A hallmark of the US education system is the opportunity afforded to students to pursue education and career paths of their own choosing. This flexibility and autonomy, however, has drawbacks. Students must navigate a series of complex and often disconnected environments, as well as numerous decision points, before they attain a fulfilling career. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that while core academic skills are necessary, they are not sufficient for academic and workplace success, and that a holistic approach to College and Career Readiness is needed. This paper is divided into five sections. Section 1 summarizes the current evidence on both the importance of having a well-educated nation and the reality that the current educational system is leaving a large percentage of students unprepared for college and work. Potential solutions to better foster College and Career Readiness are proposed, Section 2 describes previous attempts to operationalize College and Career Readiness and their limitations, notably the narrow focus on core academic skills, Section 3 includes a review of the existing empirical evidence on the predictors of educational and workplace success, and clearly indicates that success in education and at work is a function of a wide range of cognitive and noncognitive skills, Section 4 addresses some of the barriers that have impeded the inclusion of noncognitive skills in definitions, assessments, and reporting of College and Career Readiness. Section 5 describes ACT's move toward a more holistic approach to College and Career Readiness.