Career Connections

Career Circuit: STEM Career Connections
WOVEN
Career Circuit
Meet the Scientists Behind Today's Work
STEM Career Connections  ·  Travel. Discover. Find your first step.
KU Talent Search
1
🧭 The Mission

Today you tested water like a chemist and launched rockets like an engineer. Here is the secret: those are real jobs that real people get paid to do. In this activity your group travels a circuit of career stations, meets the scientists behind the work, and leaves with a real first step you can take.

🪪 Your passport

You each get a Career Passport. At every station you fill in one line: what that scientist does, how interested you are, and the station's First Step. Collect all eight and your passport is complete.

2
🔁 How the Circuit Works
Five simple rules
1. Stay with your group. Start at your assigned station number.
2. Read the card together, then fill in that career on your passport.
3. Use station voices. Quiet enough that every group can read and talk.
4. When you hear the signal, stop and walk to the next number. One group per station.
5. Keep moving through the circuit until you have visited all eight.
🔔 Move only on the signal

No moving early, no skipping ahead. When your teacher gives the signal, that is your cue to rotate to the next station.

3
🗺️ The Eight Stations

Every station is a real STEM career. Notice the tag on each one: some need a certificate, some a two-year degree, some a four-year degree, and some more. There is a path here for everyone.

CERTIFICATE 2-YEAR DEGREE 4-YEAR DEGREE ADVANCED
1. Water Quality Scientist 4-YEAR
Tests lakes, rivers, and pools to keep water safe, just like today's pH lab.
2. Water Treatment Operator CERTIFICATE
Runs the plant that cleans an entire city's drinking water.
3. Chemical Technician 2-YEAR
The hands-on scientist who runs the experiments and lab equipment.
4. Chemical Engineer 4-YEAR
Designs the reactions that make fuels, medicines, and materials safely.
5. Aerospace Engineer 4-YEAR
Designs rockets, planes, and satellites, just like today's launch.
6. Environmental Scientist 4-YEAR
Finds what is polluting the water or air and figures out how to fix it.
7. Materials Scientist ADVANCED
Invents stronger, lighter materials for rockets, phones, and more.
8. Pharmacy Technician CERTIFICATE
Uses chemistry to prepare medicines and help patients every day.
4
👟 First Steps for Everyone

Each station has its own First Step. These five work for every career on the circuit, and you can start them now.

Take science and math seriously. They open every single door on this circuit.
Join something hands-on. A science club, robotics team, or science fair.
Go see the work. Ask to visit or shadow a lab, water plant, or pharmacy.
Keep experimenting. Try a free hands-on science project this summer.
Talk to your Talent Search advisor. Ask which classes lead to these paths.
5
💬 Debrief
• Which station surprised you the most?
• Which career could you picture yourself doing?
• What is the one first step you will take this year?
📖 Words that open doors
Certificate a short program that trains you for one job
Associate degree a two-year college degree
Bachelor's degree a four-year college degree
Pathway the set of steps that leads to a career
Circuit Complete

You met eight scientists, saw eight paths, and found the ones that fit you. Every one of them started exactly where you are today. Your first step starts now.

Career Connections Printables

Previous Lesson
Back to Workshop