Career exploration can begin when you are in elementary school. Through asking questions and exploring new things, it can help you understand your strengths and interests and prepare you for the future.
Try different types of activities at school and in your community at least once or twice. You never know if you might love or hate it, both of which are important things to find out about yourself.
If you love something, try to figure out what specific things you like about it to better understand your passions and interests. For example, if you love cars, what specifically do you like about cars? How they work (e.g. the mechanics), how they look (e.g. industrial design), how they sound and how fast they go (e.g. engineer, physicist), etc.? Then read and learn more about that field to understand the skills and demands for that job.
Interview the adults around you who may be experts at their jobs and have advice on the good and the bad things about their work. With your family's support, interview people in the community whose job seems interesting to you, like a grocery store manager, your school librarian, or your electrician.
Extracurricular activities are a great way to make friends, gain life skills, and learn from like-minded peers. For example, you can learn science content at a science camp and teamwork through a science lab. You can improve your soccer skills through club soccer and also learn about injury prevention and nutrition through your coach.
Your school might host an event that is related to exploring careers. Pay attention to the speakers and ask good follow up questions to better understand their jobs.
You never know what your child will love or hate but trying different things fosters curiosity and open-mindedness and promotes self-awareness and confidence.
Be an active and curious listener. Ask creative and open-ended follow-up questions. This encourages an open and trusting line of communication between you and your child.
A good plan should align with your child’s strengths and interests and take into account changes that happen along the way.
Career journeys are often non-linear and can change as we progress through our lifetime. Consider what your child is interested in for a career and the different pathways to get to that career. For example, becoming a medical doctor can entail first getting your Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) License through a community college, then working as an EMT to pay for your Medical Degree in the future.