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Career Assessment for High School Students
If your high schooler hasn't picked a career path yet, take a deep breath. It's okay. Some kids know what they want to be at age five and others don't figure it out until their twenties (or later). But you can help guide them, without pressure, and without pretending to have all the answers.
Here's how.
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Let Aptitude Lead the Way
These tools take your teen's interests, personality, strengths, and values and match them to possible career paths. Many of them are surprisingly accurate, and some are even fun!
Start here:
Top 11 Career Aptitude Tests for High School Students
This list includes both well-known tests (like the MBTI and Holland Code) and some lesser-known gems. Don't worry about the acronyms. Each test usually comes with a clear explanation page.- Big Future Career Finder - This site by College Board has a free resource for identifying your child's strengths and provides ideas for possible college majors and career suggestions.
- 16Personalities.com - Free personality test. This free personality test reveals who you really are. Discover the 16 personalities created by Myers & Briggs, test your personality type, and find your strengths.
- CareerKey.org - Personality related to occupations
- CareerDirect.org - The Career Direct assessment examines four critical components of career selection to help you discover what you were made to do.
If your student is nervous to take one of these aptitude tests, be sure to let them know there's no "wrong" answer on these tests. It's not a quiz, it's more like a mirror. A tool to reflect how they naturally think, feel, and work. These 'tests' are just a form of guidance that you can use to help your student (and should be taken with a grain of salt).
A Research Project (and Maybe an Elective!)
• What does day-to-day work look like?
• What's the work environment like—indoors, outdoors, team-based?
• What are the entry-level jobs and growth potential?
• Will they need a college degree? A certification?
• What's the job outlook and earning potential?
• Does it require moving to a big city, or is it more flexible?
This research can easily count as an elective called Career Exploration. It's practical, productive, and gives them confidence that they're moving in the right direction.
Helpful research sites:
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- US Department of Labor's apprenticeship
- The Department of Labor's CareerOneStop
- If your student decides they are interested in a military career, check out my article Military Careers After Homeschool.
If books are a better fit for your teen than online assessment tools, here are some great career guidance books that you can use to help your student with career assessment.
- What Color Is Your Parachute?: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success by Richard N. Bolles (there is also a Teen Version)
- Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Paul D. Tieger
- The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right by Gorick Ng
- Roadmap: The Get-It-Together Guide for Figuring Out What To Do with Your Life Roadtrip Nation
Just Start Somewhere
Don't stress about picking the "perfect" major or job. What matters is forward motion.
Sometimes it's smart to aim high and pivot later. For example, it's easier to switch from Engineering to Business than the other way around. The rigorous classes in a tough major can count toward simpler ones, but not vice versa. Starting hard gives your teen more flexibility.
Is there a career assessment tool or book you or your child has found helpful? Please share!
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