Teach Kids Their Career Choices

From a young age we tell kids they can be anything they want to be. We tell them their career options are endless. That doesn’t do them any good if we don’t help them discover what it is they truly want to be.

It is very encouraging, but doesn’t help them discover what they want to do with their lives. If kids aren’t exposed to various careers and informed of the educational requirements, they are less likely to make a career choice that suits their unique skill set. In this ever-changing and competitive world, students must plan well and work hard in order for their future dreams to come true.

Planning starts with narrowing down options, which is what we need to help our students to do. The endless options can be overwhelming for students. As counselors we have to expose students to many possibilities in a way that won’t scare them.

This is my ideal plan to accomplish just that during the 2016-17 school year.

Exposing Elementary Students to Career Options

Over the course of the school year, I explain to my elementary school students the job descriptions, educational requirements, and qualities needed to excel in 42 popular careers.

I spread the career education out tacross the school year in a way that is kid friendly. Students are challenged to think outside the box and consider various career choices that might be right fit for them.

Career Countdown

Introduce the “Top 12 Careers” of the year by hanging career of the month posters in a high traffic student area. I hung three posters in August so that the #1 top career will be revealed during the final month of the school year.

This display is on the inside of my office window facing the main hallway. All students walk through this hallway daily.

I love catching students staring at these posters, starting discussions about how long it would take them to get each job and how much school they would need.

My personal favorite is when I hear a knock on the door and a little voice ask, “Mrs. Bell, what’s a degree?” I like knowing that my display is making them think and possibly laying the foundation for future career decisions.

I use the Top 12 Posters as a School Wide Career of the Month Activity. I like when the kids say they wish it was the first of the month already, they are so excited to see how much Career #1 makes and to find out how long they’d have to go to school.

School News and Career Options

I go on the school news weekly (for the first 10 weeks) and highlight a new skill each week by using the 10 Essential Skills of a Successful Employee Poster.

It’s an easy way to hit all of my 1200 students (yes, my caseload is 1200 at my current school) with these skills at once and open their minds to new skills they may want to practice and perfect.

When it is not the first of the month (on the first I highlight one of the top 12 careers), I use one of the 42 different Career Posters on the school news to highlight a different career weekly.

I try to pick a career that I can tie into something going on at school that week. I like to connect it to real life so that the students remember it more and it leaves a lasting impact.

The first time I went on the news I explained what a college degree was and the different types you can receive. The length of time spent in college to get these degrees and to make the big bucks blew my student’s minds.

Character Traits Needed for Careers

I love using the 42 Character Trait Cards, which outline the character traits and qualities necessary to succeed at each career, during guidance or small group lessons. I usually show these at the same time as the posters so that the students have a thorough understanding of what it takes to make it in each career.

Career Sorting Game

The Career Sorting Interactive Game is perfect for individual students who are inspired by what they saw on the school news or during a lesson and want to learn more.

I have them sort the career cards into three piles:

This is a good career for me
This may be a good career for me
This is not a good career for me.

I love to play this and give students a little help narrowing down their options.

If they get stuck on a career, I pull out the quality card and we talk about what having that career would look like. I challenge students to think of what type of life a person with that career or similar careers would have. It is really fun to see them think about their future and the endless world of possibilities.

Career Decision-Making Activities

I like passing out the Career Decision Worksheets to individuals or in a guidance lesson setting to help students get their ideas out of their head and onto paper.

I reserve the tech lab and utilize the Occupational Outlook Handbook Worksheet (an online search activity) with my fifth graders. I want to send them to middle school knowing that I get them thinking and inspired about their futures.

In this crazy world of endless options, thinking of the future can be overwhelming for a child. By playing the game, along with utilizing the posters and worksheets, from a young age we can get students thinking about what kinds of careers are available, what kinds of careers they may enjoy, and make them aware of the potential educational challenges of qualifying for the career. After these lessons, students can start to develop a clearer picture of what they want to be when they grow up and what steps are required to fulfill those dreams.

Teach Kids Their Career Choices