Your career interests dictate what major/training to pursue, which in turn defines which colleges/certificates are most appropriate. That makes sense right? Then why do we so often "help" students by prompting them to choose a college first, then a major, and then a career? Isn't that backwards?! Let's flip it!

The primary goal of this presentation is to promote flipping the sequence and context of career education to help students by starting with career interests, leading to major/vocational choices, then using that to inform college/certification choices.

We will present the High School Career Connect initiative, strategy, and progress. In summary, (HSCC) is a career development and education service for middle school, high school and college students throughout Denton County. The HSCC program has been established in response to Texas House Bill 5, which requires children to choose their career paths in eighth grade in order to identify which endorsements (academic tracks) they should follow in high school. Unfortunately, many schools lack adequate career education services to assist students in making informed choices regarding continued education and careers. HSCC’s mission is to increase access to relevant career resources and expand Denton County schools’ capacity to deliver them. One key HSCC strategy is to assist schools in supporting students in understanding their interests and goals as they relate to their endorsement decisions. Essentially, by flipping the career choice paradigm so that college isn't the lead, career is.