All too often, the terms "career ready" and "college ready" are used interchangeably, and discussions around career readiness are limited to traditional academic skills that allow students to successfully enroll in postsecondary education. While there is no debate that a rigorous level of academic proficiency, especially in math and literacy, is essential for any post-high school endeavor, the reality is that it takes much more to be truly considered ready for a career. This brief document explains how it takes three broad skill sets, academic skills, employability skills, and technical skills for students to be ready for a career. (Contains 7 endnotes.)