“How do you want adults to talk about career exploration?”
Share Your Opinions and Experiences. We want your stories—what worked, what didn’t, what surprised you. Be honest, even if it's hard to hear. Just don’t pressure us or pretend there’s one “right” answer or path.
Talk Honestly About Trade-Offs and Quality of Life. Money matters. Be honest about salaries, how to manage money, and the cost of education options after high school. Show us how to weigh salary vs. lifestyle. Don’t just say “follow your dreams”—be realistic. Help us understand work-life balance, stress levels, and what different career paths really mean.
Give Us More Hands-On Exposure to Careers. Let us try things. Internships, job shadows, guest speakers, clubs, and real-life experiences make jobs feel real and help us figure out what we like. Give us more access and visibility.
Help Us Discover and Follow Our Interests. Ask what we're curious about and what we care about. Support our exploration of what interests us and where we might thrive. Give us space to change our mind.
Talk With Us, Not At Us. Tone matters: we want respect, empathy, humor, and patience, especially if we’re unsure. Make us feel capable, not overwhelmed. Use words we understand and don’t talk over us.
Focus on the Practical Side of Career Paths. Tell us how to actually get jobs—during or after college, how to search, apply, network. Give us info on what’s out there and how to get there from here.
Help Us Take One Next Step. Give us many options.
Explain how each opens doors and creates paths to our goals.
