Pondering Careers - Edition 1

I've been publishing a newsletter each week for a really, really long time (like, years and years) but this is the first time it'll be available on LinkedIn as well!

If you're into news, opportunities, resources, and Professional Learning in the careers and skills space then this is the newsletter for you. You'll find lots of things to sink your teeth into, and some great free resources you can use in your own programs as well.

This newsletter is designed for Careers Advisors, Guidance Counsellors, Subject Teachers, Principals, Heads of Wellbeing, and anyone else interested in supporting young people in their career decisions.

This week...

It's National Careers Week here in Australia next week, so we've got some great classroom resources to help out with your planning, and we've also taken a look at what you can do to manage in-class career conversations (especially the ones you didn't expect).?

Coming up next week, I'll be talking to the team from the National Youth Science Forum about what makes someone suited for a career in STEM - here are the details:

Widening our definition of 'smart'

Online - Thursday 18 May 4.30pm AEST

Register here

Featured Article

Staying Calm and Confident: Guiding Students Through Career Discussions

Ever found yourself in an unexpected career conversation? I know I had – one minute you tell someone you’re a Career Adviser, and the next minute you’re getting their life story, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and questions about becoming a marine biologist.

I know that the prospect of career discussions with students can sometimes feel a bit like stepping into a labyrinth. Where do you start? How do you guide without leading? And how on earth do you keep those stress levels in check? Well, I’m here to share some tips that can help make these conversations more comfortable, meaningful, and even enjoyable for both you and your students.

Tip 1 – Embrace Exploration

First things first, let’s dismiss the myth that students need to have a concrete career answer right away. Many adults are still exploring their career paths, so it’s entirely normal for students to be unsure or open to exploration. It’s okay to just have a general direction, an area of interest, or even a few ideas of what to explore further. As guides, we can encourage this exploration and celebrate it as a natural part of the career discovery process.

Tip 2 – Concentrate on Immediate Steps

While talking about the future is exciting, it’s equally important to bring the focus back to the here and now. Encourage your students to think about the next steps rather than getting overwhelmed with creating lifelong plans. For instance, what subjects might they want to take next term, or what work experience could they gain this summer? Breaking down the journey into smaller, more manageable steps can make the whole process seem less daunting and more achievable.

Tip 3 – Identify Strengths and Interests

Now, this is my favorite part! Uncovering a student’s strengths and interests can be like piecing together a unique puzzle. It’s not just about academic strengths or favorite subjects, it’s also about what they love to do outside of school. Maybe they’re a whiz at solving complex problems in video games, or they have a knack for organizing family events. Even daily tasks like caring for siblings or keeping their room tidy can hint at valuable skills. Encourage students to lean into their strengths, whatever they may be. After all, our passions often guide us towards our most fulfilling career paths.

Tip 4 – Harness the Power of Side-by-Side Conversations

It’s surprising how a change of scenery or the way we sit can affect the quality of our conversations. Sitting side-by-side, rather than face-to-face, can make career discussions feel less like an interrogation and more like a shared exploration. Try going for a walk around the school grounds or sitting next to each other while looking at a career resource together. You’ll be amazed at how this simple tweak can take the pressure off.

Tip 5 – Keep the Pressure Off

Speaking of pressure, let’s take a moment to address this. Conversations about the future can unintentionally stir up anxiety if we’re not careful with our words and tone. Avoid phrases that might make career decisions seem overly monumental or anxiety-inducing. Instead, reassure your students that it’s okay to take time to think, to change their minds, or to be unsure. Remind them that everyone, yes everyone, struggles with career decisions at some point.

Tip 6 – Empower Student Choice

When a student opens up about their career thoughts, let them lead. Their ideas may seem unconventional or surprising, but that’s okay! It’s their career journey, after all. By encouraging them to explore their interests, no matter how unconventional, we’re showing them that their ideas are valued and respected.

