Ongoing Education

Plan Your Life

Prepare to Be Successful

See what it takes to have the kind of lifestyle you want. Take this Reality Check.

Take this quiz to find out more about how your interests and personality can impact your future and career success.

Find out what you need to learn to get the kind of job you want.

Don't limit your options. Even if you are not sure it's right for you, think about how education beyond high school could help you get a better job. Find out what you should do now.

Identify and Get Jobs that are In Demand

These Target Occupations are in high demand and pay above-average wages.

See how you can prepare to find rewarding work.

Plan for Education Beyond High School

Get Ready for Higher Education

If you don't start planning for college or other types of higher education while you are still in high school, you may miss out on opportunities.

Find out what you can do:

> College Planning Overview

> Action Plan for High School Juniors

> Action Plan for High School Seniors

> College for Texans Guide

> College Planning Resources from the Federal Government

> College Planning Resources from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus

College Admissions Tests

Find out about the tests most colleges require for admission:

> Introduction to Admissions Tests

> Online Test Preparation

Find out more about tests that will let you know how ready you are for college:

> Texas Higher Education Assessment

> Preliminary SAT

> ACT Plan Test

Find out more about these college admission tests:

> SAT

> More on the SAT

> ACT

> More on the ACT

> GRE

> More on the GRE

Find out more about these tests that let you earn college creidits:

> CLEP

> AP

Choose a College

Search for colleges by what's important to you. Use these Web sites to find colleges that meet your academic and lifestyle criteria:

> College MatchMaker lets you explore and compare more than 3,600 colleges. It also provides advice for selecting a course of study and applying to the schools of your choice. Get more advice on admissions.

> In addition to letting you search for colleges, CollegeNET has links to applications for hundreds of colleges.

> Respected business magazine U.S. News and World Report ranks colleges on academic excellence and provides student feedback on their learning experiences at most major colleges in America's Best Colleges. Be sure to read the FAQ about its reporting.

> The Princeton Review features specialized searches for business, law, and medical schools as well as general college searches.

> Petersons.com lets you look for schools that specialize in narrow fields of study such as culinary programs, visual and performing arts, and other career colleges. They also catalog opportunities for studying abroad.

> College Opportunities Online Locator includes profiles on nearly 7,000 schools and has the most detailed information about specialized fields of study.

> Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

> Hispanic Magazine's Top 25 Colleges for Latinos

> Historically Black Colleges and Universities

> Want to see what different colleges look like? Take a virtual campus tour.

> If you are primarily interested in finding a community college, look here. Read about the benefits of going to a community college and how to transition from a community college to a four-year school. See how accredited community college Temple College at Taylor can help you achieve your academic and career development goals.

Consider Online Learning (also called Distance Learning)

Earn a college degree online or just take a few career-boosting classes. Search for online degree programs and career education at these Web sites:

> eLearners

> WorldWide Learn

> Classes USA

> Online College Network

Consider Vocational and Technical Career Education

If you are looking for the kind of learning experience that is more about getting a good job than academic knowledge, you can find programs that will teach you in-demand workplace skills.

Community colleges offer career education ranging from technical certification courses to two-year degrees. Find a community college here and read about the benefits of going to a community college. See how accredited community college Temple College at Taylor can help you achieve your career development goals.

You can find schools that offer specialized training for specific careers. Many vocational and technical schools even help you find a job when you complete your course of study.

Read about career colleges and technical schools or search these databases to find schools that offer the training you need:

> RMW Vocational School Database

> Vocational Information Center

Paying for Higher Education

Read about options for financing higher education and find links to applications for financial aid. Most colleges and vocational schools also offer financial aid, so be sure to ask the institution you intend to attend how it can help.

> College for Texans

> College Answers also offers online tools to help families plan for and evaluate various options for financing college.

If you don't find the information you need on the FinAid site, you can get a personalized answer to your question through the Ask the Aid Advisor feature.

> Adventures in Education

Find out more about Federal Student Aid with this guide before completing the Application for Federal Student Aid. You can first fill out the practice application online or print a worksheet if you prefer to practice with pencil and paper.