What are Career Clusters?
Career clusters are 16 categories of related jobs and industries based on the skills or products they involve. Within each cluster, there are career pathways that correspond to a collection of courses and training opportunities to prepare students for a chosen career.
Follow the links below to view information about the education and training requirements for high school graduates and other useful resources.
A career pathway is a sequence of education and jobs that lead to your career goals. A career pathway may not be linear and may chart a path through more than one programs of study or career industries.
To choose the best courses that fit your future goals, explore the many pathway options.
A graduation requirement is completion of a Graduation Pathway which is chosen by a student and must be aligned with their High School and Beyond Plan.
One of those Pathways is the CTE Graduation Pathway in which students complete a sequence of 2.0 or more CTE credits in a CTE Pathway that either includes a dual college credit course or leads to an industry recognized credential.
Connecting Today's Interests with Your Future
The High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) is a personalized graduation requirement for students in Washington state. It helps students explore their interests and connect them with relevant courses and career pathways. The plan also assists students in identifying the steps needed to achieve their postsecondary goals.
HSBP Annual Required Activities in Xello
Students are encouraged to take ownership of their high school experience by selecting coursework and activities that align with their goals. The plan also provides a means of tracking requirements for graduation from high school and entry into postsecondary programs and careers. Each year, students have required activities in Xello to complete as part of the HSBP.
Understanding yourself can help you identify careers that you will find the most success and satisfaction. Career assessments are tools that help with this process.
Resources
- Xello
- ASVAB
- Big Future
- Big Future: Career Quiz
- Career Clusters Interest Survey
- CareerOneStop
- CareerShip®
- Code.org: Career Exploration
- O*NET Ability Profiler
- O*NET My Next Move
- Washington Career Bridge
- 16personalities
Xello
ASVAB
Big Future
Big Future: Career Quiz
Career Clusters Interest Survey
CareerOneStop
CareerShip®
Code.org: Career Exploration
O*NET Ability Profiler
O*NET My Next Move
Washington Career Bridge
16personalities
Washington CTCs
There are about 34 community and technical colleges in Washington State.
Advantages of CTCs
Guided Pathways at CTCs
Guided Pathways is a new system for a more accessible approach to earning degrees. Here is a short video overview that explains guided pathways for WA CTCs.
CTCs Fact Sheets on Majors
Find community or technical colleges that have your intended major at: Bigfuturesmallpricetag.org/find-your-program. Individual College websites will often have fact sheets about the types of jobs and salary to expect in the area, after completing the degree. For example:
Just like a university, you have to choose the right campus/academic life for you with the CTC schools as well, it's not only about what's closest!
Employability Framework
Successful careers are built on solid personal and interpersonal skills. Defining, measuring, and building these skills— even naming them— can be challenging. CTE Classes at Eastlake incorporate some of these skills. Click on the topics below to learn more.