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The Career Technical Education (CTE) program is aimed at providing students with technical skills and training so they can succeed in their career of choice—but the CTE can also help you figure out which industry you’re suited for in the first place. Consider using the National Career Clusters Framework to find paths that align with your skills and interests.
You can find 79 career pathways from the 16 career clusters, which were actually created by the U.S. Department of Education in an effort to better organize education programs. Take a student interest survey designed to identify your clusters; while you’re at it, many community colleges offer online quizzes to help you as well. There are also physical workbooks available. If you’re in a CTE program, you might use more self-assessment rubrics or be given more extensive training to understand the various pathways. They’re not meant to box you in, but rather help you narrow down your interests, talents, and goals to find career options for you.
According to Career Key, you can work on identifying your best cluster on your own or work with a school counselor, advisor, or other workforce development professional. Before that, though, let’s just look at what the clusters are.
What are the 16 career clusters?
The 16 career clusters are as follows:
Agriculture, food, and natural resourcesSome of the career options within this cluster are farmer, rancher, veterinarian, and scientist.Architecture and construction
This one is all about designing, building, and maintaining buildings (whether private or commercial) or infrastructure. Carpenters, plumbers, construction workers, architects, and maintenance workers all fall under this category. Arts, audio/visual tech, and communications
This one includes everyone from actors to production assistants to telecommunications specialists to journalists. It’s best for those with a real passion for performance, theater, or communicating some other way. Business, management, and administration
HR professionals, accountants, managers and office workers all fall under this cluster, which primarily features roles that require a four-year degree or some kind of certification, but is also great for people with little training who are interested in working their way up in a company or industry. Education
While this cluster includes teachers and professors, it also includes anyone who works in an educational setting, like counselors or administrative assistants. Finance
If you have an interest in math and a degree or certificate, you could be a banker, insurance agent, accountant, or treasurer—and find yourself in the finance cluster. Almost all of these paths require a degree or specialized training of some sort and will see you working in an office, so if either of those options don’t appeal to you, this may not be your cluster.Tourism and hospitality
Travel agents, restaurant servers, and hotel managers all fall under this cluster. Many of its jobs only require a high school diploma and on-the-job training, so it’s a great option for someone who wants to work their way up without needing specialized education. Human services
The human services cluster features psychologists, social workers, and counselors, but also includes wellness and personal care workers. Whether providing therapy or hair coloring, you’ll need specialized training and a passion for helping others. Information technology
Information technology workers, coders, and developers are part of the IT cluster, but so, too, are computer science teachers and forensic analysts. Don’t look into this cluster if you don’t want ongoing training; the evolution of the sector all but guarantees you’ll always be getting trained in something new. Law, public safety, corrections, and security
This cluster includes a wide variety of jobs like FBI agents, police officers, and lawyers. There are job options in this cluster that span the range of educational and training requirements, too, so some entry-level positions won’t require specialized training. Manufacturing
Warehouse workers and electricians are two of the career options that fall under the manufacturing cluster. If you enjoy physical work and laboring in new environments often, this could be a good cluster—and many of the jobs don’t require a four-year degree. Marketing, sales, and service
This cluster includes PR people and telemarketers, and might be of interest to you if you consider yourself a people person. Four-year marketing degrees can be helpful, but quicker certifications are also a good way to get a job in this sector. Science, tech, engineering, and math
STEM gets its own cluster, meaning chemists and research assistants all fall under it. Many of these jobs require a degree. There’s also likely to be continuing education. Government and public administration
Just as there is crossover between the educational clusters and others like human services, there is crossover between the law cluster and this one. Military members, some lawyers, and municipal workers fall under this one. Not only do a lot of the jobs in this cluster require Bachelor’s degrees, but many of them also require even more advanced ones, so only look into this cluster if you’re ready to put some years into formal education. Health science
This cluster is where you’ll find nurses, pharmacists, doctors, first responders, and anyone who works in healthcare. While specialized training is required for all of these positions, the time and commitment necessary varies. For instance, certified nursing assistants need less training than nurses, who go to school for less time than doctors. Transportation, distribution, and logistics
Pilots, truck drivers, and logistics planners all fall into this one, but different levels of training are required for each. If you like working in new environments often or have an interest in mechanics, this could be the cluster for you.
