Helping high school students know what job or career they want to pursue is probably the most important thing anybody can do for them. Perhaps even more important though is helping high school students think about the lives they want, or need, to live. This is a world that is full of changes and challenges that will continue to make keeping the same job or career for all of their lives increasingly more difficult. So, the question is not what they want to do for the rest of their lives. That old way of thinking no longer applies. The question is what job or career do they want to pursue after high school. Ultimately working and being content with one’s work is the purpose of studying, preparing, and having a plan to succeed. The question to be asked of all high school students is: what do they want to do in their lives? Because truthfully they will probably have more than one job or even one career.
The question of what they want to do in their lives is about more than how they want to spend their time. It is about:
- What do they value?
- What do they believe in?
- What do they want to prepare themselves to do?
Jobs and careers are an important part of our lives. We generally spend more time working than we do sleeping. It makes sense that if we can enjoy our work, which we do for so much time during our lives, then we will be healthier and happier. It also makes sense that if high school students are ready to prepare for the jobs and careers they may enjoy, their chances of living happy and healthy lives will be greatly improved.
Here are some ways to ask students about what they want to do in their lives, and what kind of lives they want to lead.