• Ask an insurance agent about car insurance.
• Be the treasurer of a club.
• Cook meals for your family and friends.
• Help coach a sports team.
• Join a committee to plan an event.
• Keep your own checkbook and savings account.
• Participate in a local fundraiser.
• Plan a trip for your family.
• Set up a school store.
• Start a tutoring service.
• Start a lawn mowing or babysitting business.
• Visit a bank and interview three workers in different jobs.
• Visit the Chamber of Commerce and ask about their activities.
• Work in a local restaurant.

Data Source:   Nebraska Career Information System

• Accounting
• Administrative support
• Algebra I and II
• Business
• Business Computer Applications
• Business English
• Business Law
• Business Management
• Business math
• Composition
• Culinary arts
• Economics
• English
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Food and Nutrition
• Geometry
• Marketing
• Personal Finance
• Psychology
• Public Speaking
• Sociology

Data Source:   Nebraska Career Information System

• Be a captain of a team
• Be a leader in a church youth group.
• Be a stage manager for a school play.
• Boy Scouts
• Collect and trade sports cards.
• DECA: An Association of Marketing Students
• Future Business Leaders of America
• Girl Scouts
• Junior Achievement
• Make and sell jewelry.
• Sell ads for the school newspaper or yearbook.
• Student Council
• Volunteer to sell products for a group.

Data Source: Nebraska Career Information System

NFL League and Team Jobs
Scroll down and click on "League Employment" or "Team Employment"
http://www.nfl.com/home

Do you want to be a chef or manage a resort?
http://culinary-careers.org/

Careers in Business
http://www.careers-in-business.com

Start your own business
http://ye.entreworld.org

Careers in Finance
http://www.careers-in-finance.com

Careers in Marketing
http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/

Young Investor
http://www.younginvestor.com/

Data Source:   Nebraska Career Information System

• Business, Management, and Administration
• Finance
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Marketing, Sales, and Services

Data Source: Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

• Accounting and Auditing
• Actuarial Science
• Banking and Finance
• Bookkeeping and Accounting Technology
• Business Economics
• Business Management and Administration
• Business Management and Administrative Services
• Commercial and Advertising Art
• Consumer Economics
• Court Reporting
• Customer Service Management
• Data Entry and Processing
• Economics
• Electronic Commerce
• Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
• Executive Secretary and Office Management
• Fashion Merchandising
• Floristry Operations and Management
• Food Services and Management
• Food Services and Technology
• Food, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies
• Gaming Programs
• Graphic Design
• Horticulture Operations
• Hospitality and Recreation Studies
• Hospitality Management
• Human Resources Management
• Industrial Design
• Insurance
• International and Comparative Education
• International Business, Trade, and Finance
• Labor and Industrial Relations
• Legal Secretarial Studies
• Logistics and Materials Management
• Management Information Systems
• Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
• Marketing Research
• Marketing, Merchandising, and Sales
• Medical Claims Examiner
• Medical Coding and Billing
• Medical Office Management
• Medical Secretarial Studies
• Medical Transcription
• Modeling
• Music Business and Management
• Nonprofit Management
• Office Support
• Operations Management
• Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Development
• Public Relations and Advertising
• Purchasing and Inventory Management
• Real Estate
• Recreation and Parks Management
• Recreation Studies and Management
• Recreation, Fitness, and Leisure Studies
• Restaurant and Food Services Management
• Retail Management
• Secretarial Studies and Office Management
• Sport and Fitness Management
• Statistics
• Taxation
• Technical and Business Writing
• Travel Services Management

Data Source:   Data Source: Nebraska Career Information System and edited Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

• Occupations with Short-Term On-the-Job Training
• Occupations with Moderate-Term On-the-Job Training
• Occupations with Long-Term On-the-Job Training
• Occupations with Work Experience in Related Occupation
• Occupations with Certificate or Diploma
• Occupations with Associate Degrees
• Occupations with Bachelor's Degree
• Occupations with Work Experience Plus Bachelor's Degree
• Occupations with Master's Degree
  
  Data Source:   Data Source: Nebraska Career Information System and edited Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

Do you sell advertising space for the school yearbook or newspaper?
Do you like to do public speaking or debating?
Are you good at organizing your own time?
Have you helped convince people to participate in an activity?
Are you friendly and outgoing?

If you answered yes to two or more of the questions above, you might be interested in considering a career in marketing, sales, and service.

