Making Career Connections

Career development is about understanding your own strengths and interests and knowing what careers options are possible.  Then you can make connections between your interests and your career options.  The next step is to explore the training that different careers require and how much income they provide.

The goal is to choose the best option for you – a rewarding career you can enjoy that builds on your strengths.

This video will show you strategies to use when you are teaching that will help you and the children you are teaching, connect what they are learning to potential careers.  Imagine how many different careers you could explore if you lived more than 100 years.

As you watch the video, think about:

• What would you like to do in the future? How can you prepare for a career you would love?
• How can you help the children you are teaching think about their future.

Remember that career development is about getting to know your strengths and interests.

You can use the same skills to plan your own future that you use to help young people learn about themselves and the careers they might choose in their future.

You can help youth prepare for their future by intentionally including career connections in the activities you lead.

1. Help youth make career connections by asking questions at the end of an activity. Ask youth what careers would be needed to complete the activity you just did.
2. Build careers connections into an activity by assigning career roles to youth working in small groups. Each role should contribute to the task.  Take time to reflect on the career roles and make connections between the activity and the careers.
3. Encourage youth to consider the different kinds of careers are out there through the questions you ask. Help them think of the skill set needed for different careers within the context of the activity.

Now that you’ve watched the video, apply what you’ve learned.

• Check out the career exploration activities on CLOVER by 4-H. Search for Planning a Vocational or Technical Career.  This activity will help you discover the kinds of jobs you might be interested in and how you can prepare for them.
• Check out the STEM Career Paths course on CLOVER by 4-H. It has hands-on activities you can use to help youth explore different careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Try one of these activities out.