HIGH SCHOOL CAREER EXPLORATION

They don't need to have their future figured out.

But it helps to start exploring.

High school students are asked some pretty big questions:

What do you want to do?

Where do you want to go to college?

What do you want to major in?

For a lot of teenagers, the answer is simply:

“I don't know.”

And that's okay.

Career exploration isn't about asking a 16- or 17-year-old to choose what they're going to do for the rest of their life.

It's about helping them understand themselves, explore possibilities, and start making more informed decisions about what comes next.

STUDENT PROGRAM

Individual career coaching for high school students

Over several individual sessions, I'll help your student learn more about themselves and begin connecting that to possible careers, education options, and experiences they can explore now.

We'll look at:

• Strengths
• Interests
• Skills
• Values
• Personality and work preferences
• Career fields and industries
• College majors and education pathways
• Alternatives to a traditional four-year college path
• Summer opportunities and internships
• Ways to gain real-world career exposure
• Questions to ask professionals
• Next steps they can take while they're still in high school

I may also use career assessments to give us additional information to explore together.

But I don't use an assessment to tell a student:

“Here's what you should be.”

It's simply another tool for starting a conversation.

WHAT THEY'LL WALK AWAY WITH

The goal isn't for your student to leave coaching having chosen their career for the next 40 years.

I'd much rather they leave saying:

“I understand myself better.”

“There are a few things I'm interested in exploring.”

“I know what questions I should be asking.”

“I have some ideas for what I can do next.”

That's progress.

And it gives students a much stronger foundation for making decisions about college, majors, training programs, internships, and eventually their careers.

THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD FIT IF YOU'RE THINKING:

"My student has no idea what they want to do, and I'd like them to start exploring before they have to make some pretty expensive decisions."

"My student has a lot of interests but doesn't know how they fit together."

"I want my student to think beyond choosing a college and start thinking about what they might want their life after college to look like."

Or simply:

"I'd love for someone other than me to have this conversation with them."

LET'S START THE CONVERSATION.

We'll begin with a complimentary parent conversation so I can learn a little about your student and what you're hoping they'll gain from career coaching.

Then we'll determine whether the program feels like a good fit.

Tara Skredynski
Career Coach
Boulder, Colorado