Curriculum Review of Pathfinder: Exploring Career and Educational Paths Pathfinder is a self-discovery and career exploration curriculum designed to help students identify their personal interests and skills and then use that information to set future educational and career goals. It is a valuable tool for helping teens to think ahead, and it assists them in recognizing how their high school years are important in paving the way for a bright future. The program materials contain both a Student Workbook and a Teacher’s Guide. The curriculum is divided into five parts, described briefly below. Part 1: Career Paths In this section, students evaluate their personal interests through a series of questionnaires. Pathfinder has developed 12 career interest groups and each student identifies the three that best describe them. Part 2: More Paths to Follow In Part 2, students discover the qualities they desire in a job as well as discuss other issues involved in making career decisions (such as considering physical requirements and avoiding stereotypes). Part 3: Educational Paths This section starts with two sample pre-employment tests for the students to take. This exercise stresses the importance of academics by showing the students that what they are learning in school, in English class and math class, really does make a difference when they hit the job market. Students will also identify their unique abilities (academic skills, work habits, and interpersonal skills) and then they will discuss what kind of educational track might be best for them personally. Part 4: Researching Careers This section teaches students how to research career choices in order to learn more about them. It lists resources the students can use to collect information (job shadowing, internet, etc.) and includes a survey that they can use as a guide. Part 5: Planning for the Future Part 5 acts as a journal, where the students can record the career path choices they’ve made because of the program. The students begin by recording the information that they discovered about themselves in Part 1 and Part 2. They are then asked to summarize all of the careers that they have researched. In the final step, they are challenged to use that information to better plan their high school education. They design, in writing, a plan that includes the required courses they need to take each year in high school as well as the elective courses, extracurricular activities, and outside activities that they think would be helpful preparation for their future career path. | 
