Most people don’t know what they want to do for work until their 20s or 30s. South Career and Technical Academy student Max Doubin is an exception.
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“I loved computers my entire life, so I knew I wanted to study cybersecurity,” Doubin says.
The sophomore says many of his classmates have the same confidence in the career paths they want to pursue and are “dedicated” to their specific track—whether that be engineering, biomedical, sports medicine or business. And they’re getting hands-on experience preparing them for those fields.
“We don’t have exams. We have projects [where teachers] provide really good feedback for us,” Doubin says. “In most of our programs, we don’t have textbooks at all. So that’s something different than almost every school in the district.”
CCSD’s Career and Technical Academies (CTAs) and magnet programs focus on preparing students for the workforce. For example, in South CTA’s cybersecurity track, students have the opportunity to earn Computing Technology Industry Association certifications needed to work in the industry.
Students also compete with other schools to sharpen their skills. In 2025, Doubin led South CTA’s cybersecurity team to seventh place at the National Cyber League.
“Each of us specializes in a certain aspect, and we collaborate if there are tough problems to solve. We all learn from each other,” he says.
According to the district, about 54,000 students are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses. South CTA opened in 2025 as the ninth CTA in Southern Nevada.
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