DISCOVER YOUR FUTURE

Career Cluster Research

Have participants log into the following website: www.careertech.org/career-clusters. Explain that they are to research each career cluster listed on their Career Cluster Research activity sheet. They may either summarize the career cluster in their own words or list jobs they think would fit into that career cluster. Tell them to make brief notes on the level of education or type of education required to participate in these careers. Have the Explorers list the two career clusters that most interest them.

Ask Explorers to share what they learned during their research, and encourage Explorers to reference their Career Cluster Research activity sheet to guide their answers. Important points to emphasize include:

• All work has value.
• Careers and job choices should be made on the basis of the individual’s strong personal interests and abilities.
  – Explorers should be advised that research findings have determined that adults are most successful in careers and jobs where they are happy doing the work.
• In addition to emphasizing personal interests as the driving factor in career and job choices, participants should be advised about being realistic in the selection of their future career or job. It is important to emphasize that participants should give consideration to more than simply an interest in a single subject or area in making a career choice.

Further, participants should be advised that many careers that seem glamorous—such as those of a rock star, professional athlete, model, movie star, hip hop performer, or basketball or football star—are extremely difficult to attain. Explorers should be advised that the chances of getting these glamorous jobs are very slim because of the rare combination of opportunity and physical attributes that result in such rare accomplishments.