Advance CTE and ACTE report that middle school is an “ideal time” to invest in Career and Technical Education and career activities. Educators agree—further research supports the fact that many CTE leaders understand the importance of starting career exploration in middle school. Students of this age may be more open to exploring what the future might hold, so developing courses that increase the awareness of career options, provide opportunities to self-assess, and begin career planning is key.
What does middle school career exploration look like?
1. Learn About Yourself
First, help your student discover their assets—such as their personality traits and interests. Are they creative, determined, or timid? What are their hobbies?
Then, discuss how their Three A’s—attitude, aptitude, and ability—can influence career choices.
2. Learn About Careers
Guide students to explore different career pathways.
- Conduct research about career options. They can go online or visit your library.
- Talk to a school counselor. They are a great source of information and can provide additional guidance.
- Interview workers in different fields. Students can learn more from their family, teachers, and friends.
- Job shadow. See a job firsthand! Students might be able to tag along to work with someone they know.
- Volunteer. Students can look for opportunities to help out at a hospital, community service agency, or park and recreational facility and see the types of careers available there.
- Work a part-time job. Older middle schoolers might be able to get a part-time job after school, on the weekends, or during the summer, in fields such as hospitality or retail.
- Attend career events or job fairs. Does your school host a Career Day? That’s a great way to showcase a variety of careers at once. Offer to host guests virtually via a webinar to broaden your reach to those who live out of town.
- Join (or start) a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO). This previous blog explains why more than 2,000,000 students participate in CTSOs!
3. Create a Career Path
The sooner students start thinking about the future, the better their transition may be to high school and the course selection process. Here are 3 steps to helping students create a career path.
- Explore the career clusters together. There might be careers that students didn’t know existed or hadn’t considered.
- Set career goals. Ask your class to get started by setting SMART goals, or setting short-term and long-term goals about the future. For example, a student might set a short-term goal of getting an A in Science and a long-term goal of starting Nursing courses in high school.
- Create a plan. Identify the steps that it would take to reach that career goal. Does employment start after high school, or is a college degree needed? Would a certification help? Do they want to consider a fast-growing field, where they might be able to find a job more easily?
Looking for resources to start the career exploration process with your middle school students? Here are a few ways to get started:
- Introductory CTE materials provide age-appropriate curriculum packed with hands-on learning and engaging activities.
- Start a free digital preview of ©2027 Discovering Careers, the most up-to-date program to help middle school students begin career exploration and practice the skills needed to succeed in high school and beyond. Learn more!
- Share this Middle School CTE Journey infographic and video with your students.
- Join Candy Ho, author of Discovering Careers for middle school students, for a webinar: Innovative Strategies for Career Readiness: Engaging Students with Real-World Applications. Register here.
Let’s work together to build careers!
Photo Credits:
Thumbnail: 4Max/Shutterstock.com
Image 1: G-W's Discovering Careers
