iii Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Introduction As a young adult, an important key to your success will be preparing for the transition from high school to your fi rst career. To help you make this transition, School to Career will guide you through important 21st-century life and career skills that you will need as you graduate from high school. By studying this text, you will learn personal skills, decision-making skills, and employability skills that will help create a foundation as you prepare to be on your own. Skills for success such as teamwork and problem solving, communicating on the job, and leadership are also covered. You will have an opportunity to research and learn about careers using the Career Clusters to help you defi ne your future goals. As part of the learning process, you will assess your skills and abilities to help make decisions about a career that is a good fi t for you. Included in your exploration will be learning about college and other postsecondary programs that might help you reach your goals. School to Career is the fi rst step in preparing for the challenges you will face after graduation. By studying this text, you will be able to make the most of your study time and learn how to prepare for your future. About the Authors Joseph J. Littrell, the original author of this text, taught industrial and vocational education to teachers-in-training at Arizona State University. Littrell began his career teaching industrial education in Nebraska and Oregon public schools. Later he taught engineering at the University of Missouri. He earned degrees from Peru State College in Nebraska, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Missouri. James H. Lorenz is professor emeritus and former chair of the department of engineering technology at Middle Tennessee State University. He has taught graduate and undergraduate teacher certifi cation courses and undergraduate drafting courses for over 25 years. Lorenz conducted numerous in-service training programs for teachers and has directed SkillsUSA activities at district and state levels. He began his career teaching drafting, cooperative education, and graphic arts at the secondary level. Lorenz holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Georgia. Harry T. Smith is professor emeritus of curriculum and instruction at Tennessee Technological University where he was the program supervisor of industrial education from 1975 to 2002. Smith’s primary responsibility was teaching instructional media technology and occupational education licensure courses to undergraduate and graduate students in the college of education. Earlier, Smith taught industrial education at the secondary level in Missouri and the postsecondary level in Missouri and at Eastern Michigan University. Smith holds degrees from Northeast Missouri State, Central Missouri State, and Michigan State Universities.