Career Exploration Activities for Teens

Career exploration activities help teens gain direction regarding their career goals.

High school students spend a lot of time thinking about the future, wondering what their future career may be. Many students who go through college majoring in something they enjoy turn out to be unhappy in their profession due to a lack of hands-on information before accepting that first job in their field. This can be prevented by providing career exploration activities for these young people before they set foot in the “real” world.

Interview Adventure

Challenge teens to interview those who are working in the field they are hoping to join. Encourage them to find a broad range of individuals, so they can get a perspective on all aspects of the job. For example, if a student wishes to be a teacher, they should not only interview a teacher but also a classroom aide, a principal, and a student teacher. Ask the interviewees what they like and don’t like about their profession, and what advice they would give to their younger selves. What are their daily tasks? Are they reaping the rewards they expected to? The more extensive the list of questions, the better. Students can then share their findings with the class.

Volunteer Time

Assign teens the task of finding a volunteer opportunity related to their future career goals. If they do not have any idea what they want to pursue, provide a list of volunteer openings in the community for them to select from. Require a certain number of volunteer hours – enough to provide each teen with hands-on job experience and a perspective on what their career field might be like. Most businesses and organizations will accept a volunteer or unpaid intern, from homeless shelters to law firms.

Mock Applications

Lead a class of students on the paper trail necessary to secure a job. Provide sample job applications, ranging from a local fast food joint to a high-end place of employment. Instruct them on how to write a resume and take them through a mock interview process for the job. Pinpoint the variations they may find during the job hunt – group interviews versus individual, paper resume versus electronic, etc. Let the students take turns playing the role of both employer and applicant.

Practical Training

Equip teens with information on things they will need to learn in order to be attractive to future employers, and then provide local opportunities to explore these details and receive appropriate training. Some common options may be extensive computer training, physical fitness programs, social skills seminar or attending career fairs to determine how much education is required for a specific career goal.

References

• Breitlinks.com: Career Exploration: Career Activities

Resources

• How To Write a Resume