Researchers have recommended that career exploration and awareness begin before high school, when students have already made major decisions about courses. To encourage students to make informed decisions, it is argued that middle schools must introduce career awareness, such as the concept that success in most careers requires education and training. Interest inventories and aptitude tests, field trips, Career Days, and community partnerships are among the tools that can increase students' awareness of their own interests and help them learn about a wide variety of occupations. This digest describes how Glasgow Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia has been implementing these recommendations with funding from a US Department of Education GEAR-UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant. (Contains 11 references.) (GCP)