12 Career Guidance Activities for Teenagers That Really Work

Good career activities are short, active and personal. Students should think and talk, not just listen. Here are twelve ideas you can use this week.

Know yourself

• Four-factor story: students write one story that shows their personality, a skill, an interest and a goal.
• Proud moments: list three moments you were proud of and what skill each used.
• Values cards: sort 20 values into most, some and least important.

Explore options

• Job detective: interview one adult about their job with five set questions.
• Ten-minute research: pick one career and find the training route, the daily tasks and one problem.
• Day in the life: watch a short video and list what surprised you.

Make choices

• Pros and cons grid: compare two options with the same five questions.
• Future timeline: draw the next five years with one step for each year.
• Ask the alumni: invite a former student to answer questions.

Take action

• One small test: try a taster class, a short course or a volunteer day.
• My plan page: one page with goal, next step, date and helper.
• Review after a month: check what changed and adjust the plan.

How to run them

Keep each activity to 20 or 30 minutes. Ask students to share in pairs first. End with one written next step. The Career Counsellor Toolkit has sixteen ready-made activities with worksheets, and the free starter kit includes one to try.

Want a ready-made plan? Look at the 4-4-4-4 Framework or book a free 20-minute intro call with William.