What Are Online Career and College Prep Curriculums?

K12’s Career and College Prep program offers middle and high school students career-focused electives, industry certifications, career clubs, dual enrollment, and college planning tools like Tallo — all designed to help students explore career paths and build real-world skills alongside their core academic coursework before graduation.

What Makes K12’s Career and College Prep Curriculum Different?

Is your teen already seriously considering what they want to be when they grow up? Are they thinking about the possibilities that lie beyond high school graduation? Career and College Prep can be the perfect choice to add to their education experience.

How Does Career and College Prep Prepare Students for the Future?

Career and College Prep helps prepare students for lifelong careers in a variety of fields, and in a variety of ways. As they accomplish the usual school subjects, they have the chance to explore a whole different way of learning.

From interactive classes that help them develop problem-solving skills, to unlocking different job shadowing experiences or getting a head start on college credits,* Career and College Prep has options for students with all sorts of goals.

Students can choose to be part of the Career and College Prep program through a K12-powered online school, or they can choose including a more flexible learning option that allows students to remain at their local school for core academics and participate in take Career and College Prep courses, clubs, and other activities online.

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Attend online classes

Live, teacher-led classes help them learn in real time and connect with other students. 

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Work together

Students collaborate with classmates to study, complete projects, and network. 

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Work independently

By navigating their own resources, learning time management, and studying alone, students learn how to stand on their own.

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Join Peers

Students can choose from a variety of clubs (including career-specific ones) to get involved and meet other students.

What are the Top 5 Things to Know About Career and College Prep

What happens when a student chooses Career and College Prep?

Take a look at a how Sarah is preparing for her career in healthcare:

Interested in another example?

Let’s say a student named Alyssa loves making her own jewelry and wants to explore a career in entrepreneurship. Our Entrepreneurship pathway gives her the opportunity to explore the business side of making her love of accessories into a career: from launch to growth, and marketing to fundraising. As a part of this pathway, she’ll be able to:
Explore what makes a business successful
Learn how to promote her business and attract investors
Discover what it takes to launch and grow a business

Course list & sample lesson

FAQs

K12’s career prep program includes courses, career clubs, career exploration tools, life skills training, and access to the Tallo career platform to help students build job-ready skills.

Yes, K12 offers certification opportunities as part of its career and college prep curriculum to help students build credentials before graduation.

Yes, career prep courses and services are designed to run alongside a student’s standard academic coursework, not replace it.

*Opportunities vary by school; please visit your school page or check with your school counselor.
**Career and College Prep is a program for grades 9–12. At some schools, career exploration is offered in middle school.
†Many Microsoft®️ Office certificates can be earned after completing one course. Other certificates require more classes to be better prepared, and students who participate in the program for at least two years will have further preparation for certification testing.