The Preparation
Sixteen practical skills, each practiced at a real place near home.
Sixteen skills, each practiced at a real place near home
The Preparation is a four-year path of sixteen cycles. Each one builds a practical skill, from first aid and flying to welding, farming and building a business. Below, every cycle lists real places in and near Deer Park where a young person can start.
The 16 cycles
Sixteen from the book, plus two of our own, each practiced at a real local place.
Medic
Learn first aid, CPR, and emergency response. Be the calm, capable one in a crisis.
Train as a volunteer firefighter (14-week academy) or volunteer EMS provider (EMTs get a 6-month mentorship) serving Deer Park.
Take American Heart Association BLS, Heartsaver CPR/AED/First Aid and other life-support courses.
Earn the EMT Basic certificate (10 credits, about two terms) through the college EMS program.
Pilot
Master flight dynamics, navigation, and aerial operations. Gain a new perspective.
Take FAA Part 61/141 flight training toward Private, Instrument and Commercial ratings.
Get a free introductory airplane flight from volunteer pilots at a Young Eagles rally.
Take a $75 discovery flight or train for Private, Instrument and Commercial certificates at Ellington.
Cowboy
Develop horsemanship, ranch skills, and a rugged work ethic. Embrace the frontier spirit.
Youth volunteer committee for 8th-12th graders helping run the rodeo; also calf scramble and livestock shows.
Builder
Understand architecture, framing, and construction. Build physical structures with your hands.
Free pre-apprenticeship course preparing adults for union construction apprenticeships.
Volunteer on new-home construction sites, no experience needed.
Chef
Explore flavor profiles, cooking techniques, and kitchen management. Nourish with creativity.
Processing is the middle of the food ladder. See: Feeding your town
Take culinary arts courses in the Deer Park ISD Career and Technical Education program.
Train in professional kitchens and bakeries toward a Culinary Arts AAS, certificate, or pastry specialty (ACF accredited).
Volunteer in a production kitchen helping prep meals (morning shifts) or clean and sanitize (afternoon).
Heavy Equipment Operator
Operate massive machinery to shape the earth. Master power and precision.
Get NCCER performance verification and safety training (OSHA/NCCER) including Heavy Equipment Operator Backhoe.
Learn excavator, forklift, skid steer, loader, aerial lift and rigger operation on simulators and real machines; taught in Spanish.
Earn while you learn as a heavy equipment operator apprentice at the Local 450 training facility.
Work
Gain practical job experience, professional etiquette, and financial independence.
Work as a Customer Service Assistant (bagger), curbie, shopper or checker.
Get paid summer jobs and internships, resume and interview help through the youth jobs initiative (ages 16-24).
Welder
Fuse materials with intense heat. Master the art of strong, lasting connections.
Five-year tuition-free paid apprenticeship in pipe welding and pipefitting; classes two nights a week.
Train in stick, MIG, TIG and flux-cored welding toward certificates or an AAS; no admission requirements for the program.
Take hands-on welding courses (SMAW, GTAW, FCAW/GMAW, pipe) in day or night shifts.
Fighter
Develop physical strength, self-defense, and mental resilience. Cultivate discipline.
Train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Little Ninjas (ages 4-6) and Juniors Gi/No-Gi (ages 7-14), plus a coach-picked Juniors Competition Team.
Sailor
Navigate open waters, understand weather, and master seamanship. Embrace the unknown.
Weekend Optimist learn-to-sail classes for ages 6-12 (Fall 2026, Aug 22-Nov 22), racing teams, and Opti Camp (ages 7-13, June 7-11, 2027, registration not yet open).
Survivalist
Acquire wilderness survival skills, foraging, and shelter building. Connect with nature.
The Scout district serving Deer Park ISD: Cub Scouts (K-5th grade) and Scouts BSA (ages 11-17/18) camping, outdoor skills and merit badges. Find a unit near 77536.
State hunter safety certification: free online portion plus an in-person field course covering firearm safety, wildlife conservation and field ethics.
Farmer
Understand agriculture, growing seasons, and sustainable food production. Nurture growth.
Keep the book's anchor course. Then try the market-first path: Feeding your town
Parent group supporting Deer Park FFA: scholarships, livestock-show exhibitor support and FFA events; meets monthly in the Ag Barn classroom.
Harris County 4-H club with livestock, livestock judging, photography, baking, horticulture, crafts, community service and Clover Kids projects.
Entrepreneur
Identify opportunities, take risks, and launch a business venture. Innovate and create value.
A food business sits in the middle of the food ladder. See: Feeding your town
Free, confidential one-on-one advising on startups, business plans, financing and marketing; request advising online.
Junior and senior Deer Park ISD students plan and host the Game of Life Expo for freshmen, working alongside local business leaders.
Investor
Learn financial literacy, investing strategies, and wealth management. Make money work for you.
No local place found yet — know one? Tell us.
Hacker (AI)
Leverage artificial intelligence, coding, and digital tools to solve problems. Shape the digital world.
Kids build video games and learn coding in drop-in sessions and camps; also lists AI Academy and Robotics Academy.
Maker
Merge traditional craftsmanship with digital fabrication. Design and prototype physical objects.
After a required orientation, reserve 3D printers, laser cutters/engravers, Cricut and vinyl cutters, sewing machines and a heat press.
Free community makerspace for all ages with 3D printers, laser cutter, CNC mill, vinyl cutter, soldering and Adobe/Fusion360 software; orientation required.
Added by Think and Act Locally
These two are ours, not the book’s.
TAAL Operator
Learn to put a place on the record: cover a room, build the town's topic pages, and run local posting.
Operators can run the town's community food assessment and publish the numbers. See: Feeding your town
No local place found yet — know one? Tell us.
Build Your Own Cycle
Pick a skill that is not on the list, find a local mentor or shop, and design your own anchor course.
No local place found yet — know one? Tell us.
Unrivaled Academy: another way to raise capable kids →
Based on The Preparation: How to Become Competent, Confident, and Dangerous, by Doug Casey, Matt Smith and Maxim Smith (2025).