12/01/2025

26 Career Development Strategies for School-Aged Students

By Jillian Schiller and Deb Osborn

Career development activities are essential in schools, yet professionals report spending minimal time on them (Saunders et al., 2017). This article features an updated collection of 26 career development strategies for K-12 students, builds on an earlier publication, 21 Strategies for K-12 Career Development (Osborn, 2005). Professionals can use these strategies to address the career development competencies outlined in the National Career Development Guidelines (NCDA, 2024).  Many of the original strategies remain in this list or are nearly identical because they are tried-and-true practices that continue to resonate with students and educators today. Republishing them now reaffirms their enduring value and draws renewed attention to their usefulness, especially as schools face increasing demands to prepare students for a rapidly changing workforce. Other strategies were added as a result of examining state career development resources. Professionals are encouraged to investigate and employ as many of the following strategies as appropriate for their students’ and schools’ needs.

 
For Elementary Students:  

• Career Collage: Students use magazines to create collages of words and images that represent themselves and their career of interest. 
• Guess Who/What Games:Teams guess occupations based on clues (Information about occupations can be found at The U.S. Dept. of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook). 
• Alphabet Jobs:Either in teams or round robin, identify as many occupations as possible that start with each letter of the alphabet. 
• Career Speakers: Invite local heroes (e.g., firefighters, doctors, police officers) to share tools and stories. Include family members as guest speakers. 
• Career Field Trips: Organize workplace visits to expose students to real-world environments.
• Fantasy Career Day:Encourage career fantasy through costumes/roleplaying. 
• Career Stations:help teachers set up rotating career-themed stations in their classrooms.  
• Work Skills Posters:Link classroom tasks to workforce skills (punctuality, neatness, teamwork, etc.) and have students create posters in small groups.  
• Read Aloud Activity: After reading When I Grow Up written by Al Yankovic, encourage students to create a fantastical career option using art supplies.  

For Middle School Students:  

• Computer-Assisted Career Guidance Programs:Use tools like CIS 360 Junior to help students identify interests and related careers.   
• Career Info Resources:Introduce sites like America's Career InfoNet and the Occupational Outlook Handbook . 
• Inside/Outside Bag Activity: Using paper bags and magazines; encourage students to express their outside/social self by making a collage on the outside of the bag and express their inside/private self by putting items inside the bag. 
• Career Research Paper: Collaborate with English teachers and have students write a research paper on a career of interest. Provide book lists and weblinks; coordinate with librarians to add resources to the guidance webpage. 
• Career Vocabulary Games:Create word finds or crosswords using career-related terms. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has some available resources: (K-12 Games)  
• Reconnect Through Exploration:Schedule field trips to colleges, career fairs, and workshops linking coursework to career goals 
• Volunteer Opportunities: Encourage students to volunteer by sharing lists of volunteer sites and typical roles found there.
• 8^thGrade Course Planning: Have students outline high school courses aligned with their career interests.  
• Career of the Week:Highlight diverse professionals weekly to broaden career awareness.  

For High School Students:  

• Career Games: Use Jeopardy, Family Feud, or Kahoot to teach career info, training options, job searching strategies, resume writing, interviewing skills, etc. 
• Virtual Scavenger Hunt: Have students work in pairs to complete a virtual scavenger hunt for career information using the Online Occupational Handbook or O*NET. 
• Budget Simulation: Students choose a job, house, and vehicle, then calculate a budget using local utility data. 
• Course-to-Career Handouts: Provide teachers with materials that link subjects to careers. Include online tools, media center resources, and local employers. For an example of a “match major sheet”, see the ones created by the FSU Career Center.
• Career Resource Links: Consider purchasing tools like Career Key to add to school counseling and media center websites. 
• Parent Newsletter: Information might include tips on resume writing (see the FSU writing a resume guide), interviewing and job searching tips, information about scholarships, upcoming career testing, career and college days, and ideas for helping their student make an informed career choice. 
• College Fair / Day: Invite colleges to present opportunities. Consider hosting a “before the fair day” to encourage students to practice etiquette and communication. Include additional career and postsecondary exploration options such as apprenticeships, military service, and certifications. 
• Self-Assessments: Promote self-guided career planning using tools like: 
  • 16Personalities: Personality type insights.
  • MAPP: Matches preferences to job types. 
  • ASVAB: Military aptitude and career prediction. 
  • CareerOneStop Self-Assessments:Free values, interests, and skills assessments.

Additional Resources for School Counselors:  

• Online Occupational Outlook Handbook- Up-to-date information on hundreds of occupations. 
• O*NET Resource Center - Career exploration tools, crosswalks of values and skills to occupations, and others.
• Design Your Career - Online career theory-based guide through self-knowledge, career options, decision-making, and reflection.
• Connect the Work– 48 activities to foster career conversations, build routines, and develop vocational identity.
• Career and College Planning Resources– This site includes hundreds of links to career quizzes, skill assessments, career WebQuests, career planning, and college prep tools.
• Holland’s Code Assessment- This assessment uses the O*NET Interest Profiler to match students’ interests to a career choice.  
• ASCA Career Development Resources- Free K12 career development resources..  
• Career Resource Store – NCDA’s online resource store that features career development activities.
• NCDA’s Yearly Poetry and Art Contest – Eligible for K-12 students, check out the website for important dates and themes.

The National Career Development Association (NCDA) offers valuable resources to strengthen school-based career development. Professionals can pursue the School Career Development Advisor Training and Certification Program to expand expertise, engage with the School Career Counselors constituency, and explore the Career Convergence K-12 archives for practical strategies. These tools empower professionals to integrate career development more effectively across grade levels. We invite you to share your own ideas by writing for Career Convergence or leaving a comment at the end of this article.

 

References

Osborn, D. S. (2005). 21 Strategies for K-12 career development. Career Convergence. https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/5026/_self/CC_layout_details/false

Sanders, C., Welfare, L. E., & Culver, S. (2017). Career counseling in middle schools: A study of school counselor self-efficacy. The Professional Counselor, 7(3). 238-250. https://www.doi.org/10.15241/cs.7.3.238   

Jillian Schiller, M.S. / Ed.S., is a Ph.D. student in the Combined School Psychology and Counseling program at Florida State University (FSU). She earned her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from FSU, where she developed a strong foundation in school-based counseling and career development. Jillian’s research and clinical interests focus on promoting career exploration, decision-making, and identity development among K-12 students, with a particular emphasis on affirming and inclusive practices for LGBTQIAP+ students. She is passionate about creating supportive environments that empower all students to thrive academically, personally, and socially. Jillian can be reached at jschiller@fsu.edu. 

Deb Osborn, Ph.D., is a Professor and co-director of the Combined doctoral program in counseling and school psychology at Florida State University. She also co-directs the Center of Career Research at FSU, and is a Nationally Certified Counselor. She is both a Fellow and Past President of NCDA. Her research interests include: applying career-related theory (especially Cognitive Information Processing theory) in research and practice; designing and using assessments and interventions in career services, especially creative ones; and exploring how technology can enhance and extend services. She enjoys quilting, cooking, faith and family. She can be reached at dosborn@fsu.edu