Explore future career opportunities with the resources below

We have gathered resources for a variety of career options, from agricultural engineers to dietitians, or even video game designers. There are more than 35 careers listed below. Careers are sorted into five main categories below. Click on the category tab (below) that you are interested in and learn more about careers that align with the category. We have also prepared resources to help you build a standout resume for when you decide to apply for a job. If you have any questions about these resources, please reach out to us!

Careers in Agriculture

The science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a federal government agency that manages natural resources, while the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a USDA agency that focuses on natural resource conservation.

Below are just a few examples of careers in agriculture. Each job has a list of resources including job descriptions, video overviews, salary information, education requirements, and more.

Agricultural Engineer

Agricultural Equipment Operator

Agricultural Inspector

Agriculture Science Teacher

Animal Breeder

Learn More About Agriculture

The food we eat keeps us strong and healthy. Food provides us with the nutrients and energy that we need for the proper functioning and growth of the body. As human beings are incapable of synthesizing food, we depend on plants and animals for our food. The population explosion has led to a greater demand for basic requirements such as food, shelter, clothing, etc. Another impact of population on food crop production is land exploitation. Thus, cultivation has been limited to a small area.

In order to meet the demands with limited resources, we need to apply a greater effort. Crop variety improvement, crop production improvement and crop protection management are three major ways to improve food crops production.

Let us have a look at food crops and different methods of crop variety improvement.

Food crops are crops that contribute to the world’s major food supply. They comprise grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruits, legumes, spices, herbs, beverages, etc.

  • Grains are a major source of human food. They serve as a staple food for the majority of population. These include rice, wheat, maize, barley, etc.
  • Legumes and dried beans have a longer shelf-life and are economical. Thus, they can be used in seasons when food is scarce.
  • Seeds and nuts are the powerhouses of energy and a concentrated form of food.
  • Herbs have a strong flavour. These mainly comprise leaves, stems, flowers, roots and seeds

No one food or food group provides all the nutrients our bodies need, so eating a variety of foods is important. Brightly coloured fruits and vegetables generally have more nutrients, and eating at least one fruit or vegetable from each colour group (red, orange/yellow, green, blue/purple and white) gives our bodies the range of healthy vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that make and keep our bodies healthy.

We get energy from plants in two ways: by eating the seeds or by eating parts of the mature plant. Most plants have roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. These plant parts all have a role in keeping a mature plant healthy and helping it reproduce.

  • Roots help provide support by anchoring the plant and absorbing the water and minerals plants need to create their nutrients. Roots can also store sugars and carbohydrates that the plant uses to carry out other functions. Plants can have a taproot system, like a carrot, or a fibrous root system, like lettuce.
  • Stems carry water and minerals from the roots to the leaves, and carry the food produced by the leaves to other parts of the plant. These require two types of tubes made up of different kinds of cells: xylem cells move water and phloem cells move food. Stems also provide support for the plant and can move the leaves toward the sunlight that is needed to produce food. Most plants can be divided into one of two general categories, based on their stems: herbaceous (short, soft plants) or woody (tall, stiff plants).
  • Leaves come in many different shapes and sizes, but they all have one job: to make food for the rest of the plant.
  • Flowers help the plant reproduce so that more plants can be made.
  • Fruit can be thought of as a swollen flower. Apples, oranges, and even tomatoes, cucumbers and beans, are types of fruit because they have seeds inside them. Fruit is meant to be eaten so that its seeds are dispersed by the animal that eats it. Seeds can also be left behind, but with material that will help them grow into new plants.
  • Seeds contain everything needed for it to become a mature plant: a tiny plant (embryo) with leaves, stems, root parts and the food it needs to begin growing. This is all wrapped up in a seed coat, which protects the embryo from microbes and other invaders, and prevents the inside from drying out.

Test your knowledge of food crops with this free quiz on Quizlet. Take quiz now

Careers in Business and Marketing

Below are just a few examples of careers in business and marketing. Each job has a list of resources including job descriptions, video overviews, salary information, education requirements, and more.

