Finding your career path can be difficult, and your career journey will often take you in directions you never imagined. But proper planning and preparation give you a better chance of navigating the path toward a successful career.

High School Career Connect maps the pros and cons of the three predominant high school to career paths (certificates, jobs, and degrees), based on student skills and interests. Our goal is to support understanding and awareness of options, strategies, and resources on the career path.

Here's a brief overview of our approach:

outline of a person's head with gears inside, an icon representing skills
Interests, values, skills & aptitudes
Assess what you would like to do for a living and what careers suit your unique skillset. Do you have an aptitude for a particular career?
an arrow going up, an icon representing emmployment trends
Employment
trends
How can you turn your passion and skills into a career? What does the workforce need, and how can you take advantage of that?
a stack of books, an icon representing endorsements and majors
Endorsements
& majors
Start on a career path.
Select an endorsement for high school, and narrow your possibilities for a postsecondary major.
a mortarboard, an icon representing education
Education &
experience
Build your resumé.
Get your degree or certificate and participate in career-related activities and internships.
a person with a briefcase moving up, an icon representing careers
The Destination:
Your career!
Put the evaluations,
the preparation,
and all the hours of
hard work into action, and embark on
your career!
Assess Your Skills

Start by thinking about your skills and attributes to help determine what you might be qualified to do. What are your strengths?

HARD SKILLS (measurable skills)
● Language proficiency
● Degree or certificate
● Computer proficiency
● Data analysis
SOFT SKILLS (personal attributes)
● Communication
● Leadership
● Time management
● Work ethic
SOCIAL SKILLS
● Social perceptiveness
● Persuasion
● Negotiation
● Organizing
● Instructing
BASIC SKILLS
● Reading comprehension
● Active listening
● Writing
● Speaking
● Mathematics
● Science
● Critical thinking
PROBLEM SOLVING
● Complex problem solving
● Judgment & decision making
● Systems analysis
● Systems evaluation
TECHNICAL SKILLS
● Technology design
● Programming
● Maintenance & repairs
● Operation & control
● Operations Analysis
● Installation
● Troubleshooting
Assess Your Interests

Next, consider your career interests. What would you like to do?

Are you interested in...
● Agriculture
● Animal science
● Planning and organizing events
● Directing meetings
● Developing new ideas
● Processing information and data
● Managing a group of people
business & industry endorsement logo
Then consider the Business and Industry endorsement.
Are you interested in...
● Providing education for the public
● Preparing people for careers
● Regulating laws and taxes
● Providing support, safety, and protective services
● Managing public security
● Working in the healthcare industry
public service endorsement logo
Then consider the Public Service endorsement.
Are you interested in...
● Designing and creating works of art
● Producing movies or videos
● Performing in front of audiences
● Writing and publishing books, magazines, and newspapers
● Providing entertainment
● Exhibiting artwork in galleries
● Being a historian
● Being an interpreter
arts & humanities endorsement logo
Then consider the Arts and Humanities endorsement.
Are you interested in...
● Performing scientific research
● Testing methods in a laboratory
● Researching and developing new products and raw materials
● Planning production of materials
● Providing technical services
stem endorsement logo
Then consider the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics endorsement.
What's Next?

Start thinking about your academic track, postsecondary options, and what lies beyond your education.

UNT Administration Building
Endorsements
& Majors

Plan your high school and collegiate tracks.
University Days on the campus of the University of North Texas
Postsecondary Options
Where do you want to continue your education?
People representing a variety of careers
Career
Resources

Take advantage of our collection of helpful links.