Teens Prepare for Careers With Professional Design Certifications in High School

By: Kylah T., 10th grade student and SAC intern

I’m Kylah, and through K12, I’m taking a series of classes that allow me to earn high school design certifications.

It’s part of K12’s Career and College Prep program. Some places call these types of programs Career Technical Education (CTE) or Career Readiness Education (CRE). At the core, they all help students prepare for their future while in high school. That comes with a lot of opportunities, like taking courses in a specific industry to learn the skills necessary for a career in that field. Sometimes, those courses can prepare you for professional certification exams to build your portfolio.

What are career pathway programs?

Career pathway programs offer high school students a glimpse of different jobs in a wide range of popular industries. With K12, each pathway has different classes, hands-on activities, resources, and even career clubs and professional organizations to join. There are generally seven categories to choose from, including:

• Arts, AV & Technology
• Business, Marketing & Finance
• Education
• Health Science
• Human Services
• Information Technology
• Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security

Available pathways and specific details (for example, some K12-powered schools require pathway completion for graduation, while this program is optional at others) will vary by school. Please check with your advisor if you’re interested in learning more about your options.

What are industry credentials for students, and how does K12 help with those?

Industry certifications are credentials that demonstrate to employers your skills and knowledge in a specific area.

To obtain certifications, students have to take certification exams. K12’s Career and College Prep program and career pathway courses help you prepare to pass the tests. Sometimes these cost money, but at my school, the certification exam fee was covered, as well as the cost of the application tools I needed.

The specific professional credentials available to students depend on the pathway you’re in and your school.

My Design Pathway Program Experience

I’m in a graphic design pathway that focuses on earning certifications for different Adobe applications. I must complete four classes in four years—one class for two semesters each year.

Each class focuses on a specific application through lessons, quizzes, simulations, and tests, as well as other important design principles. At the end of the class, I’m expected to apply what I’ve learned to pass the certification exam for that application.

So far, I’ve completed two classes and am currently completing the third class in the sequence. In 9th grade, I took Digital Media and earned an Adobe InDesign certification. Next, I earned the Adobe Illustrator certification after my Graphic Illustration class. Now, I’m in Animations to earn a certification in Adobe Animate.

Thanks to this career pathway program, I’m accumulating design certifications in high school for my professional portfolio.

About the Certification Exam

For me, the exams were proctored and taken in a lockdown browser on my school computer. You schedule an exam time and arrive early so you and your proctor can review the instructions. The exams I’ve taken usually start with multiple-choice, ordering, matching, or drag-and-drop type questions. Then, the next section consists of simulations within the application to show proficiency. The entire test is computer-graded, so you receive a pass or fail score right away.

If you pass, congratulations—you are officially certified! Now, if you fail, that’s okay too. You may be able to retake the exam. 

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Benefits for Teens

I owe part of my success so far to having high school CTE opportunities through my career pathway program. For example, I landed an internship with Stride Inc. as a content creator due to my experience with design applications and my certifications. These professional credentials showed them that I had the confidence and skills in design to handle the work. Some other CTE benefits for students may include:

• A head start in the career field of your choice
• Hands-on experience and new skills
• Increased opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, or jobs
• Broader scholarship awards to search for
• Added material for college applications

In conclusion, career pathway programs can offer opportunities to earn professional certifications for teen students, like my high school design certifications, and so much more. Check out the different pathways and what certifications you could start preparing for in high school.

Kylah is a 2025 student at a K12-powered school in TX, and their statement reflects their experience at their school.