As a school leader, it’s clear that career exploration is not just for high school or middle school students. I believe that if we want to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world, we must start earlier than we currently do to better prepare students for their future opportunities.
Career exploration and career and technical education usually start once students begin selecting courses and thinking about postsecondary options in high school. However, by the time students reach high school, they’ve often developed assumptions about what they’re “good at” or what careers “sound interesting” based on perceptions or assumptions rather than specific knowledge, actual interest or demonstrated aptitude.
Career exploration, to be more impactful and effective, should start much earlier.
Playful exploration and inquiry
In elementary school, students are at their most curious. They ask big questions and imagine big futures. We can harness that natural inquisitiveness by introducing the idea of future careers—not in a pressure-filled, choose-your-destiny way but through playful exploration and inquiry-based learning.
When a fifth grader experiences enjoyment as they build a simple circuit and learns that someone called an “electrical engineer” does this for a living, a seed is planted. Likewise, a world opens up when a second grader writes a story and discovers that authors, journalists and screenwriters do the same every day of their careers.
Career exploration lets students self-assess their skills, interests and strengths; research and learn about industries and professions; and evaluate and plan for how they may want to pursue educational pathways and skill development in careers of interest.
Introducing career exploration in the early grades is not about narrowing choices; it’s about broadening them—for ALL kids. Often, young students do not see examples of certain careers in their daily lives, so we need to expand awareness of what’s possible, early and often.
That starts with embedding career awareness into the daily instructional program with engaging, exploratory content that adds relevance to the core instruction.
Career exploration and core subjects
According to a recent report from Discovery Education, “Education Insights 2024-2025: Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow,” which surveyed administrators, educators, students and parents about their views and goals for education:
“Most students have signaled they would like more career-readiness instruction and find value in resources that offer real-world relevance. About three-quarters of students report that resources for career exploration are important for both their long-term success and day-to-day learning…”
The best elementary-level career exploration programs don’t simply talk about careers—they let students experience them. That might look like classroom visitors from different industries, virtual field trips to workplaces or projects that connect what students are learning to real-world applications.
Career exploration can help students see how the subjects they study—math, reading, science, the arts—can be tools for solving real problems.
This lays the groundwork for deeper exploration in middle school and greater focus in high school. By the time students begin choosing between CTE pathways, whether in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, information technology or education, they should not be choosing blindly.
By starting early, students have a foundation of self-awareness and curiosity. They have seen adults in action, understood what makes different careers exciting or challenging and started to think about where their interests and talents align.
Dreaming and wondering
As school leaders, we also have a responsibility to ensure there is training for elementary educators to see themselves as part of the CTE continuum. It means providing content and resources that make career connections accessible and age-appropriate. And it means working with families and community partners to reinforce the message that exploration is encouraged.
The Discovery Insights report also found that “Recent studies show that introducing opportunities for career exploration early allows students time to engage in activities that support their postsecondary goals and offers flexibility to adjust their paths while the stakes are still low.”
We don’t expect elementary students to commit to a career. But we do want them to dream and wonder. That’s the beginning of any great journey.
If we want our students to eventually thrive in a competitive and dynamic workforce, we need to start by giving them time and space to imagine their future before we ask them to plan it.
