Throughout a child's life they are exposed to countless opportunities and images informing their life. As soon as a child begins to talk at some point an adult asks them what they want to be when they grow up. It is the job of the school and school counselor to begin to show these children the options they have for possible careers. Elementary school is not too young to begin this exposure to career activities.
In elementary school children are already beginning to learn behaviors that are useful in future careers. These behaviors or values are: timeliness, organization, kindness, respect for authority, social skills, conflict management, etc. As the children begin to develop throughout their school experience, they carry the lessons they learn with them.
There are a couple different types of activities that can be done at different age levels that prepare students for future careers or jobs.
Guidance Lessons:
Lesson on values for a job: teaching students what they value and what careers that aligns with. Examples of these values are: money, flexible schedule, regular hours, working with people, etc.
Lesson that allows the students to take career assessments and then research their results.
Lesson on professionalism and how to fill out job applications. This lesson could also cover interview tips.
Career Events:
Career Fair: This could be virtual or in person, depending on what the school permits. Have as few as four types of careers or jobs represented at your school. Let these people/places set up booths and allow the students to visit each booth.
Have a college fair for your high schoolers. I would include in this fair military and trade schools were represented. This fair helps them find schools that best provide and align with their future career goals.
Career on Wheels: This is where you would have careers such as police officer, fire fighter, and emergency medic come to the school. This event is specifically great for elementary students because they love getting in the cars and exploring. It is still a useful event for high schoolers because some of the students may want to enter these careers.
Individual Counseling:
When meeting with students one-on-one, it is important to evaluate what the students interests are. During one-on-one sessions, as a counselor it is important to teach the student how to balance other's expectations and own desires. This will be a valuable skill while they choose a career and even after they have found one.
Career counseling is a wonderful opportunity for the school counselor to get to know their students. I would highly recommend surveying the student population before career and college fairs. This information could help you better recruit people for these fairs so the fair will be more applicable to your students. Getting to help a student decide about a future is a chance to help them understand the value of their education. Following students through the realization of their dreams is a honor I look forward too!
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