College & Career Readiness

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to knowing what one wants to do when they grow up is knowing what careers are out there. Career Awareness involves exposing oneself to various careers and career clusters, and determine if it is a good match for a student at personal level. 

Naviance Career Awareness Tools:

Career Awareness resources link what one discovers in Self-Awareness inventories to actual careers that they can research during the Career Exploration phase of their journey. All HCPSS students have access to their Naviance accounts through HCPSS.me (Clever). If you log into Naviance > Self Discovery > Self Discovery Home, you can access the Career Awareness surveys. These surveys are done at the school level but can be done on their own or repeated. 

External Career Awareness Tools:

• O-Net Online

• Career OneStop

• Career Explorer

• RoadTrip Nation

• Occupational Outlook Handbook

• HCC Focus 2

Once you have determined you may be interested in a career or career cluster, you should explore that career area to learn more about it and determine if it is a good fit. Career Exploration allows one to investigate the knowledge and skills that are required for that particular area and see if they align with an individual's strengths and interests. 

Howard County Public School System Course Catalog

Already Know What Career Cluster You Are Interested In? Take a Road Map to Determine the Way!

• Advanced Manufacturing

• Agriculture

• Arts, Media, & Design

• Construction

• Digital Technology

• Education

• Energy & Natural Resources

• Financial Services

• Healthcare & Human Services

• Hospitality, Events, & Tourism

• Management & Entrepreneurship

• Marketing & Sales

• Public Service & Safety

• Supply Chain & Transportation

If you have determined that a career or career cluster is a good fit for your and your strengths/skills, then it is time to start with specific preparation. Career Preparation is when you begin to develop specific skills or a knowledge base, in order to be ready for post high school pathways, both college and non-college. 

College Preparation:

Howard County Public Schools offers a robust, in house college preparation curriculum through the combined offerings of AP Courses and JumpStart (Dual Enrollment) coursework through Howard Community College.  

Advanced Placement:

• College Board - Info on PSAT, SAT, AP, etc.. Dates, resources, public released free response questions, practice exams

• AP Students - All the info related to the AP exams, dates, scores, credit, blog, exam specific pages

• AP Classroom - Register for exams, course materials, practice exams

JumpStart Dual Enrollment:

• General Information Presentation - General overview of the JumpStart program

• JumpStart Info Page - A one stop document with parameters, procedures, and contacts

• JumpStart Canvas Page

Career Preparation:

In Building Career Academies:

• Accounting

• Business Management

• Career Research and Development

• Computer Programming

• Computer Science

• Culinary Science

• PLTW - Engineering

• Marketing

• Teacher Academy of Maryland

ARL Career Academies:

• Aerospace Engineer - PLTW

• Agricultural Science

• Animation and Interactive Media

• Architectural Design

• Automotive Technology

• Biotechnology

• Civil Engineering

• Construction

• Cybersecurity Networking

• Finance

• Graphic Design

• Health Professionals

• Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning

• JROTC

Youth Apprenticeship:

Once a student graduates from high school, there are multiple pathways one can follow to obtain a "high wage job in a high demand industry", almost all of which require additional Career Training. Below you will find a non-exhaustive list of post-secondary opportunities, including: Four Year Colleges, Two Year Colleges, Apprenticeships, Military, Trade Schools, Year of Service, and entering the Workforce. 

For a deeper dive check out these modules "Post Secondary Paths Through a Career Lens" and "Non 4 Year Post Secondary Pathways"

Four Year Colleges (Bachelor's):

1. Complete a College Search

2. Take a College Entrance Exam (Optional) - PSAT - SAT - ACT 

3. Complete a College Application

4. Apply for Federal and State Financial Aid 

5. Apply for Scholarships - OM Specific Scholarships

Two Year Colleges (Associate's, 2 to 4 Transfer):

• Overview of Specific A.A.S. Programs at HCC/CCBC

• Howard Community College (HCC) - Programs and Courses - Application - Aid

• Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) - Programs and Courses - Application - Aid

• Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) - Programs and Courses - Application - Aid

• Other Community Colleges:  Prince Georges Community College - Montgomery College - Carroll Community College

Registered Apprenticeships/Trade Schools:

• Skilled Trades Directory

Military: 

• Enlisted vs. Officer

• Military Pathways - Academy, Enlistment, OCS, ROTC

Year of Service:

• Maryland Year of Service

• HCPSS Summer Enrichment Opportunities

• Internship Directory

• OWD Job Board

• Applying for a Job Module