

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS







BridgeYear would like to thank the following companies for sponsoring a variety of high-growth, in-demand careers for BridgeYear’s Career Test Drive® Fair.
BridgeYear would like to thank the following companies for sponsoring a variety of high-growth, in-demand careers for BridgeYear’s Career Test Drive® Fair.
Alivingwageisthesalaryneededtoaffordabasicliving standard.Asingleadultwithoutchildrenneedsabout $15/hourinHouston.Livingwageonlyconsidersbasicneeds suchashousing,food,transport,andhealthcare.
Youremployershouldofferopportunitiestotakeonmore responsibilityandmoveup.Thiscanbeintheformofsalary raisesand/orpromotionstohigherpositions.Agreatcareer ladderclearlyoutlinesthepathsyoucantake.
Someemployersmayoffertopayforcollegeoradditional trainingsasaninvestmentinYOU!Typicallyacompanywill requestacertainnumberofyearsofemploymentwiththe companyinexchange.
Youremployershouldoffertocoversome,orall,ofyour insurancecosts.Ifemployer-sponsoredhealthinsuranceis notoffered,thereareotheroptionstopurchasecoverage directlyfrominsurancecompanies.
Retirementplanslikea401kallowyoutosavemoneyfor expensesyou’llhaveafteryoustopworking.You’llbeableto accessthesefundsattheageof59orolder.Greatemployers matchyourcontributionuptoapercentage.
Create an email and check it at least once a day. Make sure your email is professional: “firstnamelastname@gmail.com” versus“catgurl2@gmail.com”.
Keepyourtranscriptinanunopened,sealedenvelope.Most academicinstitutionswillaskforproofofhighschool completionoritsequivalency.Yourfinaltranscriptwillbe availablefromyourschoolregistrar.
Makesureyouhavecopiesofthefollowing:yoursocial securitycardorworkauthorizationnumber,FSAIDlog-in (whenapplyingforFAFSA),state-issuedidentification,anda recentphotoIDfromyourhighschooloravalidpassport.
Collegesandcertainindustries(likehealthcare)requirea copyofyourimmunizationrecord.Itisbesttogetyour necessaryshotsbeforeyouturn18astheyareoftenfreeor lowcostforminors.
Keepallyear-endW2'sandcompletedtaxdocumentsfor yourselfandyourparentsorguardians.Youmayneedthese documentstoapplyforfinancialaid.
Howmucharetuition&feesformyprogram?
Thisinformationmaybelistedonaschool'swebsite.Make sureyouknowifbooksandothersuppliesareincludedinthe fees.Evenifthetuitionandfeesarelisted,confirmthe informationisfortheacademicyearyouplantoenroll.
Howmuchdebtdoestheaveragestudentgraduatewith?
Lookforprogramswherethisnumberislow.Ideally,you wanttograduatewithlittletonodebt;aimtohavelessdebt thanwhatyouanticipatetomakewithinyourfirstyearof work.
Whatpercentageofstudentsgraduate?
Lookforahighpercentageofstudentsgraduatingwithinthe timelinetheschooladvertises.Thismeansstudentsaren’t wastingmoneyandtime,haveaccesstotheclassesthey need,andarebeingsupportedbytheschool’sstaff.
Whatisthejobplacementrate?
Askhowthisnumberiscalculated;itisusuallythenumberof graduateswhoareplacedinanindustry-relatedjobwithin sixmonthsofgraduating.Thisnumbershouldbehigh-over 75percent.
Whataccreditations/endorsementsdoestheschoolhold?
Yourschoolshouldbeaccreditedbyareputableagency approvedbytheDepartmentofEducation.Sometrade industryassociationsalsoendorseschoolsasideal institutionsforthatfieldofstudy.
•Ajobthatpaysyoutolearn“onthejob”isknownasanapprenticeship.
•Youearnalicenseafter1-2yearsofemploymentthrough“learnwhileyouearn”
•Asanapprentice,you’llworkundertheguidanceofacertifiedorlicensedexpertinthefield.
•Youmustbewillingtoworkyourwayup!
B1YEAR CERTIFICATE
•Aprogramthattakesoneyearorlessleadstoearningacertificate.
•Certificateprogramsprepareyouforaspecificskilland/orcareer.
•Typically,youdon’ttakegeneraleducationclasses(history,socialsciences,etc.).
•YoucanuseyourcertificatecoursestowardanAssociateofAppliedScience.
•Greatchoiceifyouwanttofocusononecareerpath
DCASSOCIATEOFAPPLIEDSCIENCE
2YEARS
•The“hands-on,”ready-for-work2-yeardegreethatpreparesyouforemployment.
•UsuallyrequiresprerequisitegeneraleducationclasseslikemathandEnglish.
