16 Career Clusters and Their Career Pathways

Do you enjoy working with plants and animals? Interested in working to conserve natural resources or protect the environment? This cluster includes careers in the production, processing, distribution, financing, and marketing of agricultural products including food, plants, fiber, animals, wood, and other plant and animal resources.

• Agribusiness Systems
• Animal Systems
• Environmental Service Systems
• Food Products & Processing Systems
• Natural Resources Systems
• Plant Systems
• Power, Structural & Technical Systems

Do you want to design, build, and maintain structures where people live, work, and play? This cluster includes careers in designing, planning, managing, building, and maintaining the built environment.

• Construction
• Design/Pre-Construction
• Maintenance/Operations

Do you like to perform? Do you love to use your artistic creativity on the job? This cluster includes careers in designing, producing, exhibiting, performing, writing, and publishing multimedia content, including visual and performing arts and design, journalism, and entertainment services.

• Journalism & Broadcasting
• Performing Arts
• Printing Technology
• Telecommunications
• Visual Arts

Are you entrepreneurial? Do you like to plan and organize activities? This cluster includes careers in planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating business functions essential to effective and productive business operations.

• Administrative Support
• Business Information Management
• General Management
• Human Resources Management
• Operations Management

Do you enjoy teaching others? Are you comfortable with public speaking? This cluster includes careers in planning, managing, and providing education and training services and related learning support services, including administration and library services.

• Administration & Administrative Support
• Professional Support Services
• Teaching/Training

Do you like to work with numbers? Do you want to help people plan for their financial futures? This cluster includes careers in financial and investment planning, banking, insurance, and business financial management.

• Accounting
• Banking Services
• Business Finance
• Insurance
• Securities & Investments

Are you interested in government and politics? Does the idea of protecting our country appeal to you? This cluster includes careers in planning and providing government services at the federal, state, and local levels, including services related to national security, legislation, foreign service, revenue and taxation, and regulations.

• Governance
• National Security
• Planning
• Public Management & Administration
• Regulation
• Revenue & Taxation

Do you enjoy helping people feel better? Would you like working in a hospital or other medical facility? This cluster includes careers in planning, managing, and providing therapeutic services, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services, and biotechnological research and development.

• Biotechnology Research & Development
• Diagnostic Services
• Health Informatics
• Support Services
• Therapeutic Services

Do you want to help other people enjoy their leisure time? Would you like to work in a hotel or in a restaurant? This cluster includes careers in the management, marketing, and operations of restaurants and other food services, lodging, attractions, recreation events, and travel-related services.

• Lodging
• Recreation, Amusements & Attractions
• Restaurants & Food/Beverage Services
• Travel & Tourism

Do you like to help families solve problems? Would you like to connect people with the assistance they need? This cluster includes careers that provide family and individual services such as counseling and mental health, personal care, and consumer advice.

• Consumer Services
• Counseling & Mental Health Services
• Early Childhood Development & Services
• Family & Community Services
• Personal Care Services

Do you like technology? Do you enjoy working with computer hardware, software, multimedia, or network systems? This cluster includes careers related to the design, development, support, and management of hardware, software, Internet, multimedia, and systems integration services.

• Information Support & Services
• Network Systems
• Programming & Software Development
• Web & Digital Communications

Do you like to help protect other people's safety? Do you want to help enforce the law? This cluster includes careers in planning, managing, and providing legal, public safety, corrections, protective services, and homeland security, including professional and technical support.

• Correction Services
• Emergency & Fire Management Services
• Law Enforcement Services
• Legal Services
• Security & Protective Services

Do you like to design and make things? Are you comfortable working with machines? This cluster includes careers in planning, managing, and performing the processing of materials into intermediate or final products and related professional and technical support activities, such as production planning and control, maintenance, and manufacturing/process engineering.

• Maintenance, Installation & Repair
• Manufacturing Production Process Development
• Production
• Quality Assurance

Do you like to sell products or services? Are you friendly and outgoing? This cluster includes careers in planning, managing, and performing marketing activities to reach organizational objectives.

• Marketing Communications
• Marketing Management
• Marketing Research
• Merchandising
• Professional Sales

Do you like science or math? Do you enjoy solving problems? This cluster includes occupations and careers in planning, managing, and providing scientific research and professional and technical services (e.g., physical science, social science, engineering), including laboratory and testing services, and research and development services.

• Engineering & Technology
• Science & Mathematics

Would you like to fly planes, drive trucks, or pilot ships? Does the idea of fixing these vehicles appeal to you? This cluster includes careers in planning and managing the movement of people, materials, and goods by road, pipeline, air, rail, and water. Professional support services like logistics services and mobile equipment and facility maintenance are also part of this cluster.

• Facility & Mobile Equipment Maintenance
• Logistics Planning & Management Services
• Sales & Service
• Transportation Operations
• Transportation Systems/Infrastructure Planning