Business Teachers, Postsecondary

Bill and Account Collector

Economist

Sales Manager

Advertising & Marketing

Human Resources Manager

Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist

Learn More About Marketing

Marketing as a discipline involves all the actions a company undertakes to draw in customers and maintain relationships with them. Networking with potential or past clients is part of the work too, and may include writing thank you emails, playing golf with prospective clients, returning calls and emails quickly, and meeting with clients for coffee or a meal. At its most basic level, marketing seeks to match a company’s products and services to customers who want access to those products. Matching products to customers ultimately ensures profitability.

Product, price, place, and promotion are the Four Ps of marketing. The Four Ps collectively make up the essential mix a company needs to market a product or service. Neil Borden popularized the idea of the marketing mix and the concept of the Four Ps in the 1950s.

Product refers to an item or items the business plans to offer to customers. The product should seek to fulfill an absence in the market, or fulfill consumer demand for a greater amount of a product already available. Before they can prepare an appropriate campaign, marketers need to understand what product is being sold, how it stands out from its competitors, whether the product can also be paired with a secondary product or product line, and whether there are substitute products in the market.

Price refers to how much the company will sell the product for. When establishing a price, companies must consider the unit cost price, marketing costs, and distribution expenses. Companies must also consider the price of competing products in the marketplace and whether their proposed price point is sufficient to represent a reasonable alternative for consumers.

Place refers to the distribution of the product. Key considerations include whether the company will sell the product through a physical storefront, online, or through both distribution channels. When it’s sold in a storefront, what kind of physical product placement does it get? When it’s sold online, what kind of digital product placement does it get?

Promotion, the fourth P, is the integrated marketing communications campaign. Promotion includes a variety of activities such as advertising, selling, sales promotions, public relations, direct marketing, sponsorship, and guerrilla marketing.

Promotions vary depending on what stage of the product life cycle the product is in. Marketers understand that consumers associate a product’s price and distribution with its quality, and they take this into account when devising the overall marketing strategy.

Test your knowledge!

Test your knowledge of business and marketing with this free quiz on Quizlet. Take quiz now

Careers in Family and Consumer Science

From education to product design, health and nutrition to hospitality, there are so many careers to explore through Consumer and Family Sciences! Some of the most popular choices are careers in hospitality and culinary arts.

The hospitality industry employs more professionals than almost any other. In the US, the industry lands among the top three employers each year. Within the field, there is a staggering array of different jobs and a wide variety of work settings that employ people at resorts, restaurants, hotels, casinos, and essentially anywhere that people dine and lodge. Cooks and chefs can be entrepreneurial, and start their own small business or they can find work in a food service sector that is more institutional in nature and includes jobs at hospitals, schools, corporate facilities and municipal cafeterias. If you feel passionate about the way food is prepared or sourced, or you are interested in a way to help others around you feel their best, a career in culinary arts might just put those interests to work!

Below are just a few examples of careers in Family and Consumer Science. Each job has a list of resources including job descriptions, video overviews, salary information, education requirements, and more.

Dietitian and Nutritionist

Commercial and Industrial Designer

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food

Cooks, Restaurant

Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare Center/Program

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Fashion Designer

Hotel & Resort Manager

Waiter and Waitress

Let’s put your culinary skills to the test (student activity)

Below you’ll find a video with 5 clues…can you guess what international delight we’re exploring today?

  1. Print this page
  2. Use the video and information found in this online article to complete your investigation.
  3. Turn this page in to your teacher.

Tortilla Trend

The tortilla trend emerged on TikTok in the early days of 2021 as tortilla wrap hack. A burrito-sized tortilla is sliced down one side, divided into quarters for ingredients, folded, and seared in a skillet or panini press until crisp. It’s known as The Tortilla Challenge or #tortillatrend.

Careers in Skilled and Technical Sciences

Skilled and Technical Sciences provide students with learning experiences and knowledge of industry, occupations, life skills, and applications of basic skills. Creative students who see themselves designing, planning, managing, building and maintaining the built environment, or processing materials into intermediate or final products, will want to pursue courses in the Skilled & Technical Sciences Pathway.