Tip 7 – Ask Open-Ended Questions

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of a well-placed, open-ended question. “What do you enjoy about that?” or “Can you tell me more?” can open doors to deeper thought and exploration. These questions don’t corner students into yes or no answers but allow them to delve deeper into their thoughts and feelings.

Feeling ready?

Guiding students through career discussions doesn’t have to be a stressful task. In fact, it can be a fantastic journey of discovery if approached with an open mind, patience, and the right strategies. Remember, it’s not about having all the answers or making big decisions on the spot. It’s about exploration, understanding, and taking one step at a time.

Embrace the unknown, celebrate small steps, and remember that these conversations are just that – conversations. They’re a chance to learn more about your students, to guide them in their self-discovery, and to reassure them that it’s okay not to have it all figured out.?So, the next time you find yourself about to embark on a career discussion with a student, take a deep breath, remember these tips, and step confidently into the conversation.

Resource Giveaway

Career Conversation Cards

We know that starting conversations with teens can be difficult – sometimes even getting them to say something other than one-word answers is a challenge. So we thought we’d release our new conversation cards , which are free for any educator to download and use at school.

And to help out with introducing it at school/event/evening, we’ve also got a set of slides you can simply put up on a big screen and then guide the conversation with students, parents, and teachers. Too easy.

You can download the Career Conversation Cards and slides here .

What we love this week

Vision Australia's Career Podcast for Vision Impaired People

Check out this fabulous series all about career pathways of people who are blind or vision impaired. Of course, this is going to be a valuable resource for anyone working with blind or low vision people, but there's also a lot to take away for anyone interested in different experiences of the workplace.

Catch the podcast here

The Future of Jobs Report 2023

The World Economic Forum have released the Future of Jobs Report and there's quite a bit to unpack here. Their focus in 2023 is on key drivers of change and they make some predictions which could be particularly useful for those of us working with secondary students (or younger) who won't even enter the workforce for another few years.

We're seeing the same sort of 'key trends' in this report as in many other places; technology is driving job growth and decline at the same time, sustainability concerns are driving change in the energy sector, and businesses can't find enough people with the skills they need.

I was particularly interested to see that organisations are focusing on both on-the-job training and automation to plug these skill gaps. This makes sense - upskilling existing staff is easier that finding new ones, and I wonder if platforms like Go1 will have a larger role to play in this in the future. By bringing learning into the workplace and allowing workers/learners to quickly access the content they need (in a format they choose) will speed up this process astronomically. Automating everything that can be automated also makes sense - that way organisations can focus on hiring people to handle the complex work of innovation.

You can find the report and materials here , and I particularly like their infographics section (expect to see some of these beauties in our socials over the coming weeks).

Case Study

Greenacre Baptist Community Christian School

Careers Advisor Helsa Niranjan talks about her experience of using the Career Clusters and Ponder Program at Greenacre Baptist Community Christian School.

Helsa said that they now have ‘Ponder Fridays’, where all students in Years 7-12 are watching career education videos each week in Pastoral Care and then having engaging discussions about it. Despite some initial misgivings, the teachers have also given positive feedback because they don’t have to prepare any resources to be able to teach Ponder each week –

“The teachers are learning that they can talk to their Pastoral Care students about their own experiences as well with their careers…?…it’s been really encouraging having it there as a program in terms of careers, but also in terms of life skills and preparing them [students] for post-school as well.”?

What's happening

CSU - Shark Tank Train the Teacher?

Applications are open now for the Shark Tank eSchool program, including Train the Teacher PD -?register here

CDANZ - New Zealand Career Development Conference

11 – 13 October 2023 - Auckland

Find out more and?register here

Career Cluster PD - Clusters and Vocational Pathways

1 June - Online

Learn how to use the Clusters to identify possible vocational pathways -?register here

That's it!

Thanks for joining me for our first edition of Pondering Careers - I hope you found it useful. If you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, or thoughts about what you'd like to see in this newsletter please let me know in the comments. There are already some great newsletters out there ( Chris Webb I'm looking at you) and I don't want to duplicate but would love to know what else might be useful.

Cheers,

Lucy