Career Exploration

By supporting your student in exploring careers, you can help bridge the gap between academic learning and workforce readiness. The more prepared students are for life after high school, the more confident they will be in making informed career decisions.

Explore Interests & Skills

Discuss career demand & competition

Encourage students to ask themselves the following questions

Talk about potential salary expectations

Consider Career Requirements

Career Exploration Opportunities

Career Exploration Opportunities

Experience Type	Definition	Benefits	Drawbacks
WBL	Work Based Learning is a general term that includes any of the following types of career exploration experiences.
OJT *Currently states: Students must have completed or enrolled in at least 3 courses in the business career sequence	On the Job Training is a course designed to allow students to experience actual on-the-job training in the student’s occupational area. Students will be dismissed from school for 1 block.	"Not many requirements for students other than to be “in good standing”.	Only allows them to explore 1 career
Career Internship	A community based experience for seniors only. Students find a community member to intern for in their field of interest.	Allows them to deeply explore 1 career	More coursework expectations & more rigorous application process Students must attend internship for a minimum of 30 hours Only allows for 1 career opportunity
Apprenticeship	An apprenticeship is a training program that combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction to help people learn a trade or profession.	Prepares them for a job in a high market area. Apprentices usually get paid while they work.	Have a minimum number of hours they have to work + coursework they have to take Must be at least a 1 year program
Pre-Apprenticeship	A pre-apprenticeship program is a set of services or programs that prepares people to enter a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) or other job opportunities.	Prepares them for an apprenticeship. Run for a shorter length of time	Can be paid or unpaid
Job Shadowing	Job shadowing is a type of on-the-job training that allows an interested employee to follow and closely observe another employee performing the role	Allows students to explore multiple careers	Unpaid May not be long enough for students to fully understand position Due to hazards, some locations are not available for job shadowing

A young man is operating a power saw in a workshop setting, with a safety reminder poster visible in the background.

Below is a list of example questions you can ask yourself to help start your career exploration journey.

Conversation Prompts

Conversation Prompts

What is important to you?
What is your dream job?
Would you rather work indoors or outside?
Would you rather wear a consistent uniform every day or wear professional work clothes?
Would you rather work alone on a project or work with a team?
Would you rather have a workday that changes each day or have set tasks that stay the same?
Would you rather have regular feedback and interaction with your supervisor or work independently and have little feedback from your supervisor?
Would you rather work close to home or travel away from home for work?
Would you rather be your own boss or work for someone else?
Would you rather be poor and work at a job you love or be rich and work at a job you hate?
What jobs are within your acceptable zone of alternatives?
What career paths can you cross off your list?
How do you want to be remembered?
What impact do you want to make on the world?
What do you spend your time thinking about?
What excites you enough to keep you awake at night or get you out of bed in the morning?
What do you have to offer others?
What comes naturally to you?
How do you like to spend your time?
What are your favorite classes, and why?
Who do you look up to? What about them inspires or motivates you?
What are your strengths?
What activities make you happy?
When do you feel most comfortable?
What are the biggest lessons you have learned so far?
If you were guaranteed success, what would you do?
When have you been most inspired, most motivated?
If I had a magic wand, what would you do for a year?
What type of lifestyle do you want to live when you are older?
Where do you want to live?
What will you need to do in order to get the lifestyle you want?
What qualities, attitudes, and ideas make you different from others?
What is your purpose for pursuing a bachelor’s degree? Or postsecondary degree?
What are some things you enjoy doing that you are not doing now?
What obstacles have you identified that may impede your success (geography, work-life, skill sets, fears, too much accountability, etc.)? Which of them are you willing to change?

Individual Plans of Study (IPS)

As students navigate through high school and into career and college, it is imperative that students set educational goals and create a roadmap for success in high school and beyond. This roadmap, or individual plan of study, includes development of a flexible career focus and an education plan that is clearly-defined, rigorous, and relevant to assure a successful and efficient transition to postsecondary education and/or the workforce.

What is an IPS?

An Individual Plan of Study (IPS) is both a product and a process that students may use with support from school counselors, teachers, and families to help them define their career goals and postsecondary plans and make informed decisions about their courses and activities throughout high school.
The process of examining self-interest and aptitudes, setting goals, and laying out a plan that will lead toward those goals will serve students long after they have left high school.

How & When is an IPS used?

What information is included in an IPS?

Self-exploration activities develop a student’s ability to identify career interest, skills, and work values.
Career exploration activities develop a student’s ability to connect their interests, skills, and values to a range of career options, identify the school courses and employability skills needed to enter careers of interest, and identify corresponding post-secondary pathways.
Career planning activities help students develop a range of skills related to acquiring job search skills needed to secure employment such as developing career readiness skills; developing the traits, work habits and behaviors needed to navigate career changes and pursue growth opportunities throughout a lifetime.

menu-trigger-container

mobile-main-nav

header-portals-nav

header-container

logo-container

logo-image

logo-title

right-container

search-container

trigger-search

site-search

district-nav

header-nav