When I went to college, more than a few years ago, I was lucky to have gotten through in four years time and that included attending all of those summers as well. Things are different today. Students have so many more opportunities than I did at their age.

Enter, Career Pathways. Today, students can enroll in college courses in high school. They could in fact, get many of their general education and other required courses completed before leaving high school so that they have less credits to take when they get to college. This allows them to get their certificate or degree much quicker and for less cost.

That’s good news. I encourage students to start exploring their career options in junior high and start planning their career path. In high school students can narrow down their career options to what they are really interested in. At that time, they should be working with their counselor and CTE teachers to learn what courses they can take that will count for college credit and get them further down their path to their chosen career. Then they have more options after graduation such as moving straight into a career or furthering their education with a certificate, an Associates or a Bachelors degree, among others.

Whatever you decide to do as a student, make sure you are talking to your counselors and teachers along the way. In the last few weeks I have heard stories of many students who didn’t get on a CTE pathway and didn’t take advantage of concurrent enrollment in high school, and they wish they had. Save time and money, and find out about CTE in your high school. Turn your dream into a Career with CTE.