Plan for a Future Career

This page provides resources that assist students, in collaboration with educators and families, to explore career planning questions such as:

  • How do I get there?
  • What skills do I need to develop?
  • What classes and training do I need?
  • How do I find employment?
  • How do I market my skills and talents?
Answers to these questions will provide direction for a career path that aligns preparation with the final career goal.

Resources

America’s Career Resource Network
This network provides career planning resources for educators, students and parents.

Career Cruiser Career and Education Planning Guide (pdf)
Student resources in this publication include exercises for budgeting and goal setting, education and training requirements for different careers and types of financial aid available for postsecondary education.

Career Cluster
Educator information includes Florida’s 16 career clusters, career planning resources, career academies and more.

Career Cruiser Career and Education Teacher’s Guide(pdf)
This guide contains Career Cruiser lesson plans and activities.

Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities
Developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth in collaboration with the Office of Disability Employment Policy in the United States Department of Labor to help youth service professionals better understand issues related to learning disabilities and improve the successful transition of youth with learning disabilities into the workplace, this guide brings together effective techniques from both educational and workforce systems.

College Board
Information for students and parents includes planning, finding, applying and paying for postsecondary education as well as College Board tests (PSAT, SAT, AP, CLEP). Information for educators includes education policy, college guidance, professional development, data, reports and research.

Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
DVR provides services for eligible persons with physical or mental impairments designed to enable them to prepare for, get, keep, or regain employment. Youth services include vocational evaluation and planning, career counseling and guidance, high school work experience, postsecondary training and education, on-the-job training and more.

Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance
This site contains information on postsecondary financial aid including grants, scholarships and online applications.

Florida Ready to Work Credential
This employment credentialing program tests work skills and habits/attitude in Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information. Students and jobseekers take three placement tests, online courses to improve scores (if necessary), and three proctored assessments. Those who score at least a 3 (out of a possible 5) on each test earn a bronze, silver, or gold Ready to Work credential.

Florida Virtual Campus
The Florida Virtual Campus is Florida's online resource for information on online postsecondary courses and programs, financial aid and college and career readiness planning.

Monster Career Advice
This site contains education and training information and strategies to help students develop a career plan.

More Successful Transition Planning: 20 Top Questions and Ways to Answer Them
This resource answers questions asked by students and teachers about using a structured process to make career decisions and explain them to others, especially when support is needed. Student worksheets are included. (Registration required.)

MyCareerShines
This online planning tool is a comprehensive career planning system. With MyCareerShines, Floridians will be able to explore careers, identify personal preferences for future employment and learn about the educational requirements for specific professions.

My Peterson’s
This site contains search tools for colleges and universities, online and continuing education, articles and resources to help students find the right school, contact admissions officials instantly, excel on tests and pay for postsecondary education.

National Center for Learning Disabilities
This web page provides information and resources for helping youth with with learning disabilities prepare for college and life after high school including research, planning tips, assistive technology, checklists and more.

Non-Paid Community-Based Vocational Educational (CBVE) Programs
This TAP discusses guidelines and issues for non-paid CBVE vocational training that places the student in various employment settings for work experience.

Parent Primer on Career Exploration (pdf)
Parent resources include steps for career decision-making, preparing teens for the workplace, college credit and financial aid and diploma options and services for students with disabilities.

Program Options for Students with Disabilities: Career Education and Adult General Education (pdf)
This educator brochure provides an overview of program options in career education and adult general education for students with disabilities including information on types of career education and adult general education programs, settings (mainstreamed and specialized), course descriptions/curriculum frameworks), educational plans and expected outcomes.

Program Options for Students with Disabilities: Career Education and Adult General Education: What Students and Families Need to Know
This student/family brochure provides an overview of the range of program options for career education and adult general education for students with disabilities.

SIMPLY Careers! A Guide for Persons Involved in Transition Planning (pdf)
Educator resources include information on setting goals and objectives for reaching the student’s identified postsecondary goals, participating in appropriate courses and career programs, linking the classroom to the real world, reproducible masters for a career portfolio, Attention Families! flyer and Program Opportunities Worksheet. SIMPLY Careers! will be revised soon to incorporate post-publication changes.

The Youthhood
This website helps youth plan for the future with "Job Center" resources for exploring, finding and keeping jobs; and a "Learning More" section on postsecondary education and training.