Career Counseling in Schools

Career readiness begins when children first learn about careers. What kids view as gendered or even racially bound careers can remain strong beliefs if career counselors and educations do not actively invite students to be curious. This curiosity needs to involve their own interests and skills as well as their preconceived notions about who should do what jobs.

Elementary School Career Counseling

Goals of Elementary School Career Counseling

According to school counselor Andrea Donegan, the main goals of elementary school counseling are to teach students an introduction to what work is.

Fostering the development of crucial soft skills is an important aspect of elementary school career readiness. The National Association of Colleges and Employers found in their 2016 study that the most important skills in applicants by employers were leadership and teamwork. These are both skills that can be fostered and taught starting as early as elementary school.

Resources for Elementary Schoolers

Discovering what “work” means is important to help students widen their perspective and understanding of different careers. Some resources for learning about careers are Career Girls. This website has some career and interest quizzes for students. What makes this resource uniquely valuable is its collection of video interviews from various women working different careers. It is an empowering learning opportunity to break down gendered expectations associated with careers.

Another fun resource for younger students is Truity photo career quiz. It is the most accessible online quiz for young students because it allows students to choose between various pictures in order to discover their career interests.

Another fun resource for younger students are online games. Research shows that online games encourage interest and promote internal motivation in students to learn (Li, et al., 2024). Below are some resources for online career games:

Middle School Career Counseling

Goals of Middle School Career Counseling

Donegan describes middles school career counseling as teaching students how to research careers and how their interests can guide them toward a career.

Resources for Middle Schoolers

Michelle Shepherd notes some resources that can engage middle schoolers in the exploration of their career values. She emphasizes the importance of keeping students engaged, letting them participate, and allowing them to be curious.

One way to engage students is with career games. Shepherd discusses free resources like the life size “game of life” career game. For $5, you can find printable “game squares” and instructions on the site teacherspayteachers.com from user The Mind Trek SEL. Career fairs and career break out rooms. These activity requires inviting individuals from varying careers to talk to kids in small groups about their career preparation, skills, and expectations. You can also do this activity virtually using the Breakout EDU website’s paid program.

Engaging students in career interest inventories is another way to involve them in their own exploration of the world of careers. The Career Clusters Activity helps students discover which cluster of careers align with their current interests. It is also a good way to introduce students to curiosity and exploration instead of closing their mind off to new career paths. The Multiple Intelligences test can also introduce students to the idea that multiple interests and areas of study can, and should, be explored. It gives students an idea of the many skills they possess. The free online test is customizable to include any combination of the following results: personality type, multiple intelligences, learning styles, brain hemispheres, and enneagram type. Lastly, the Career Key Test, based on the Holland Codes, gives students a broader idea of other careers they might be interested in based on answers about which tasks they find interesting.

High School Career Counseling

Goals of High School Career Counseling

According to Donegan, High Schoolers involve more research into career planning in relation to further academic and technical education.

Resources for High Schoolers

High schoolers tend to be overwhelmed by questions about their college choices and their future careers. Some of this stress can be addressed by involving students in their own research on the broad array of choices available to them. Some key interventions defined by Walden University include defining goals and fostering self-reflection and exploration. A research-backed article by Megan Okrand emphasizes the importance of bringing family in on the career journey of their high schooler. Despite the strong influence of peers at this age, parents remain a huge influence on high schoolers’ career choices. Involving parents in the process can help students feel supported to do their own research and discover for themselves what they want to pursue.

Other interventions involve career exploration similar to what would be used when working with middle schoolers. Career Interest inventories like those listed for middle schoolers are all valuable resources to help high schoolers narrow their scope for their own career research. Extracurricular activities and clubs are also valuable ways for students to discover and hone their skills.

Finally, remembering that high schoolers may not want to continue on to higher education can help counselors emphasize vocational training for students who want to go directly from high school to the work force.

Overall, career readiness begins in early childhood and continues on into adulthood. When we intervene early on, students can learn to be flexible about their expectations and expand their curiosity to new careers and new opportunities.

Resources

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Donegan, A. (n.d.). Elementary career readiness resource round up. https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/sspw/pdf/Elementary_Career_Readiness_Round_Up_Resource.pdf

Engaging Middle School Career Development – American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (n.d.). http://www.schoolcounselor.org. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Newsletters/January-2024/Engaging-Middle-School-Career-Development?st=NJ

National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2016). Job outlook 2016: The attributes employers want to see on new college graduates’ resumes. Retrieved from https://naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/candidate-selection/the-key-attributes-employers-are-looking-for-on-graduates-resumes

Wasik, S. Z., & Barrow, J. (2017). Odyssey of the mind: Using a creative problem-solving competition to promote career readiness in elementary school. The Journal of Education, 197(3), 46–50. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26612658

Li, Y., Chen, D., & Deng, X. (2024). The impact of digital educational games on student’s motivation for learning: The mediating effect of learning engagement and the moderating effect of the digital environment. PloS one, 19(1), e0294350. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294350

Top 5 Techniques of Career Counselors | Walden University. (n.d.). http://www.waldenu.edu. https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling/resource/top-five-techniques-of-career-counselors

Rookie Counseling