Free Career Exploration Lesson Plans and Handouts

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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a classic question, and one that becomes ever more important as students get older. Use our free career exploration lesson plans and handouts to encourage students to explore all the options available to them.

Why is career exploration important?

Little kids tend to dream big when it comes to their careers, with aspirational goals like becoming an astronaut, playing professional sports, or starring on stage. Not too many kindergarten students say they want to be an accountant or HVAC technician when they grow up!

But most people wind up in more mundane careers, and eventually students need to start considering realities. While they certainly don’t need to make any decisions in middle or even high school, they should start thinking about where their skills and talents lie, and how they might turn those assets into a career.

“Schools and programs don’t give enough time to the self-discovery process,” says Jennifer L.M. Gunn of My Unique Genius, a company that specializes in career and future readiness for teens. “A lot of times, teens follow the tide on what they’re told to do. They apply to college because they’re told to. They major in something because they’ve heard of it, not because it’s truly their passion.”

Career Exploration Lesson Plans and Handouts

The first step toward planning a future career path is knowing what’s possible. There are a lot of careers out there that most kids and teens have never even heard of: marketing manager, wind turbine technician, and urban planner, just to name a few. And even for more familiar careers—like teacher, plumber, or engineer—students are unlikely to know things like the salary ranges, necessary skills, and what a typical day might look like.

In this free career exploration lesson plan, students spend time exploring two careers—one that already appeals to them, and one they would never have considered. Through research and discussion, they learn about the education and training requirements, salary and growth potential, and more practical aspects of each career.

The career exploration handouts are especially helpful because they teach students how to research any career they’re interested in. Provide students with an extra print or digital copy they can use on their own as they prepare for their futures.

Career Exploration Lesson Plan Overview

Start by initiating a discussion about careers in general. Ask if any students already have a career path in mind, and encourage them to share why those jobs interest them.

Explain that today, students will be choosing two careers to explore in detail. One of these careers should be one that they’ve already given some thought to or really like. The other should be the opposite: something they’ve never considered and may not even think would be a good fit.

Materials: Use the free printable career cards to help students choose their two options. It’s OK if multiple students want to learn about the same career, but they should each work independently. If a student wants to explore a job that’s not included, that’s OK too! That’s why the set includes blank cards that can be customized.

Students will spend some time researching their two chosen careers. They can use the internet, books, or other options like interviews. (Note: The lesson plan allots 20 to 25 minutes for this activity, but you may want to extend it depending on the types of research you use.)

Materials: Give each student two copies of the “So You Want To Be a …” handout. It has sections like education and training requirements, salary and growth opportunities, a day in the life, and more. They should complete a handout for each of their two careers.

Once everyone has had a chance to research their careers, bring the group back together for a wrap-up discussion. Ask what surprised them about the careers they researched. See if anyone changed their mind about their career goals. Remind students they can use the handout to help them look into any job or career as they plan for their future.