Three Ways to Make High School the Perfect Time for Career Planning

Choosing a career path at the “ripe” age of 17 or 18 can be anxiety-inducing for many high schoolers, maybe even yours. Yet, the truth is—it’s the perfect time for students to discover what they are passionate about and where their skills and interests lie.

The where to begin—

The vital first step is pinpointing interests and skills. Explore with your high schoolers their passions, hobbies, and skill sets. If you find yourselves stuck, there are a variety of career tests that can help students identify interests and aptitudes. Another resource is What Color is Your Parachute? for Teens by Carol Christen and Richard N. Bolles. Currently, in its third edition, the book offers advice and exercises that help students gauge their strengths and options.

Next, three ways to capitalize on students’ interests while in high school—

Students that know more about themselves have a jumpstart on deciding what they want to do. Here are three ways your high schoolers can use this information to explore careers and build plans for the future.

1. Set up informational interviews

Informational interviews give students the chance to converse with someone working in a specific field or career of interest to them. They are not job interviews, and it is up to students to set them up. Informational interviews also help students build their personal interaction and interviewing skills.

Key ingredients to setting up an informational interview:

• Begin by asking for help: People are more open to taking time away from their work if they are helping someone.
• Have a hook and clear purpose: Keep your request straightforward and make it personal. Let the person know why you, the student, are interested in the specific career.
• Keep it short: Use as few words as possible to get your request across. This is also a good writing exercise.

Finding these contacts can be through family, friends, teachers, other school staffers, local businesses, or even local organizations.

2. Engage in internships and shadowing

Internships are valuable learning opportunities for everyone, especially for students. The hands-on experiences that internships offer provide insight on whether to pursue the career or not. Spending enough time, 10–15 hours a week, in an internship also allows students to gain wisdom and guidance from supervisors. More than likely, students will also have small responsibilities. If an internship isn’t available or offered, consider asking for a shadowing experience.

Shadowing is a less structured, more flexible experience. Nonetheless, it is very useful. Students basically “shadow” their sponsor employee around while on the job, asking questions, understanding their role, and watching their daily tasks. Shadowing can last as long as the student and the organization want—hours, one day, one week, once a week for a semester, or whatever works.

Just like with the interviews, you can find contacts through those around you (family, friends, teachers, local businesses, etc.).

3. Develop hard skills

Hard skills are more measurable, industry-specific skills and talents. Coding, typing, writing, graphic design, foreign languages, Adobe, Microsoft Office, certifications (CPR, First Aid, Microsoft Office, etc.), and research are just a few examples. Hard skills add to a resume, and developing them may require online courses, hands-on experiences, and internships. Get students involved in different skill-growing opportunities specific to their interests. Help them discover what skills work for them.

Undoubtedly, high school is all about change. Use this time to help your students make informed decisions about what they want to do and the steps they can take. Processes that develop their interests and skills will lessen the anxiety about choosing the “right” career path and help set them up for success.