Career exploration helps students identify their skills and interests while also providing direction towards the creation of a plan for life beyond high school graduation.
Career Exploration Programming
Career Exploration programming is a critical component of middle school. The Department of Strategic Partnerships & College and Career Readiness looks forward to offering exploratory career-connected learning opportunities each year, especially for our 8th grade students as they prepare to enter the RCAS Academies & Pathways.
8th Grade Career Exploration
The 8th Grade Career Exploration course allows students to learn about a full range of careers that will influence career interests and guide further exploration. These career interests will help students identify a plan that may include career academies, career pathways, work-based learning experiences, postsecondary education and training, and employment opportunities.
8th Grade College & Career Fair
The 8th Grade College & Career Fair brings RCAS partners and students together to each November during College & Career Readiness month to think about and begin to plan for our students future education and careers.
College and Career Exploration Resources
Career clusters group careers with similar skills and common themes. They are designed to help students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to reach their postsecondary and career goals. South Dakota recognizes 16 career clusters.
The South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation has an entire website dedicated to Career Exploration. Exploring careers prior to investing time and money can provide reassurance that you are spending your life on work that is meaningful to you.
The South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation has worked to create South Dakota Career Wonders, a booklet of career exploration information and activities for students in grades five through eight.
The Native Pathways: A College-Going Guidebook provides relatable college-going content for Native American high school students that speaks to their culture, ways of knowing, and experiences as they consider options for attending college.
SDMyLife provides online career development tools for South Dakota students from the South Dakota Department of Education.
College and Career Readiness Camps
College and Career Readiness camps provide students with hands-on, experiential learning that helps to further career exploration. Check out the following RCAS partners who offer college and career readiness camps!
Black Hills State University offers a variety of summer camp opportunities for students to further explore areas of interest.
South Dakota Mines offers a variety of hands-on learning opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school students to learn more about math, science, and engineering.
Western Dakota Tech offers Career Exploration camps that represent some of the fastest growing professional fields and industries that allow students to explore their programs to discover their path to something bigger and brighter. Western Dakota Tech camps are free and open to all high school juniors and seniors.
Do you have a college and career readiness camp you would like to share with RCAS students? If so, please contact 605-394-6986 or RapidCityPartnerships@k12.sd.us!
If 
your business or organization is interested in partnering to offer career-connected learning opportunities for RCAS students, click here.