems.  They may include engineering, manufacturing, construction, service, and related technologies.  If you are mechanically inclined and good with your hands this career path may be the best choice for you.

NATURAL RESOURCES/AGRICULTURE
If you enjoy nature and you are physically active, then you might be interested in this career path. These occupations are related to the environment and natural resources.  They may include agriculture, earth sciences, environmental sciences, fisheries, forestry, horticulture, and wildlife.

For more information, download the DESE Career Clusters Booklet.