Key points:
When it comes to figuring out what to do after high school, too many of today’s young people are anxious, uninformed, and unprepared.
Here are some rising trends that educators, counselors, and parents can use to help students explore careers. In doing so, they will be equipped to make informed, confident decisions to achieve their postsecondary education and career goals.
1. Starting early. Young people need to start exploring career possibilities, based on their strengths and interests, starting in middle school–and they’re beginning to. We’re also seeing more students being encouraged to tap into their passions. Rather than steering them in the one direction we think they need to go, more adults are seeing the wisdom in helping kids connect their passions with tangible jobs that make sense for them.
2. Edtech is on the rise. Edtech will continue to advance and grow. More dollars are being invested in it, partly for the equity and access it brings to all students, regardless of their school or circumstances. We’ll see more and more high-quality digital resources, co-created with and for youth, most of which they can access anytime, for free, on their phones or other mobile devices. This means more young people will have access to personalized edtech tools to get the information and experiences they need to prepare for future success. These activities range from mock job interviews, AI-powered career coaching, career mentorships, and even virtual internships.
3. High school internships will become more prevalent. There is no substitute for real world learning starting in high school. In my book, Crisis-Proofing Today’s Learners: Reimagining Career Education to Prepare Kids for Tomorrow’s World, I discuss the three “ships” (internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships). There will be a growing demand for opportunities that let students “test and try” careers, gain hands-on experience, build social capital, receive guidance from caring adults, and develop the skills they’ll need for the workforce of tomorrow. Research shows that employers benefit from offering high school internships and want to do so, while many students think they won’t be able to get one. We’ll see that gap starting to close in 2025.
4. College isn’t the only path to success, and non-degree pathways are on the rise. College has long been our country’s default, but it is not the only path to success. Research commissioned by American Student Assistance (ASA) and Jobs for the Future (JFF), conducted by Morning Consult, shows that the vast majority of young people who had chosen to pursue a non-degree pathway (90 percent) said they are satisfied with their choice. The top reasons selected include the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning (44 percent) and the ability to complete such programs faster than they could earn a college degree (41 percent). Fortunately, we’re seeing more people embrace other choices like trades. As long-standing stigmas surrounding trades continue to be lifted, more young people will recognize that they are excellent choices for lucrative and satisfying careers. Further, with the rapid growth of non-degree credentials available today and little information on which pathways lead to meaningful, high-quality jobs and careers, we’ll see a trend toward providing equitable access to the information, including free digital resources created with input from young people, that they need to navigate a path to success after high school.
5. Durable skills are here to stay. Even though technology has become embedded in today’s workplace, soft skills are critical to succeed, and young people need to practice using them. Employers also value these “durable skills”–a set of professional capabilities like teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and flexibility–that are essential in almost every job. In fact, a study by America Succeeds found that 70 percent of the most requested skills in nearly 82 million job postings are durable skills. These are the skills employers are looking for on resumes.
As the job market continues to evolve, these trends will help more young people find the postsecondary education and career pathway that’s right for them.
