How to Get Career Clarity Over Summer

For high school students who are normally very busy during the school year balancing academics, extracurriculars and more, the slower pace of summer is an ideal time to embark on moving the needle toward career clarity for what comes after high school. Ready or not, high school doesn’t last forever.

Students as young as freshmen can have experiences that will lead to what I call “Career Clues”….sparks that will teach them both about themselves and careers to help inform them for future decisions about that first step into the world of work. These Career Clue moments might just sneak by if families aren’t intentional about reflecting on the experiences. Often, when students move on to the next experience the previous memory fades. Parents can help their teen by initiating conversations to dig deeper into how it’s going and what they are learning. If you can’t get your teen to note them with a journal or a Google Doc, making brief parent notes of what you heard might just be helpful later.

Personally, I use a free app on my phone meant for a gratitude journal. My own three children are getting used to me saying, let me just take a picture for my gratitude journal….I promise not to post it! I might journal about a moment with them or even something I want to remember about or for them. You could use an app like this to note these future conversations along the way.

Listen in to my February 2021 webinar on creating summer experiences and you’ll learn not just what, but how to find and create:

• Formal summer opportunities such as camps
• Internships – paid, free, formal, and create your own
• Job shadows that could be as short as a half or full day and might just turn into more
• Community service that both gives back and benefits you finding your purpose