Below are just a few examples of careers in Skilled and Technical Sciences. Each job has a list of resources including job descriptions, video overviews, salary information, education requirements, and more.

Architects, and Landscape

Electrician

Carpentry/Carpenter

Desktop Publisher

Photographer

Video Game Designer

Jewelers

Electronic Drafter

Become an architect (activity)

You can become an architect in your very own classroom by doing mathematics and real-life architecture activities! Click on the link and follow the 3 steps to floor plan your classroom: https://www.math-kitecture.com/floor.htm

Careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs open the door to many different careers, including opportunities in engineering, science, and research.Some STEM careers also apply to technical knowledge in law, politics, and education.

Below are just a few examples of careers in STEM. Each job has a list of resources including job descriptions, video overviews, salary information, education requirements, and more.

Agricultural Engineer

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technician

Aircraft Mechanic and Service Technician

Biochemist and Biophysicist

Biomass Power Plant Manager

Chemical Technician

Climate Change Analyst

Quick Draw (activity)

This is a game built with machine learning of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. You draw, and a neural network tries to guess what you’re drawing. Of course, it doesn’t always work. But the more you play with it, the more it will learn. It’s just one example of how you can use machine learning in fun ways. Built by Google Creative Lab and Data Arts Team.

Try Quick Draw for yourself! Follow this link and see if the computer can guess what you are drawing!

Resume Building

High School students may have limited Work/Volunteer experience to showcase. Instead, it is important to list your top skills/interest that can show you will be a hard worker with good work ethic.

Here are some top skills that a high schooler can consider adding to their resume:

  1. Communication Skills: Ability to effectively communicate ideas, thoughts, and information both verbally and in writing.
  2. Teamwork/Collaboration: Capacity to work collaboratively with peers, teachers, and other stakeholders to achieve common goals.
  3. Leadership: Demonstrated ability to take initiative, guide others, and assume responsibility for tasks or projects.
  4. Time Management: Skill in effectively managing time to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and balance academic and extracurricular commitments.
  5. Problem-Solving/Critical Thinking: Capacity to analyze situations, identify issues, and develop innovative solutions.
  6. Adaptability/Flexibility: Ability to adjust to new situations, environments, and challenges with ease.
  7. Technology Proficiency: Familiarity with basic computer skills, software applications, and digital tools commonly used in academic and professional settings.
  8. Organization Skills: Ability to maintain orderly records, manage resources efficiently, and keep track of multiple tasks or projects.
  9. Self-Motivation/Initiative: Willingness to take on tasks independently, seek opportunities for growth, and demonstrate a proactive attitude.
  10. Interpersonal Skills: Capability to interact effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating empathy, respect, and cultural sensitivity.
  11. Public Speaking: Comfort and confidence in delivering presentations or speeches in front of an audience.
  12. Research Skills: Proficiency in gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing information from various sources to support academic or extracurricular endeavors.
  13. Creativity/Innovation: Ability to think creatively, generate original ideas, and approach challenges from different perspectives.
  14. Resilience/Perseverance: Capacity to bounce back from setbacks, handle pressure, and persist in the face of obstacles.
  15. Customer Service Skills: Ability to provide courteous and helpful assistance to others, whether in a retail, volunteer, or service-oriented setting.

These skills, when showcased effectively on a resume, can demonstrate a high schooler’s readiness for academic success, as well as their potential for future endeavors in college, employment, or other pursuits.

Resources

Resume Template 1 (Google Doc)

How to list references on a resume (with examples)

Compiling a Strong Reference List [VIDEO]

References Template (Google Doc)

A reference page is a document that lists the names, titles, contact information, and relationships of individuals who can vouch for your skills, abilities, and character. Including a reference page in resume building is essential as it provides potential employers with additional validation of your qualifications and suitability for a role. Employers may reach out to these references to gain insights into your work ethic, professionalism, and past experiences. By including a reference page, you demonstrate transparency and confidence in your abilities, showing that you have individuals willing to attest to your capabilities. This extra step can significantly enhance your credibility and strengthen your candidacy for employment opportunities.