Book excerpt: Public school students in many states are given the opportunity to choose a potential job to pursue or path of study in one of the 16 national career clusters delineated by the U.S. Department of Education. Some of these career clusters include (1) agriculture, food and natural resources; (2) audio/visual technology and communications; (3) architecture and construction; (4) business, management and administration and (5) education and training. This book provides an excerpt of interviews of 57 professionals in different occupations (teacher, lawyer, doctor, entrepreneur, etc.) to help students learn of jobs for successful employment. The book is also designed to help students visualize how their background fits certain characteristics of professionals so they become inspired to pursue a defined career path. Each professional's occupation in the chapters is linked to one of the 16 national career clusters supported by definitions of the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. Finally, the book provides a review of best practices various schools have used across the country to prepare students for college and careers.