Today we’re going to start exploring career pathways. A career pathway map helps students by providing a bridge from high school career components to the post-secondary options you just learned about such as the military, 2- or 4-year colleges, or working full time right after high school. Even though you aren’t in high school yet, it’s important to know what type of options you will have once you get to high school. Following a career pathway map can help you determine the courses you should take, the co-curriculars you might join, and the certifications you can achieve to give you a big jump-start to your career.

Today we’re going to start exploring career pathways. A career pathway map helps students by providing a bridge from high school career components to the post-secondary options you just learned about such as the military, 2- or 4-year colleges, or working full time right after high school. Even though you aren’t in high school yet, it’s important to know what type of options you will have once you get to high school. Following a career pathway map can help you determine the courses you should take, the co-curriculars you might join, and the certifications you can achieve to give you a big jump-start to your career.

In this Xello interactive lesson, you will take the information you’ve learned about career pathways and apply it to three careers which you have previously saved. You’ll identify what you like and dislike about the learning pathways to these three saved careers and evaluate your likelihood of pursuing the required training.

In this Xello activity, you will be introduced to 3 learning styles before completing Xello’s 20 question Learning Style quiz, where you’ll discover how you learn and remember information best. After you complete the quiz in Xello, regroup as a class for a post discussion.

When Reina’s not playing games and collaborating with her friend, or building a super-computer with her dad, she’s dreaming of creating video games. After this high schooler learned how to start coding, she became curious about what goes into bringing her favorite games to life behind the scenes. In this episode of SHADOW, Reina heads to the Microsoft Turn10 Studios in Seattle, the company behind Forza Motorsport. There she spends the day job shadowing a female video game designer who shows her the ins and outs of video game development and UX design. Could this be Reina’s future? Tune in to find out.

Meet Jeremiah. He’s a homeschooler with a serious passion for drone racing. He’s so into it that he even started taking classes in aerial vehicle design and operation, which got him thinking: What sort of drone pilot jobs exist? So, today he’s exploring one avenue – drone filmmaking – with a real-life professional. Follow him as he spends the day job shadowing Corey from Motion State, an award-winning production company that specializes in capturing sky-high shots for film, TV, and car commercials. And watch what happens when Jeremiah is challenged to capture some epic aerial footage of his own. Will this aspiring drone operator get the job done? Find out on this episode of SHADOW.

Ever since ninth grade, aspiring film director Samantha has been using her voice and her vision to tell stories from behind the camera. She’s really into film production and wants to attend film school in the future. But today, the high schooler is in for a big surprise when she pays a visit to a professional set for the first time. There she meets with fellow female director Erica, who challenges the young filmmaker to choreograph and direct her own music video. Does Samantha have it takes? Find out on this episode of SHADOW. And…action! 🎬

Kelleah is all about being green. It’s her way of giving back to the world, and she’s so into it that she even built her own sustainable fish tank at home. Now she’s wondering how she can use her passions for ecosystems and the environment to make an even bigger impact in the future. That’s why she’s heading to East of Eden Farm to shadow Farmer David for a day. While on the farm, Kelleah tends to crops, learns about sustainable development, and gets a feel for what it’s like to work in agriculture. Will she decide that farm life is for her? Find out on this episode of SHADOW.

Mitch is a HUGE sports fan who dreams of a career in sports management. In his spare time, the high schooler loves working for his local junior ice hockey team, the Seattle Thunderbirds, where he helps hype up the crowd during intermission. Now he’s taking his passion for sports business to the next level by spending a day with a real-life sports marketing pro. In this episode of SHADOW, see what happens when Mitch gets the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shadow Seattle Mariners marketing exec Tyler at T-Mobile Stadium. Will his experience be a home run?

Sure, Tobias isn’t old enough to drive, but he definitely knows cars. This 13-year-old from New York lives and breathes art, design, and all things German engineering. One day, he dreams of turning his interests into a future in the automotive industry. To explore his career options, he’s making the trek out to Astoria to spend the day in a real-life auto detailing shop. There he meets with shop owner Brett, who walks him through what it’s like to customize cars for a living. Watch what happens when Tobias puts his passions to work in this episode of SHADOW.

Jeremiah knows he wants a future in helping others. He’s dedicated to fighting for equal rights and making the world a better place for all. To explore his passion, he’s shadowing a successful international human rights lawyer named Akilah. Together Jeremiah and Akilah hustle across NYC, go behind the scenes at her office, and talk about what it really takes to make it in the legal world. Will Jeremiah choose to pursue a law career? Find out on this episode of SHADOW.

Bria is a young musician who can’t decide what to do with her future. She’s not sure whether she wants a career in music or medicine. So, who better to help her out than world-famous composer Chloe Flower? By fusing her lifelong passion for classical music with her love of hip-hop beats, Chloe created a musical style that’s all her own. Together in Chloe’s apartment, the two musicians brainstorm ways to combine all Bria’s unique skills, interests, and hobbies into a future that’s right for her. Will Bria discover her path? Find out on this episode of SHADOW.

It’s great to know which careers align with your skills and interests. But where will you find a job in one of these career fields? Do you know businesses in your community or state which have employees doing the kind of work you are interested in? In this activity, you will have the opportunity to find some employers which hire for your career interests and do a little research into these companies.

Welcome to Xello! You’ll be using the resources on the Xello platform through middle and high school as you start thinking about and planning for your future career. Follow the directions below to log into Xello and personalize your Xello page.

In this Xello interactive lesson, you will understand the importance of making informed, responsible decisions when faced with important choices. You’ll learn about the importance of considering the consequences of potential decisions, explore the difference between gut and logic decisions, and reflect on an important decision you’ve recently made.

So, what do you like to do? Play basketball? Cook? Read? Sometimes our interests can help us determine our future careers. Today you’ll have the opportunity to add some of your interests to your Xello page.

Today you’ll be using Xello to start doing some career exploration. Xello has a number of filters which will help you narrow down careers you might be interested in.

In this Xello interactive lesson, you will reflect on some of the interests you have saved in Xello's interest inventory, explore the link between interests and various careers, and investigate how you interests match up with a career you like.

You’ve already saved 3 careers in Xello—great job! Today, you’ll learn how your interests and abilities might align with a career that you are interested in.