According to General Academics, the most common goal for students is to attend college. However, SXSW EDU introduced multiple opportunities besides only attending university. South by Southwest (SXSW) EDU is a conference that takes place a week before the rest of SXSW, and it presents solutions to educational issues, such as education past high school. From joining the military to finding the best college, SXSW EDU displayed a variety of options meant to help students find the best fit.

Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a university-based program that provides a pathway to becoming an officer in the United States military. The University of Texas at Austin (UT) program offers students scholarships and job opportunities for joining ROTC. Brett Cook is a spokesman for ROTC and discussed the benefits of joining the program at UT.

“With that comes a pathway for becoming an officer,” Cook said. “If you know you want to fly airplanes, [ROTC] is a great pathway. If you know you want to be a leader, this is a great pathway. That is the main goal for ROTC.”

Another place that provides options for students is Americorps, a government agency that offers multiple programs to get involved in volunteer work. All programs are open to students ages 18 and above. However, some programs allow 17-year-old students to participate in programs ranging from 10 months to two years. Caleb Torres is a spokesman for Americorps and described the agency’s multiple programs and his experience volunteering. 

“We have our Americorps National programs, which are our network, and they are our most flexible program options,” Torres said. “Those options include tutoring classrooms, working in public health, or working with veterans and military families and everything in between.”

Along with the more broadly focused national programs are the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) programs, which have different concentrations and structures. The national program is less specialized, but the NCCC and VISTA have hands-on programs for specific purposes. 

“Then we have our Americorps NCCC program, which is a residential team-based program that responds to disasters or works on the environment clearing national trails and things like that in nature,” Torres said. “Then we have what’s called Americorps VISTA which is more capacity building for nonprofit organizations. You’re going to be working behind the scenes doing management, which is different from our other programs since this is more direct service.”

However, if students are interested in the university path, the College Board has programs to help them make the best choice. The organization has the Big Future program, which includes a college test that allows students to explore college options and majors depending on their skill set. Spokeswoman Kelsey Lehtomaa Frouge spoke about the benefits the College Board’s program can provide students. 

“It takes time to think about what you want your future to look like,” Frouge said. “And because we have tools, and other tools are out there, as well, but especially on the Big Future site, it allows you to get a great understanding of how to tailor a skill set into something you can monetize later in life, and do something that you have fulfillment around so it starts exploring early.”

The College Board uses this program to help students find their passion in their major and understand the path they could take in college. Overall, these companies presented at SXSW EDU provided an understanding of options for the future that differ from those largely presented to students at LASA. Whether a student wants to consider working in the army or volunteering, that future is entirely possible. SXSW EDU 2025 will take place from March 3 – March 6.