WHAT IS YOUR FUTURE?

The jobs you'll be eligible for will depend on the education and training you have. The more time you spend improving yourself and learning new skills, the futher you can advance in your chosen field. On the other hand, education is also an investment, and the more time you spend getting an education, the more it will cost. It's important to balance possible increases in money you can with extra training against the money you must spend to get it.

1. What kind of career are you interested in pursuing? Use the OhioMeansJobs K-12 Career Cluster Inventory to match your interests to career fields and possible occupations. You do not need to log in but it is strongly recommended that you sign into your OMJ, K12 backpack to track your progress. Once you complete the Career Cluster Inventory, explore the information provided under your top three career clusters. Click the link in the Industry Career section to find occupations in that cluster. (30-60 minutes) 
2. One critical aspect of finances involves career choices. Go to INFOhio’s Grade 6-8 page and look for Occupational Outlook Handbook under the College & Career section. Use it to explore income for a field that you might be interested in. Use 2-4 occupations that turned up in your Career Clusters. What is the median income in each occupation? What are related jobs and incomes? Record the incomes on a chart. (30-60 minutes)
3. Now that you have matched your interests to possible occupations and researched income, use the Ohio Department of Education's Career Connections site to learn more about Career Pathways. Scroll down the list of industries and jobs to find your occupation matches. Click on the area of interest and look at the pathway model. (20-40 minutes)
4. Based on the results of your research on possible career paths, write an informative essay about one industry or occupation that interests you. Compare and contrast the different paths that are connected to the major career and the elements involved in each path (education, income, job prospects, and more). (30-90 minutes)
5. Create a poster that reflects an occupation that you researched. You can use a digital poster site like Smore, Biteslide, or Poster My Wall or regular poster paper. (30-90 minutes)