The pathways give you more information about the opportunities to work and study in marketing, sales, and service.

Data Source:   Nebraska Career Information System and edited Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

The training and education requirements to work in the occupations included in the Health Services cluster depend on the specialty and the type of work performed. Some occupations require on-the-job training; however, some scientists need a doctoral degree to conduct research.

The information provided in the table below, presents the level of education or training required to work in the occupations related to this cluster and the median wages for those occupations. Note that some occupations may have more than one required level because the type of work performed may vary in specific jobs.

Check the related programs of study to explore the educational programs that would prepare you to work in this cluster.

Sales representatives and retail and Route Salespersons are often paid a wage plus commission. A commission is a percent of the price of each product that is sold. The more products that are sold means the higher the salary.

Also, keep in mind that there are non-wage benefits that workers receive. For example, these types of benefits are health insurance, paid vacation, sick leave, and retirement plans. It is important to consider these benefits when you are looking at pay. Some benefits, such as health care, are worth a lot of money. You should carefully weigh a job that pays well but does not have many benefits against one that has good benefits and lower pay. Remember, how much an occupation pays is only one factor to consider when making career choices.

High school is the time for you to begin preparing for work and this can be accomplished by taking courses that will help you prepare to meet the education and training requirements for the occupations in the Marketing, Sales, and Service cluster.

While you do not have to take all of the courses, you should consider them when you are making your plans for high school. Some of these courses are available for you to take at the college level.

Several of the occupations associated with this cluster require a college degree. If you are interested in those occupations, you should take courses in high school that prepare you to enter college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science.

These high school courses will help you prepare to continue your education in college or to get in a job working with marketing, sales, and service.

• DECA (Marketing association)
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Junior Achievement
• Girl Scouts
• Boy Scouts
• Sell ads for school newspaper or yearbook.
• Work at school concession stand.

Data Source:   Nebraska Career Information System

You will need the following skills to be successful in studying and working in the Marketing, Sales, and Service career cluster. These are skills you learn and practice in your high school courses to use in the occupations in this cluster.

Academic Foundations

• Integrate social-studies skills into marketing, sales and service to better understand customers and the economic environment in which they function.
• Solve mathematical problems to obtain information for decision making in marketing, sales, and service.
• Apply language arts skills to enhance business opportunities in marketing, sales, and service.

Communications

• Use communication skills to facilitate information flow in marketing, sales and service.

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

• Apply problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to help grow the business and/or to resolve workplace conflict.

Information Technology Applications

• Apply technological tools in marketing, sales, and service to expedite work flow.

Systems

• Implement, modify, and improve business and marketing systems to facilitate business activities.

Safety, Health, and Environmental

• Implement safety, health, and environmental controls to enhance productivity in marketing, sales, and service.

Leadership and Teamwork

• Employ leadership and teamwork skills to facilitate work flow in marketing, sales and service.

Ethics and Legal Responsibilities

• Exhibit ethical behavior in marketing, sales and service to create goodwill and trust.

Employability and Career Development

• Implement employability and career-development skills to obtain and progress in marketing, sales, and service careers.

Technical Skills

• Employ technical skills to understand and perform marketing, sales and service activities.

Data Source: Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

Users are able to drill down three more levels for additional skills and knowledge information.

Data Source: Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

In the future, there will be many job opportunities in the Marketing, Sales, and Service cluster. The number of people employed in sales and marketing is very large. Numerous job openings will result from turnover. Many people leave for higher paying jobs or for the opportunity to work regular hours.

E-commerce has affected the number of sales persons who are needed because companies and individuals place orders directly.

The glamour of advertising attracts many job seekers. As a result there are many more job seekers than there are job openings. New jobs will be created because of an increased demand for advertising services. However, the increased use of technology could replace some workers.

Data Source: Edited Bureau of Labor Statistics , US Department of Labor

Employees in the Buying and Merchandising pathway get the product into the hands of the customer. You might buy the products that the businesses sell. Or you may design the display and packaging for the product. Or you might assist the customers with making decisions about which products best meets their needs.

Sample Occupations or Career Specialties

Sample Programs of Study or Majors

Pathway Knowledge and Skills

Assess buying and merchandising-career information to enhance opportunities for career success.

Employ communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate interactions with others.

Acquire foundational knowledge of retailing to understand its scope and impact on the economy.

Implement business ethics, regulations, and safeguards to protect the business and to create trust.

