Career Section
The Career Section (pages 6-8) is your gateway to exploring exciting career pathways tailored to your interests! Discover average wages based on education level for each pathway, along with recommended 2- and 4-year higher education programs in those fields. Dive in and start planning your future success!
Frequently Asked Questions
The career clusters are based on the student’s responses to the postsecondary survey. If a student did not complete a survey, three DC area high-wage/high-demand career clusters were populated: Business Administration, Information Technology (IT), and Health Sciences.
The wage and salary information was taken from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) for the DC metro area.
No. The colleges highlighted on the career page offer programs connected to the career clusters. These offerings are just a sample and do not reflect the complete range of options. For students in 9th and 10th grades, the college page will list more Smart College suggestions.
Naviance is a great place to start to further explore colleges and careers. You can visit your school’s Naviance page at clever.com
Career Glossary
| TERM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| Annual Income | The incomes reported in this Guide reflect the median income in the DC metro area, which is the annual income for the middle 50% of workers within a specific education level for the career field. |
| Career Exploration | The process of discovering and investigating various career options to expand a student’s understanding of specific job opportunities within an industry, which may include participating in industry site visits, job shadow experiences, and interacting with professionals in the industry. |
| Career Preparation | Opportunities that build a student’s skill set to succeed in a particular employment position or field, such as internships or pre-apprenticeship experiences. |
| CTE (Career and Technical Education) Courses | Degrees or certificate options that a student may pursue based on the education level desired. The degrees and certificates highlighted in this Guide are meant to be a starting point and do not include all options within a given field or education level. |
| Degrees & Certificates to Consider: | Degrees or certificate options that a student may pursue based on the education level desired. The degrees and certificates highlighted in this Guide are meant to be a starting point and do not include all options within a given field or education level. |
| Postsecondary Programs | Additional training or education options after high school. The programs highlighted reflect offerings within a given career field and may include certificate programs, apprenticeship programs, 2-year colleges, and 4-year colleges. Programs that are highlighted in this Guide are meant to be a starting point and do not include all options within a given career field or education level. |
| Work-Based Learning (WBL) | Opportunities that enhance classroom learning through workplace connections. This section in the guide highlights the number of events a student attended related to career exploration and career preparation. *Note, not all students will be involved in work-based learning. |