Step 1 - Find your career
There are many resources for Career Information at Davis Drive Middle School. Each year we give the students a career assessment using on-line tools supported by Wake County. We utilize the Futures 4 Kids website and Bridges which is part of the College Foundation of North Carolina. With these tools, we provide a means for students to discover interest areas and associated careers. They can explore a career, find out about its educational requirements and match colleges with potential careers.
In addition, students have access to SOICC, North Carolina's Career Resource Network. This site provides a means to assess career interest, find out about employment trends in the state, create résumés etc.
All jobs fall into a grouping called a Career Cluster. There are 16 such clusters nationally, and many tools use them to categorize jobs. Wake County offers CTE courses in each Career Cluster. Click here to find the one for you.
Step 2 - Research your career
The US Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook gives tips about jobs, needed training, working conditions, job prospects etc. This site will help you understand what someone with that job does and what happens during their work day.
The North Carolina Career Outlook Handbook, created by North Carolina's Department of Instruction, is an on-line publication examining many careers, their growth potential, income possibilities and educational requirements. This publication is specifically for North Carolina's job market. Because of its on-line nature, it is hyper linked to many other resources, providing a gateway to career information. It also has an interest assessment you can use to evaluate your interests
Want a site to help you find out what career is right for you? Try the SAVVYouth site for something different. It's geared for students to find out about jobs, college majors, finding a job etc. You can find a job by what subject you like in school too at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Want to get some help with getting started or creating a resume? Try the State Library of North Carolina's Job Search tool. It provides help with job applications, interview tips, how to find a job etc.
Still looking for career information? The Vocational Information Center is a site linked to many other sites and has information on numerous careers.
Step 3 - Get out there and get some experience
Need tips on how to find a job? Try the JobLink Career Center. You can find valuable videos about how to dress for a job, act in an interview and create a résumé.
Summer job opportunities exist for students of middle and high school ages. Teens looking for a job can try Teens4Hire.org for more information. Students interested in a specific career should look for experience by donating their time or finding a job related to that career. Don't know where to look? Try DoSomething.org for ideas on volunteering.
Eighth graders, don't forget about Job Shadow Day. This is a chance to spend time with someone in a live, everyday setting learning about their career.
There are also summer camps for special interest areas which are announced as the summer approaches. One that is currently available focuses on engineering and gaming. Contact Wake Technical College at 866-5351 for details. NC State University offers an engineering program for summers students. For more information go to http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/summerprograms/. iD Tech Camps runs programs on many campuses including UNC Chapel Hill and Wake Forest. For information go internalDrive.com. There is a fee for each of these programs but some scholarships are available. Interested in the environment? Try Climb.org. Run by Montreat College, they specialize in summer camps for 7th through 12th grade and emphasize science and the environment.
Interested in Fashion? Try the Austin Jade Fashion camp this summer. For more details, download the application here.
Interested in doing something on your Saturdays? The Saturday Academy has programs starting in January and February in Health. Interested in the environment or sports medicine? The Saturday Academy may have an answer for you.
Step 4 - Plan for your education
Want to research a college? Go to the College Foundation of North Carolina. You'll need to sign up for a login but it is only to keep track of your interests and help you apply for school. You can learn about how to apply on-line, find out about the college, what it costs to attend, getting financial aid and much more.
When it comes time to plan for high school, students should keep in mind the different programs offered by North Carolina for free college classes. They can earn an Associates Degree for free. There are programs where you can earn college credit while you go to high school. Talk to your high school guidance counselor to find out more.
Want to get credit for those high school CTE classes? Thinking about attending Wake Technical College? Go to www.h3o4u.net to track the high school classes you need to get that Wake Tech degree you want.
For More ideas
Not sure what to do first? Try setting some goals at Mindtools.com. This site will help you take the first steps to being successful.
For a listing of classes offered by Wake County Schools by Career Cluster click here.
Want to see what others are doing? Check out Midlink the on line magazine with outstanding student projects from all over the United States.
For many more resources, go to the Wake County School to Career Page.
NC Desk Training/8th grade computer literacy test
CTE Goal: 95% in 2008