Use leading, controlling, and planning to manage buying and merchandising activities.

Buying and Merchandising Knowledge and Skills

The pathway knowledge and skills are more specific than those linked to the cluster. When you learn and practice these knowledge and skills, you are preparing for specific jobs. Jobs like those listed for the cluster. You would study these knowledge and skills in classrooms in high school and college. You could also learn them through mentoring, internships, and on the job.

Assess buying and merchandising-career information to enhance opportunities for career success.

• Analyze buying and merchandising careers to determine careers of interest.
• Compare individual's abilities, interests, and attitudes with those associated with buying and merchandising success to determine the match between the two.

Employ communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate interactions with others.

• Communicate and apply interpersonal skills to manage buying and merchandising and to provide customer assistance.

Acquire foundational knowledge of retailing to understand its scope and impact on the economy.

• Investigate the retail industry to understand the background of retailing.
  
• Compare and contrast in-store merchandising with online merchandising to determine their similarities and differences.
• Place orders/reorders to maintain appropriate levels of materials/equipment/supplies.
• Plan and evaluate purchasing activities to minimize expenses.

Implement business ethics, regulations, and safeguards to protect the business and to create trust.

• Apply ethics and government regulations to protect a retail business.
• Plan and implement security measures to minimize loss and to create trust.
• Implement measures to maintain a safe working environment.

Use leading, controlling, and planning to manage buying and merchandising activities.

• Lead store/department staff to improve their job performance.
• Maintain fiscal control of retail operations to minimize expenses and maximize profit.
• Plan and implement activities and strategies to guide staff.

Manage marketing activities to facilitate business's development and growth.

• Utilize distribution knowledge and skill to manage supply-chain activities.
• Employ financial knowledge and skill to make retail decisions.
• Manage marketing-information to make retail decisions.
• Utilize pricing strategies to maximize return and meet customers' perceptions of value.
• Obtain, develop, maintain, and improve a product/service mix to respond to market opportunities.
• Utilize promotional knowledge and skill for communicating information to achieve a desired outcome.
• Manage the sales function to determine client needs and wants and to respond through planned, personalized communication.

Data Source: Nebraska Career Information System and edited Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

Instructional Programs in this Pathway

Occupations in this Pathway

Users are able to drill down two more levels on the Pathway Knowledge and Skills to get more information.

Data Source: Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.

About the Retail Industry
http://www.retailindustry.about.com

Careers in Marketing
http://www.careers-in-marketing.com

Food Marketing Institute
Learn more about the industry by clicking on "Facts & Figures" and go to "Supermarket Facts"
http://www.fmi.org

National Association of Realtors
Go to "Education"
http://www.realtor.org/

Retail and Wholesale Job Profiles
Check out real-life job profiles from people who work in retail and wholesale sales.
http://www.jobprofiles.org/ret.htm

Visual Store
This website provides information from people who are involved with retail design and visual merchandising.
Go to "People and Ideas" to get profiles of people who work in retail design.
http://www.visualstore.com

Data Source: Nebraska Career Information System

The Programs of Study listed below are the recommended areas of study to pursue if you wish to enter the occupation you are currently exploring.

Programs of Study

• Business Management and Administration
• Commercial and Advertising Art
• Customer Service Management
• Electronic Commerce
• Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
• Fashion Merchandising
• Floristry Operations and Management
• Graphic Design
• Horticulture Operations
• Industrial Design
• Marketing Research
• Marketing, Merchandising, and Sales
• Modeling
• Music Business and Management
• Public Relations and Advertising
• Purchasing and Inventory Management
• Real Estate
• Retail Management

The occupations may have similar work duties, use similar skills, be in the same career ladder, have a similar level of education, or be related in another way.

• Advertising Managers
• Advertising Sales Agents
• Buyers and Purchasing Agents
• Cashiers
• Counter and Rental Clerks
• Customer Service Representatives
• Demonstrators and Promoters
• Floral Designers
• Market Research Analysts
• Marketing Managers
• Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers
• Meter Readers
• Models
• Opticians
• Parts Salespersons
• Public Relations Managers
• Public Relations Specialists
• Purchasing Managers
• Real Estate Agents
• Retail Salespersons
• Route Salespersons
• Sales Managers
• Sales Representatives
• Sales Worker Supervisors
• Telemarketers

Data Source: Nebraska Career Information System and Career Cluster Documents, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.