Middle School Career Exploration

Hi everyone! My name is Mrs. Doster and I am the Middle School Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Cleveland County Schools. That is a fancy way to say that I am here to help you explore the different career opportunities around you in fun and exciting ways. Soon you will graduate high school and enter into the working world. Middle school is a great time to discover all that the world has to offer!

In my career exploration classroom, you can find lots of great information about different careers, some you may have never even heard of before! Play around and see what you can discover.

Career Exploration Classroom

Why do we work?

Have you ever wondered why people work? What happens if we end up doing a job that we really don't like? Watch the video to get a better understanding of why we get jobs after high school and the importance of finding work that makes us happy and fulfilled.

Ok, where do I start?

It's ok if you don't know what you want to do and aren't sure what to do next. Watch the video to learn how to start your career exploration!

I'll help you find your "Why"

Getting to know yourself

To help us figure out which jobs we may be interested in, we first have to learn more about ourselves. What do I like? What do I not like? What kinds of skills and talents do I have? Take the Career Interest Survey to help you find out who you are as a person. At the end, you will see which career clusters you score the highest in. Then you can explore different careers within those clusters. As you research, you may find a new passion!

Where do you fit in the world of work?

Click the picture below to see a video explaining each cluster. Click on each cluster to the right to learn more about jobs in that particular area.

16 Career Clusters

"We find our path by walking it" - Maya Angelou

A day in the life of a....

One of the best ways to learn about a job is to actually SEE AND EXPERIENCE someone doing it! In person and virtual Job shadowing allows you to see where a person works, who and what they work with, and the kind of work they do. This can help you decide if that is a career you want to pursue.

Mrs. Cortney Doster

I graduated from Crest High School in 2006 and earned my Bachelors degree in Psychology and Masters degree in School Counseling from Appalachian State University. I was a school counselor at Ashbrook High School for nine years before becoming the Middle School Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Cleveland County Schools. I have a husband and a two year old son who live with me in Kings Mountain. I love being outdoors, my two doggies, and my cat. You can find me watching college football on Saturdays and baking/crafting any other time. I have a passion for helping students understand the world of work and where they fit in!

Have a question or notice a technical issue? Email me at cmdoster@clevelandcountyschools.org