How to Plan a Career Program for a Middle School

Students try their hands at the world of work with a career program.

Adulthood may still seem to be a long ways off to many middle school students, but, in truth, they are rapidly approaching a time in their schooling when they need to make choices that impact their future career path. Upon entering high school, students will decide what academic track to follow, and begin to prepare for their future occupations. To help students prepare to make this decision, middle school educators can engage their students in career activities. Through the use of career exploration activities, teachers can ensure that their students take the time to think about what careers lay ahead for them.

Instructions

1. Ask students to select three careers that interest them. While there may be a plethora of careers that appeal to students, they can't possibly gather information about all of them. Instruct your students to narrow their career option list down to three. Also, remind them to select careers that differ greatly from each other. If students select careers that are too similar, they will find that much of their information overlaps. It is much more useful to research doctor, lawyer and professional football player than professional football player, professional basketball player and professional baseball player.

2. Assist the students in researching their careers. Provide students with print and media resources that can help them explore their career choices. To ensure that students gather the most vital information, provide them with a list of required information, such as job description, salary, working conditions and so forth.

3. Instruct students to write a research paper on a career of their choice. After their research, have students select the career that interests them most and write a more detailed paper about it.

4. Display student papers. Create a classroom or hallway display area, and feature the student papers. Allow fellow students and staff to look over the papers and see what information the students gathered about their selected careers.

5. Plan a career day. Bring professionals from the community into the school. If possible, assign each professional a different classroom, and allow students to select which people they would like to hear speak. If this can't be arranged, simply bring the speakers into your room, and allow them to talk to your students one at a time.

6. Arrange a job shadowing day. Allow students to get out of school and into the workplace to see what the working world is really like. Pair students up with professionals in their selected fields, and allow the students to follow that individual during the course of a business day to see what the career would really be like if they chose to pursue it.

References

• Scholastic: Draw Parents into the School Community with a Career Day Celebration
• Education World: Real Life Fair