The term “educational pathway” refers to the academic preparation you need to pursue a particular professional goal. For some professions, an associate’s degree will suffice; others minimally require a bachelors, masters, or Ph.D. Before you embark on a particular pathway it is important to be aware of the nature of the educational commitment you will need to make. 

Another important thing to understand is that educational pathways are not static: the minimum educational requirements for entry level positions can, and do change.  The best source for the latest information on degree requirements, professional certification, licensure, and examination can be obtained through their respective professional organizations.

An associate’s degree is the first step on your educational pathway.  Early in your career at BCC you want to make sure that your major is congruent with your long-range degree and career goals.  This connection is not always obvious and the name of a program may be ambiguous.  The first step on the educational pathway to careers as different as lawyer, teacher, physician assistant, and occupational therapist is an associate’s degree in liberal arts.

Before you invest a lot of time, energy, and money, you want to know as much as possible about your professed career objective. You don’t want to go to law school only to discover that you are easily bored by routine. Similarly, if you don’t like one-on-one caring for people, being a nurse is not for you. There are steps you take now to gain insight into whether your professional goal is the right choice for you.  Take an assessment of your aptitudes, skills, and personality traits.   Here you need to be brutally honest with yourself. If you have no science aptitude, perhaps you shouldn’t consider a medical career. If you can’t draw a straight line, a career in architecture may be ruled out. If you have a gregarious personality, you may be unhappy working alone in a cubicle crunching numbers.  Talk to people working in your field of interest.  People currently working in a field are probably the best source of information. Ask them why they do what they do, and how they prepared to do it. Make sure to note when they did their training so that you may determine if professional requirements have changed.

Consider an internship
An internship is a position which allows you to gain professional experience in an occupational area you are considering.  This is a great way to “test drive” a career and to begin building a professional resume. Additionally, some specialized programs (e.g., physician assistant) require some related work experience (paid or unpaid) as a criterion for admission.

Read the Occupational Outlook Handbook
The handbook is published by the U.S. Department of Labor and is essential reading for goal oriented academic planning. For each profession there is a section describing the nature of the work and working conditions, educational requirements, job outlook, potential earnings, and a listing of professional organizations.

Contact professional organizations
Most careers have affiliated professional associations.  These organizations are excellent resources for career exploration and for networking. They also offer updated information on educational pathways, licensure, and certification.  Membership in a professional organization is an important investment in your professional development.  Many of these organizations have active, student chapters.  Membership in one of these student chapters will let you tap into the most up-to-date information and developments in a chosen field and give you a head start in thinking and acting as a professional. Links to these organizations can be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.