Finding an interesting career will increase your quality of life. Think about the things you enjoy doing and learning about. If you're not sure about what that might be yet, explore different types of hobbies. Do not be afraid to try something new and step outside your comfort zone. This is a great way to learn more about yourself.

There are often more career pathways for high school students that align with their interests than they imagine. For example, if you are passionate about horses, there are equine careers where you can work directly with horses every day. For young people that like being outside but prefer learning about plants over animals, there are careers for outdoor enthusiasts. 

Think About Your Strengths and Needs

Part of a successful career is having a talent for the tasks required for the job. Career exploration activities for high school students should include analyzing your academic, physical, and social strengths. Taking an online aptitude test is a great way to do this. Also, you can identify where you succeed in school. If your favorite class is math or science, you may enjoy a STEM career, such as environmental science. 

Choosing a career after high school can be a smooth journey when the young person has a strong sense of self. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help discover what kind of careers you might thrive in:

• • Do I prefer to work alone or with a team?
  • Do I prefer to lead or follow when working in a group?
  • Do I enjoy routine tasks, or do I get easily bored with them?
  • How well can I focus on work in noisy and distracting environments?

Most students will turn to the Internet to help choose a career after high school. Of all the career resources for high school students to explore potential career fields, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is one of the most valuable. It contains important data for career planning such as:

• Average salaries for different occupations
• How fast each industry is growing
• How many job openings there may be in the future
• Best states for employment
• Highest-paying cities, regions, and states

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has lists of career choices for high school students. Colleges and universities also often have reliable career guides for high school students.

Discover the Pay for the Job

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the median annual pay for many occupations. The website includes information about average pay in different industries, cities, and states. This critical information can help students and their families make smart choices when it comes to paying for college versus vocational school.

Explore Job Outlooks

Experts predict job outlooks for up to ten years in the future. Job outlook shows how many more job openings are expected to become available each year. This is ideal for high school students who want to plan ahead. They do not have to guess which jobs will be most in demand when they graduate from college and enter the job market in 4 to 8 years. Instead, they can use the data on the fastest-growing jobs to make informed decisions about their future. 

Find Where Jobs are Offered

The demand for specific jobs changes depending on the region of the country. Some jobs are more common in rural areas than urban ones or vice versa. Other careers, such as marine biologists, may be concentrated in coastal areas. Career planning tools for high school students can help students see where jobs are offered. Think about where you want to live when you graduate from high school so you can explore careers are available in that area. 

Knowing the exact education requirements for various levels of your desired career can help you calculate how much your education will cost. Pairing this with knowledge about the average salary for the job, you can calculate how quickly you can pay off any student loan debt. Furthermore, when a student and their family starts planning for college early, they can avoid student loan debt altogether. 

For young people who are not interested in pursuing higher education, there are several high-paying jobs that do not require a degree. Honest career talk for high school students means being realistic about whether a college degree is a good option.

For students who want a career that requires higher education, the next step is to choose the right school. You may be tempted to choose a school based on the social experience you want to have in college; however, many colleges only offer certain majors or specialize in specific fields. 

There are also many different types of colleges including:

• Community colleges
• Liberal arts colleges
• Specialized schools 
• Professional schools
• Environmental Colleges

Associate Degree

An associate degree takes less time and is often more affordable than a bachelor’s degree. It takes most students two years to earn an associate degree at a community college. Many in-demand careers only require an associate degree, such as veterinary technology and dental hygiene. A complete career guide for high school students also should not discount technical and vocational schools. These institutions have programs that train young people to work many different hands-on and office jobs from medical assistants to mechanics. 

Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree typically takes four years of full-time study at a college or university. Earning a bachelor’s degree may open up more career possibilities, but students in college will be asked to choose a major, so you need to career plan before college. Otherwise, you may end up wasting money on an unnecessary education. 

Advanced Degree

An advanced degree such as a master’s or doctoral degree usually means more access to higher-paying jobs. For example, becoming a veterinarian requires a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, which generally takes four more years of school after you earn a bachelor’s degree. 

Once a student has an idea of the career choices for high school students, they should start thinking about gaining relevant experience. There are many internships available for high school students, whether paid or unpaid. Internships have multiple benefits including:

• Work experience
• Networking opportunities
• Higher likelihood of employment

To prepare for your first internship, you should practice your job interview skills, acquire professional clothing, and understand appropriate professional behavior. This aspect of career preparation for high school students is often not taught in schools, so parents may want to take the lead in preparing their child for an internship. Information interviews can also help students prepare for an interview at a specific place.

Volunteering is an excellent method of career exploration for high school students, especially for those that are too young to get a job. Volunteering and community service can give you a glimpse into different occupations and what your daily lives would entail in those jobs. It also provides chances to network and could potentially lead to a job