It’s not an uncommon scenario: You finish school and head out into the world, only to be left wondering what exactly it is you should be doing. There’s no clear roadmap for most of us, and finding a calling or career can be something that takes decades. Luckily, taking even a small step in the right direction can help you enhance your career awareness and put you on the path toward success.
The easiest way to get started is figuring out which career cluster is best for you.
What are Career Clusters?
A career cluster is a group of professions that all lean on the same essential skills. Architecture and Construction, for example, rely on an understanding of building materials, basic physics and other physical sciences. Finance depends on math, foresight and the ability to read trends. Each career cluster has dozens of potential professions; for instance, the Education and Training cluster is home to teachers, professors, administrators, counselors, writers and researchers.
There are 16 clusters total as established by the U.S. Department of Education:
- Art and Communications
- Architecture and Construction
- Agricultural, Food and Natural Resources
- Business, Management and Administration
- Education and Training
- Finance
- Government and Public Administration
- Health Science
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing
- Marketing, Sales and Service
- Science, Engineering and Mathematics
- Transportation, Distribution and Logistics
When you see a cluster that speaks to your skills or passions, make a note of it. Understanding the various ways in which professions are organized is critical for showing pure career awareness.
Once you’ve isolated a couple of areas of interest (skills can overlap, of course), it’s then time to do some deeper research. The web is available, of course, or you could consider an in-depth set of career DVDs designed to take you on a tour of several different career paths. DVDs like this also make excellent teaching tools—there’s no better way to show students the potential of a given subject or direction.
Overall, finding success in your career is up to you. The most important thing you can do is understand your options and work forward from there.
For more information please visit www.careerpathwaysonline.com or contact us at 800.282.5315
