Career exploration is connecting students’ interests to the types of careers available to them. There are many ways to do this, including engaging parents, community members, and youth. While planning these events, it is essential to balance gender and diversity. Students should also be allowed to connect with professionals in their field and learn about their work. A poster project by Forever 21 partners, for example, is a popular activity among educators and organizations. Students create colorful posters depicting the careers of different people in their community.
Job Training and Career Exploration
Job training and career exploration experiences for youth can be valuable in developing the skills necessary to find a fulfilling career. These activities include internships, job shadowing, and career assessments. Ideally, these experiences should be structured to provide the youth with real-world experience working in a professional environment.
Job training and career exploration experiences can help youth and young adults identify their interests and develop a personalized career plans. Online resources such as CareerOneStop provide job training and career coaching to youth and a job search toolkit. CareerOneStop also has an electronic tool that allows children to take an O*NET interest assessment to assess their interest in particular occupations. Moreover, the program’s staff builds meaningful partnerships with local employers to ensure job placement opportunities.
After School Clubs
After-school clubs offer a unique opportunity to enhance youth’s educational and career development. They are designed to provide high-quality activities for elementary and middle school students. These programs aim to help youth set and achieve goals, develop critical thinking skills, and learn about the world through hands-on experiences.
Clubs offer a variety of career exploration opportunities to youth, including working in the community. One program is Junior Staff, a practical, small-group program that focuses on Club work and serves as a work-based learning environment for youth. The program equips teens with critical foundational workplace skills through one-on-one guidance from Club staff. Junior Staff positions are available year-round and provide stipends to members who complete the program.
Summer Internships
Summer internships can be a valuable way to provide youth with a wide range of career exploration experiences. These internships are usually full-time and last from April through October. To qualify for a summer internship, students must be full-time college students or graduate students enrolled for the fall semester. In addition, students must have completed their first year of college and be in good academic standing.
In addition to traditional internship opportunities, there are other ways to provide youth with various career-related experiences. For example, a summer internship with a nonprofit organization can allow students to work with professionals from different fields. These experiences can be short-term but should be student-led and preferably include compensation or high-school credit.
Paid Jobs
Having paid jobs for teens can help them decide on their career path and give them practical experience before college. However, they should not be pressured into a high-paying, high-status occupation. They may find that they don’t enjoy their chosen field once they graduate. By obtaining these real-world experiences, teenagers can think about careers related to their interests and potential. For instance, a math-crazy teen might find a passion for architecture, or a pre-law student may discover an interest in social work.
Career exploration helps students understand themselves and the environment they will be living in. It also gives students real-life experience to test their hypotheses. For example, they can experiment with a career by job shadowing, working in it, volunteering in the community, or taking up a new hobby. This can help them decide if it fits their values. In addition, these experiences can help youth learn about their intrinsic motivation, which is a crucial part of job satisfaction.
Career Assessment
Career exploration experiences are essential for students, as they can help them identify their interests and make informed decisions about their future. Career exploration also helps students understand the economy, which is constantly changing, and the types of jobs that exist. Students can try careers through job shadowing, work experience, volunteering, or developing a new hobby. This helps them determine whether the career path that they choose is aligned with their values. Students may also change their minds about a career path over time.
Career exploration experiences can be fun and interactive. For elementary school students, inviting professionals to talk to them about their favorite careers can help them connect what they’re learning in class to what they might want to do one day. Other activities may include checking out career-related brochures from colleges or companies in their area. Students can also work on joint projects, such as brainstorming careers and skills for each letter of the alphabet. This helps them identify what skills they already possess and what they need to improve.
Workplace Mentorships
Workplace mentorships are a great way to give young people a realistic sense of what they would like to do in the workplace. In addition, these relationships provide academic and career guidance and valuable role models who demonstrate leadership and interpersonal skills. These mentors can also provide workplace tours, which enable young people to see what an occupation entails. In addition, they can arrange for informal interviews with employers, allowing them to learn more about various types of workplaces and what kinds of positions they would like to pursue.
In addition, many companies now provide mentors to help youth with disabilities with their job searches. For example, ASA provides a free, immersive, mobile-first online career exploration environment that allows more than seven million young people to navigate the labor market. The interactive platform learns from users’ input and grows with them. Whether the mentor is an industry veteran or a business owner, mentors can open doors for the youth interested in a particular field.