11th grade is a year for focus … and decisions.

As one counselor put it, “It’s getting real!” High school Juniors face major life decisions, applying for college or getting closer to a career choice.

This year supplies the most important transcript for college admissions and represents the last full year of records these institutions will see. Additionally, more time and energy goes into extracurricular activities such as varsity sports and the school play.

Given all this, experts advise that students not overwhelm themselves with too much. For instance, participate in fewer activities by focusing on those that are most important and potentially tie to a career direction.

A forward-thinking, positive way to help Juniors.

Career Pathways Program Student Smiling Tablet - Pay It Forward 365

Pay It Forward 365 was created to help high school students focus on their futures through an intensive, real-world career pathway program.

This is essential for 11th graders facing college and career decisions. Guidance and insight not only assists students in focusing their attention on their goals, but also assuages the concern about too many decisions at once. Educators are attuned to this, as 61% of teenagers feel stress due to school-related pressures,1 and at a greater level than that for adults.2

We concentrate on the positive, supplying motivation through examples of professional service careers which we visit. Students get a feel for what’s possible by watching and speaking with professionals in their respective workplaces.

Our career pathways program reaches Juniors at the right time and in the right way. These students are now mature enough to start making decisions about college and career goals, establishing leadership skills through commitment, dedication, and hard work. We help them focus so they can see their future potential more clearly.

11th graders will experience a career pathways program for professionals.

Career Pathways Program Student Discussion - Pay It Forward 365

ProWorks is the final year of this Pay It Forward 365 program. Students will visit the professional white-collar community — including law, architecture, medicine, and finance. Students will also be visited by local colleges that will assist in applying to college and advise families about submitting for financial aid and scholarships.

The professional services present attractive career choices, balancing responsibility with visibility. Professionals often receive greater compensation for rewarding work that garners respect and admiration.

According to career coaching firm PathWise, the professional services sector “offers strong job security, excellent career advancement, and exposure to industries like management consulting, accounting, finance, law, and information technology (IT).“

Career Outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recommends career pathways programs like Pay It Forward 365 for high schoolers to explore careers and compare several possibilities in one concentrated period. For one week, 11th grade students will be visiting actual workplaces to determine which would best apply the skills and knowledge they possess.

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University reports that — despite the evolution of the professional world being largely spurred by advances in technology — “today’s emerging skills emphasize innately human capabilities.” These include analytical thinking and innovation; active learning and learning strategies; creativity, originality, and initiative; technology design and programming; critical thinking and analysis; complex problem-solving; leadership and social influence; emotional intelligence; reasoning and problem-solving; along with systems analysis and evaluation.

The real world of professional services up close.

Pay It Forward 365 provides participating students with a unique opportunity for several career observation sessions in one week. 11th graders get real-world exposure to a variety of jobs and industries with an emphasis on professional services. A career pathways program like this gives the student a true feel for what those jobs are like, to ask questions, and observe and learn how those in professional positions perform their roles.

Event Management

Legal Professionals

Architectural Firm

Colleges and Universities

Pay It Forward 365 will work with Cleveland area high schools and ProWorks companies to give 11th graders the edge they need. We’ll bring 11th grade students right to the source, so they can get the feel for prospective career directions. A typical week looks like this:

Grade 11 - ProWorks (Sample Schedule)
M 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit an event management company preparing for a high-profile assignment & Colleges and Universities visit TBA - Lecture
T 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit legal professionals about their career pathways & Colleges and Universities visit TBA - Lecture
W 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit a top architectural firm & Colleges and Universities visit TBA - Lecture
Th 8:00am - 4:30pm Watch and discuss how modern marketers combine art with technology & Colleges and Universities visit TBA - Lecture
F 8:00am - 4:30pm Visit a sports medicine facility & Colleges and Universities visit TBA - Lecture

With this exposure to white-collar industries and those who chose a future as a professional, students will experience a valuable career pathways program about several types of professional services in one immersive week.

Student Requirements

  1. Student must be actively enrolled in school and in there designated grade for the upcoming school year. GPA 2.0 minimum.
  2. Must have no disciplinary issues such as fighting, disrespectful behavior, foul talking language and no report misconduct from there particular school or juvenile services in the community.
  3. Proper hygiene is expected at all times, no exceptions.
  4. If a student is asked not to return to program for negative behavioral problems they will be expelled immediately with no refund of previously paid payment.
  5. Boys are expected to be gentlemen at all times to everyone and girls are expected to behave like ladies at all times to everyone-no exceptions.
Enroll Now

Pay It Forward 365 is forward-thinking.

Give your 11th grader the benefits of an intensive career pathways program.

Enroll for the Pay It Forward 365 ProWorks experience.

This is the fourth of a 4-year career development program, with each year focused on a different type of career option. 8th graders visit urban service organizations (UrbanWorks); 9th grade students are exposed to technology jobs (TechWorks); while 10th graders focus on blue-collar professions (TradeWorks). Completion provides high school students with a comprehensive view of the many career options they may not have even known existed as opportunities for them.

Year 1: UrbanWorks

Year 2: TechWorks 

Year 3: TradeWorks

Year 4: ProWorks

The Pay It Forward 365 program takes place one week during their summer vacation, starting in 2027, in which groups of fifty greater Cleveland area students in grades 8–11 get a first-hand experience with a variety of careers through visits to various workplaces.

Pay It Forward to your 11th grade student — which will pay off 365 days of every year in their future — and register today.

Enroll Now