Helpful Resources
The most helpful tool for teaching the career exploration process is a curriculum called Youth Exploration Survey (YES!). It is published by Crown Ministries, a Christian nonprofit organization that teaches money management skills and offers career guidance materials. I used the YES! books as the core text in my class. They cover each step of the process. YES! includes several personality and interest surveys. After taking these surveys and choosing matching careers, the student researches possible occupations. They look for a good fit using a helpful "roadmap" with many decision checkpoints along the way. The last checkpoint is matching a career with a student’s priorities. This keeps the students focused on God’s will for them. The curriculum was very biblically based. It encouraged the students to discover the unique way that God has made them. YES! may be used by an individual or in a group setting.
The students also had to pick one book from topics that included career exploration, high school planning, college preparation, or study habits. Two books that were very popular were Do What You Are and What Color Is Your Parachute? In Do What You Are the reader takes a personality test and then researches matching career choices. Parachute is a classic career search guide that provides practical advice on looking for a job or changing careers. The students also used some free online personality tests. There are many resources for career exploration both at libraries and online. See Resources at the end of this article for a few to get you started.
After picking four to six possible careers, a student should carefully research them. They should investigate the working conditions, skills needed, pay rates, and future outlook for their chosen fields. For conducting research online, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has a valuable site (see Resources).
Having a Goal
The last step in the career exploration process is creating an education and experience plan to meet the student’s goals. Students need to think about what classes and part-time jobs they can pursue today to prepare them for their future. If a student has a goal in sight, her schoolwork and part-time jobs become more meaningful. Information can be found in several homeschooling books on high school planning. I found that High School: A Home Designed Form + U + La by Barbara Shelton was very helpful. It covers designing a class and how to record accomplishments and experiences. Your student should also learn what graduation requirements are in your state and also what most colleges expect. All this information is online, and the College Board (www.collegeboard.com) website is helpful. Then your student can make a high school plan that is unique to him or her. In my class, David was a student considering engineering. His plan includes a full load of math and science classes. In contrast, Sarah is interested in acting as a career, so she was encouraged to participate in a summer drama camp run by a local Christian high school.
