Jobs and Career Counseling Sorting Out Options

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s the perennial question adults ask kids. When they’re younger, you often hear fire fighter, movie star, and football player as answers. But, as kids get older, they begin to consider the question more seriously. Still, it’s not unusual for 8th and 9th grade students to have no idea about a future career.

Unfortunately, career counseling does not get high priority in secondary schools. We push kids to do their best, take challenging classes, and apply to colleges. We don’t, however, spend much time helping students explore how strengths and weaknesses, wants and needs, likes and dislikes, and general personality characteristics influence career choices.

Jobs and Careers: Sorting Out Options is an Everyday Learning packet based on a year-long career counseling curriculum I wrote and implemented a number of years ago. It’s been shortened, adapted and updated for general high school students. It can be used at-home as a one-on-one tool or it can be implemented in small or large groups in a school setting.

This packet includes five (5) Career Prompts that can be used as take-home assignments or in-class activities. One of the Career Prompt activities requires Internet access. The culminating activity, Job Value Sort, requires a minimum of one-hour to fully implement so students can benefit from the peer discussion.

This packet can be implemented by a guidance counselor, teacher, or parent.


UPDATED: June 2013 to include a new cover design. All other content remains the same.