•Oftentaughtinsimulatedworkplaceenvironmentsrightoncampus.
•Greatchoiceifyouwanttoworkinhighlytechnicalhands-onprofessions
•Uponcompletionyouwillbepreparedforanentry-levelpositionorhigher.
2-4YEARS
•A2-yeardegreethatdoesn’ttrainyouforaspecificjobisknownasanAssociateofArtsor AssociateofScience.CreditsfromeitherdegreecanbeusedtopursueaBachelor’sdegree.
•A4-yeardegreeisknownasaBachelorofArtsorBachelorofScience.
•Bothdegreesofferflexibilityinfuturecareerpathsandcanbebroadlyappliedtomanyfields.
•Bothdegreesareoftenrequiredtoadvanceintohighermanagementandexecutivepositions.
Iknowwhatcareer Iwanttopursue
Ienjoylearningina traditionalclassroom environment
OnlywhenIlike thetopic
I'minterestedin stayinginschoolfor twoormoreyears
Ienjoyhandson projects
Iwanttolearn onthejob
IfIabsolutelyHADto taketraditionalclasses likemathandreading...
I'dratherfind somethingelse I'dratherlearn theskills beforeworking
Iwanttokeepmy careeroptionsopen.
I'dmakeit happen
Havingacollege degreeisimportant tome
MorePathways is a website where you can search low-cost, short-term career training programs and explore careers requiring less than a 4 year degree.
Filter training programs based on criteria such as cost, duration, eligibility, location, and more.
Learn about a training program’s eligibility requirements, benefits, outcomes, and contact information.
Select 'compare' to explore program details, including training costs, duration, credentials earned, and other features.
Save careers and programs for later and access training applications.
Schedule meetings with a BridgeYear Advisor for personalized help.
$14-26/HR ENTRY WAGE
Automotivetechniciansinspect,maintain,andrepairvehicles.Theymust accuratelydiagnoseavehicle’sproblemandeffectivelyfixtheissue.They
DesiredSkillSet
$17-30/HR
Biologicaltechniciansassistinpreparingandoperatinglaboratory equipmentusedtoconductbiologicalresearchandbiomanufacturing processes.Theyadheretostrictlaboratoryprotocolsandmaintainaclean environmenttoensureaccurateresultsandqualityproducts.
Analytical Skills
DesiredSkillSet
Certificateinelectrical
**Notrequired;thisis forstudentswhowant tolearnthebasicsina classroomsetting beforebeginningan apprenticeship
$11-26/HR
Manufacturingtechniciansareinchargeofoperating,maintaining,and quality-checkingmachineryusedintheproductionofgoods,ensuringthat manufacturingequipmentrunsefficientlyandmeetsqualitystandards throughoutthewholeprocess.
Anetworktechnician'sjobistoinstall,test,andmaintaininternetsystemsin homes,businessoffices,schools,andresearchlabs.Theyinstallcomputer networks,connections,andcablingandperformqualityassurancetestsaccording tospecifications.Thiscareerisextremelyvaluablesinceinternetisfoundational tothefunctioningofbusinessesandorganizationsinourcurrentdigitalage.
Apharmacytechnician'sroleistoaccuratelyandefficientlyfillmedications, utilizeprescriptiondataentrysystemsandtroubleshootinsuranceclaims. The workofapharmacytechnicianisveryimportantsincepatientsneedtheir medicineforanymultitudeofpersonalhealthreasons.
DesiredSkillSet
$11-21/HR ENTRY WAGE
Phlebotomistsaretrainedtocollectbloodsamplesforresearch,testing, donations,ortransfusions.Theyverifythebloodtestsrequestedbya physicianorapatient,drawbloodsamples,preparethesamples,andbring themtothelab.
DesiredSkillSet
$15-27/HR
Plumbersinstall,maintain,diagnose,andrepairpipingsystemsforwater, drainage,sanitation,andothernecessitiesinhomesandbusinesses. Experiencedplumberscanbeinvolvedindevelopingblueprintsindicating placementofallpipesandfixtures.
$17-31/HR
RefineryOperatorsmove&turnlevers,knobs,andswitchestoadjust& monitorvariablessuchastemperature,pressure,flow,level,andtime; keepingmeticulousrecords.Thishelpsensuresafeandreliabledistillation ofcrudeoilornaturalgastoproduceavarietyofrefinedproductswith manyuses.
DesiredSkillSet
$19-30/HR
SurgicalTechnologistarepartofasurgicaloperatingteam.Theirresponsibilities include:ensuringtheoperatingfieldissterilebefore,during,andaftersurgeries, assistingthesurgeonbypassingsterileinstruments,andmaintainingcounts. SurgicalTechnologistspreparetheinstrumenttablesandmaterialspriortothe arrivalofthesurgeon.
DesiredSkillSet