Career Exploration & Planning
A collection of free tools and resources to help students plan for life after high school. Explore careers and career pathways, find scholarships and financial aid, build financial skills, prepare for employment, and connect with local workforce services. Resources include career assessments, Arizona-specific career information, scholarship opportunities, FAFSA guidance, budgeting and money management tools, job-search support, and one-on-one career assistance.
Career Planning Toolkit: The Career Connected Toolkit provides activities and resources to help students explore their interests, understand different career pathways, and create a plan for their future.
Google Career Dreamer – Queen Creek Student Chamber: Explore career interests, skills, and potential career paths while connecting with opportunities available through the Queen Creek Student Chamber, including potential scholarship opportunities. Google Certificates – QC Student Chamber
Explore the Resources and find tools that match your goals, whether you’re deciding on a career, preparing for college or training, looking for scholarships, or getting ready to enter the workforce.
Learning how to manage money early can help students make better financial decisions as they move into college, work, and adulthood. These resources cover budgeting, saving, credit, student loans, and more.
Money Management
Learn how to create a budget, track spending, manage a bank account, and plan for financial goals.
Resource: ONEAZ Credit Union – Student Financial Resources
Saving Money
Learn simple ways to save, set financial goals, reduce spending, and build an emergency fund.
Resource: Arizona Treasurer – Saving & Budgeting
Paying for College
Learn about scholarships, grants, student loans, interest, and other ways to pay for education before borrowing money.
Resources: Federal Student Aid | AZ529 Financial Education
Credit & Debt
Understand credit cards, credit scores, interest, and how responsible credit use can affect your financial future.
Resource: FDIC – Money Smart
Repaying Student Loans
Learn about repayment plans, interest, making payments, and strategies for paying student loans off faster.
Resource: Federal Student Aid – Loan Repayment
Protecting Your Money
Learn how to recognize scams, protect personal information, and make safer financial decisions.
Resource: Arizona DIFI – Consumer Resources
Not sure what career you want to pursue? Use these resources to explore different careers and see what they actually look like in Arizona.
ARIZONA@WORK provides information on career requirements, average wages, job growth, annual projected job openings, education and training needed, and in-demand careers. Some careers also include Arizona-specific contacts and resources to help you take the next step toward your career or dream job.
Explore Careers & Job Market Trends: ARIZONA@WORK – Career Planning
Explore Wages: ARIZONA@WORK – Wages by Occupation
Explore In-Demand Careers: ARIZONA@WORK – In-Demand Jobs
You can also use ARIZONA@WORK to explore training programs, apprenticeships, job openings, and career services throughout Arizona.
Explore Your Career Dreams with Google Career Dreamer: Use this interactive tool to explore career possibilities based on your interests, skills, and goals. It can help you discover potential career paths and ideas you may not have considered. Google Career Dreamer – QC Student Chamber
ARIZONA@WORK Maricopa County offers free workforce services for eligible young adults ages 16–24 who are not currently attending school. Services can include career guidance, mentoring, job search and résumé help, financial literacy, occupational skills training, paid work experiences, apprenticeships, college and financial aid assistance, GED support, and training grants. These resources are designed to help young adults build skills, gain experience, and move toward education, training, or a career.
Learn More & Apply: Maricopa County Youth Workforce Services
ARIZONA@WORK Youth Services: Youth Job Seeker Resources
Not sure where to start with your career? ARIZONA@WORK offers free virtual appointments with workforce specialists who can help you explore career options, find job opportunities, improve your résumé, prepare for interviews, and connect with local employers and training programs. Specialists can also help with job matching, career guidance, apprenticeships, skills training, and referrals to other resources based on your goals.
Find Local Services: ARIZONA@WORK – Maricopa County
Explore Career Pathways with the Arizona Department of Education: Learn about career clusters, CTE programs, career pathways, and the education and skills needed for different career options with the Arizona Department of Education.
Wages by Occupation
Explore wage information for hundreds of occupations to compare earning potential across different careers and industries.
Find reliable statistics on employment, wages, job growth, and workforce trends like the tables shown to the left. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a trusted source for current and accurate workforce data.
Make Informed Career Decisions
Use career and workforce data to compare occupations, understand job demand, and explore earning potential. Looking at current trends can help you choose a career path that fits your interests while also giving you an idea of the opportunities available in the field.
In-Demand
Industries
Explore the careers with the most opportunity in Maricopa County right now.
ARIZONA@WORK provides a list of the most in-demand jobs and industries, along with wage and employment information to help you understand where the strongest opportunities are.