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So what's a pathway...
Well, a career pathway is the route you follow through school and
into a successful career.
There are lots of choices,
most of us change pathways a few times along the way.
Pathways can begin pretty early...
In fourth grade, a community college fieldtrip might expose someone to a
possibility of college.
Then a career day presentation by a computer programmer in eighth grade
starts them on an information technology pathway.
Tenth grade Biology class see's their interest shift to a health science
pathway,
which could lead to a two year degree a four-year college degree or beyond.
But let's just say at a minimum high school graduation is a key
milestone on every pathway.
Pathways start with the classes required at each level of schooling
they include what we call career exploration
and in many cases work-based learning
like job shadows and internships
and because it all leads toward their chosen career
students are jazzed...they're motivated and more likely to finish school.
Now without the sense of direction, some students might find little relevance
between schooling that they have and the outside world
they become bored unmotivated eventually even drop out.
In fact nearly a third of high school students don't graduate at all
consequently,
they often end up in a string of menial low-paying jobs, in some cases
on the wrong side of the law.
That's not to say you can't change things though...pathways are ALWAYS there
regardless of where you are in life.
It's just up to you to jump back on.
Pathways are no longer about choosing between a job or a trade on the one hand and
college on the other.
You can work and go to college at the same time.
There are pathways that almost anyone can take advantage of.
If you're shooting for good career keep in mind about two-thirds of future jobs
will require some college or post-high school training.
The Bigger, Better paying jobs
are with employers who are looking for a lot more than just a high school
diploma.
Our educational pathways have multiple off ramps with good jobs...whether it's a
certificate like phlebotomy or
medical records administration
a two-year degree like radiology tech or dental assistant
or a four year degree, Graduate school and beyond.
These are pathways that already exist that parents and kids alike should be
taking advantage of
and we're here to let you know
they're there.
Okay so let's say your ready to chase down a path
What do you want to be? It used to be that the best ticket to the best careers was graduate from
high school...go to college...get a degree.
But studies show that eighty percent of college-bound students
have not decided on a major.
So college becomes this
sort of wandering around in an academic wilderness trying to find an interesting
major
and even if you do choose one, fifty percent end up changing majors!
With that in mind,
there are educational pathways designed to be flexible, better helping your chances
of success.
Is it easy?
Depends on YOU
On average it takes six years now to graduate with a bachelor's degree
only thirty-seven percent of students get a four-year degree in four years.
Hitting a pathway without having a good idea where you're going wastes time and
money
with students and their parents spending waaay more for college than necessary.
But it's a fact...
students on a pathway do better academically...they finish school faster
and they're more likely to get a great job after they graduate.
Pathways help students move forward into better paying, successful careers.
So there you have it...
that's what pathways are all about