Can someone explain job clusters for high school students?

I've seen 'job clusters' mentioned when researching career options related to high school education. Can someone explain what these clusters are and how they might benefit students like me who are undecided about future careers?

Sure, job clusters, also known as career clusters, are groups of similar occupations and industries that share a set of foundational knowledge and skills. They were developed to help students explore different career paths and better understand the education, training, and skills they might need in the future. There are currently 16 nationally recognized career clusters that range from health science to information technology to agriculture.

Each of these clusters represents a collection of occupations that require similar skills. For instance, within the health science cluster, you might find jobs such as nursing, dentistry, physical therapy, and pharmacology. They all fall under the umbrella of healthcare, yet they are different career paths that students can explore.

For a high school student who's undecided about future careers, career clusters can be very beneficial. They enable students to explore a broad range of career options and understand the skills and education required in those fields before committing to a specific career path. For example, if you are interested in the arts but unsure of which career path to take, by investigating the "Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications" cluster, you can explore various occupations, such as graphic design, journalism, or performing arts.

Another benefit is that career clusters can guide your academic and extracurricular choices in high school. They basically act as a roadmap that can guide your decisions on which courses to take, which subjects to focus on, and which extracurricular activities to engage in based on the core set of skills and knowledge required by the occupations in a particular cluster.

Remember, the goal of career clusters is not to lock you into a specific career path prematurely, but to help you explore various options based on your interests, skills, and personal goals. This exploration can help you make informed decisions about your post-high school plans, whether it be college, vocational training, or getting straight to work.