Career Pathways
"How do I find information to show me how to get from high school into a career I want?"
-Ashley, Sophomore
"How do I find information to show me how to get from high school into a career I want?"
-Ashley, Sophomore
Build a pathway to your career, prosperity, and success.
Students
Educators
Parents
Find Your Pathway to the Best Career
You've probably heard you should plan on college after high school. But is college right for you? Maybe - maybe not.
There are many options and pathways to get you to your career.
Whether you plan to go to college, enroll in an apprenticeship, or go to work right out of high school, there are options available.
Your first step is to decide what you want to do. You can identify one or more pathways to get from where you are to where you want to go.
This site will...
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Introduce you to available career options.
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Identify education and training pathways.
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Guide you to career prep resources.
Click through and find what works for you.
Welcome to Pathways
Watch a brief intro about the Career Pathways website and what it's all about.
Meet Dr. Wade Larson and hear his story about recognizing the value of multiple pathways to find and prepare for the career that's right for you.
I want a place that can help me learn what jobs are out there, what I need to do to qualify for them, what schooling I need, and what employers are looking for. I want to be ready for it after high school...
Plan Your Future
Getting to a good career takes preparation, planning, and action. Planning for your future might include steps that help you to:
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Plan your career.
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Prepare for success after graduation.
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Learn about careers and prepare for jobs.
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Find out about options besides 4-year degrees to get the job you want!
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Map out your own career strategy!
This site shows you how to get there with resources and support to reach your goals.
No matter your career readiness, you can find what you're looking for.
Start by building your CAREER PATHWAY.
Everyone starts from a different place. The key is to recognize your starting point and follow the steps of your personal progression.
There are several resources available to use. If you get stuck, there are tools to help.
This platform helps you explore careers, find education and training opportunities, and learn more about how to prepare for a career. Look around, explore, and develop your plans.
STEP 1: YOUR FIRST STEP...
Determine Where You Are
Everyone starts in different places with different goals.
You may already know what you want. If so, great! Let's get you tools to get there faster.
You may have an idea, but need help clarifying your goals. Let's decide what you want and how to get there.
You may not have any idea what you want to do. That's OK. Let's find something you like.
It's never too early or too late to plan your future. Starting now is the right time.
Putting structure into your plan can help you make better choices, save time, and find the best career.
Click below to find out where you're at and the next steps for a career plan that works for you.
Click My Starting Point to begin.
STEP 2: YOUR DESIRED CAREER
Discover Your Passion & How to Get There
Choosing and preparing for a career is a big challenge.
After high school, you have several careers to choose from. You've heard about 4-year college - and that's great. But it's not for everyone. Many do better in a career that follows a different pathway.
Our goal is to help you explore careers and show you how to get there. We'll help identify education, financial aid, and support to reach your goals.
We prepared resources for you no matter your career readiness. If you cannot find what you're looking for, please ask.
We'll begin by exploring careers.
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Learn about different careers.
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Take assessments to identify interests.
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Find resources to learn more about jobs.
Visit the Career Assessment Page
Visit the Career Exploration Page
STEP 3: COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL
First Thing First - And Maybe More...
Looking into the future can be exciting, but let's not forget to focus on getting you through high school first. You need to graduate before we can get you through the next step.
There are MANY ways to get you through high school. If you are wrapping things up as a senior and looking at options for careers and educational pathways to get there, that's great! Check out the links below for several options to find the right ones.
If you're not yet a senior, there are many ways to do high school - and some of them can give you a HEAD START toward your career! In many cases, you can go straight from high school into your career as a professional!!
Visit our High School Solutions Page to learn more about opportunities to get you down the road and better prepare you for your career.
Visit the High School Solutions Page
STEP 4: PREPARE FOR A CAREER
How Do I Prepare for My Career?
When you find a career that interests you, your next step is to learn how to get from where you are to where you want to go.
There are several career pathways you can consider...more than one way to get from where you are to where you want to go.
Many jobs require extra training and education. There are many options to choose from.
It is important to explore these pathways and find the right approach that works for you.
Visit the CAREER PATHWAYS page.
STEP 5: SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYMENT
What Do I Need to Succeed?
A skill is a learned or natural ability. Employers count on employees to bring skills to perform important jobs. Together, everyone helps the organization achieve its goals.
There are two types of skills to develop: "
Occupational Skills are the knowledge, skills, and abilities employees need to succeed in their careers.
Workplace Skills are needed for you to succeed at work. They are the things you do and how you act that make or break your success as an employee. Though they are not necessarily job specific, they do affect your ability to succeed.
Visit the Career Skills Page
EXTRA: EMPLOYMENT TOOLS
Do you know how to ace the interview and get hired?
Your success depends on preparation - how well you've prepared for the job, how well you've prepared for the interview, and how well you perform during the selection process.
Unfortunately, you probably haven't had a reliable coach to show you the steps needed to be successful. Whether it's a summer job, an internship, or your first job out of high school, you need to know what it takes to win the job interview.
Visit the Job Interview Preparation Page to get what you need to succeed at the job hunt.
Visit the Job Prep Page
identify desired career
If you already know what you want to do, great! You may want to learn more about specific careers within your desired industry or about tracks that are aaialble.
If you don't know what you want, we have tools available to help you learn about opportunities and what it takes to start.
complete high school
No matter your desired careeer, your goal must be to complete high achool. If you didn't finish high school, we can help you complete your program.
During high school, there aee ways to get started early on your career. Internships, work based lerning, apprenticeships, and college
prepare for a career
We know that college is for some...but not for everyone. We want to introduce you to several options that exist to help you prepare for your career.
We'll share information about apprenticeships, certificates, onsite learning, and training you can recieve even before you graduate!
Our Vision
We want each student to achieve their BEST CAREER PATHWAY.
Today's workplace is different. There are many ways to have a successful career. Our goal is to help you set career goals and achieve them.
STUDENTS
Students, Graduates
Find resources to help you find and build your career pathway.
EMPLOYERS
Regular, Internships
Match opportunities to connect to employers for real experiences and jobs.
COMMUNITIES
Economies, Schools
Local and state economies thrive by working with schools and employers to provide opportunities.
Additional Resources to Help
Click for additional student resources and services specifically for students with disabilities, students of color, immigrant students, LGBTQ+ students, students in foster care, students experiencing homelessness, etc. (Information provided by College & Career Compass Washington).
The Machinist Pathway is brought to you as a collaboration between the Machinists Institute, OTD, and Career Connect Washington. As proud partners in workforce development, these groups are dedicated to providing resources to students, parents, educators, employers, and others to prepare and employ a qualified workforce. We know it will take all of us to solve the talent shortage. Together we can make a difference to bring the manufacturing resources needed to supply America and the world!