career journey activity

Launch Your Future: Amazing 25 Career Games for Teens

Help students find their career paths with our 25 career games designed specifically for high school students. These interactive career exploration activities will provide a fun and engaging way to learn about various professions and equip teens with essential insights and skills for their future careers. From virtual job simulations to role-playing scenarios, each game offers a unique pathway to understanding different industries and job roles, helping students make informed decisions about their educational and career paths. This guide is perfect for motivating and inspiring high school students in a careers classroom.

1. Career Speed Dating Acitivity

How to Implement:  Set up the classroom with pairs of chairs facing each other. Assign each student a profession (or allow them to choose) and give them a few minutes to prepare. Students then sit face-to-face with a partner, discussing their assigned profession. After a set time (e.g., 2-3 minutes), one row of students rotates, and the process continues until everyone has “dated” everyone else. It’s such a fun activity!

Benefits: The fast-paced nature of this activity ensures high engagement levels. Students learn to convey key information concisely and listen actively. It also exposes them to a multitude of professions in a short time, broadening their perspectives.

2. Guess My Job

How to Implement:  This game operates much like 20 Questions. Provide each student with a card containing a specific job title. The student then offers three hints related to that job, without revealing the profession directly. Classmates then take turns guessing the profession based on the provided clues.

Benefits:  “Guess My Job” encourages critical thinking and deductive reasoning. It also fosters a deeper understanding of various professions, as students must identify key aspects of a job role to give hints that are neither too vague nor too obvious.

3. Career Taboo

How to Implement:  This game is inspired by the classic Taboo game. Create cards for various professions and list four or five “taboo” words associated with each job that students cannot use when describing it. For instance, for “Dentist”, taboo words might include “teeth,” “brush,” “drill,” and “gum.” A student picks a card and tries to describe the profession to their classmates without using the taboo words.

Benefits:  Career Taboo pushes students to think outside the box and describe professions in unconventional ways. It refines communication skills and expands vocabulary, as students search for alternative words and phrases to describe familiar roles.

4. Career Bingo Game

How to Implement:  Begin by creating bingo cards, each filled with a variety of professions rather than numbers. These professions can range from common ones like “doctor” and “engineer” to more niche roles like “marine biologist” or “set designer.” Armed with a stack of descriptions for each job, read out the duties and responsibilities of each profession one by one. As students recognize a profession described, they mark it off on their bingo card. The first student to get a full row shouts “Bingo!”

Benefits:  Career Bingo not only introduces students to a plethora of job roles but also encourages active listening. As they attentively tune in to the nuances of each profession, they’re exposed to new possibilities and broadened horizons. It’s a great way to begin conversations about what interests them and what doesn’t.

5. Profession Charades Exploration Game

How to Implement:  Write down various job titles on individual slips of paper. Each student then randomly selects a slip and, without revealing their chosen profession, acts it out in front of the class. Their peers then guess the job based on the student’s non-verbal cues and actions.

Benefits:  This activity is not only engaging but also pushes students to think about the most defining and recognizable tasks of each profession. It’s an exercise in non-verbal communication, creativity, and comprehension, as students must break down complex job roles into simple, easily understood actions.

6. Salary Guess Game

How to Implement: Prepare a list of professions and their average annual salaries (without disclosing the amounts). Students are tasked with ranking these professions based on what they believe the salaries might be. After making their guesses, reveal the figures and discuss the reasons behind wage disparities, considering factors like education, demand, experience, and societal value.

Benefits:  This activity is an eye-opener for many students, as it challenges preconceived notions about job compensation. By discussing the factors that influence salaries, students gain a better understanding of the economic landscape of the job market. The game also prompts deeper reflections on the true value of a job and the balance between passion and financial rewards.

7. Job Skills Match-Up

How to Implement:  On one set of cards, list various job titles. On another set, jot down the primary skills associated with those jobs. Mix up the skill cards and distribute them to the students. Their task? Match the skills to the appropriate job. This can be done individually or in small groups.

Benefits:  This game sheds light on the specific skills required for different professions, helping students recognize where their strengths might align with potential careers. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of skill development in the path to professional success.

8. Career Day Role Play

How to Implement:  Prepare cards with different professions listed, along with a brief description of the job’s main responsibilities. Each student receives a card and has some time to internalize their role. Later, they pair up or form small groups to describe their day-to-day tasks in that profession to their peers, who then ask questions or seek clarity.

Benefits:  Role-playing is a powerful tool for empathy and understanding. By stepping into the shoes of various professionals, even if just for a short time, students gain a firsthand glimpse into the challenges, rewards, and intricacies of different job roles. Moreover, this activity fosters communication skills and promotes curiosity.

9. Career Exploration Mind Map

How to Implement:  Divide students into groups and assign each a specific profession or allow them to choose one of interest. Provide them with chart paper or access to digital mind-mapping tools. Groups then brainstorm and map out all they know about the profession, from required skills to potential work environments and associated tasks.

Benefits:  Mind mapping is an effective tool for visual learners. The activity encourages collaborative learning, where students pool their knowledge and insights. It also aids in identifying gaps in understanding, prompting further research and exploration of the chosen professions. This is perhaps the best way to introduce career opportunities at any grade level.

10. Profession Timeline

How to Implement:  Hand out sheets of paper or use a digital platform where students can create timelines. Assign or let them select a profession, then task them with plotting out the educational journey and work experiences needed to achieve that career. This might include college degrees, internships, certifications, and more.

Benefits:  By visualizing the steps needed to reach a career goal, students gain a clearer understanding of the dedication, time, and milestones involved. It promotes forward-thinking and long-term planning, enabling students to set tangible targets for their personal career decisions.

11. Job Scenario Problem Solving

How to Implement:  Prepare cards with hypothetical workplace challenges related to various professions. Examples might include handling a medical emergency as a doctor, resolving a client conflict as a PR specialist, or designing a bridge to withstand specific environmental factors as a civil engineer. Distribute the cards to the students and ask them to discuss or write about how they would tackle the given scenario.

Benefits:  This activity throws students into real-world situations, albeit hypothetically, forcing them to think on their feet. It builds problem-solving skills, cultivates creativity, and deepens understanding of the practical challenges faced in different professions. Furthermore, it allows students to gauge their interest and aptitude for various scenarios, potentially guiding them towards or away from a variety of careers.

12. Dream Day Diary Entry

How to Implement:  Prompt students to imagine a day in their dream job. What would they do? Who would they meet? What challenges would they face? Students then write a diary entry detailing this day, capturing both the highs and lows.

Benefits:  This introspective activity fosters self-awareness and creativity. It encourages students to dive deep into their passions, visualize their aspirations, and reflect on what they truly desire in a career. Reading or sharing these entries can also inspire classmates and highlight diverse aspirations within the class.

13. Skill Auction

How to Implement:  Prepare a list of skills associated with various jobs. Assign each student a set amount of “money.” As you describe each skill, students decide if they want to “purchase” it, with the highest bidder winning. The goal isn’t necessarily to spend all their money but to acquire the skills they find most valuable or intriguing.

Benefits:  This game emphasizes the value of diverse skills in the job market. Students reflect on which skills resonate most with their interests and aspirations. It also introduces the concept of demand and value in the job market, prompting discussions on why certain skills might be more “expensive” than others. Young people find this game a fun way to explore essential skills.

14. Profession Pictionary Game

How to Implement:  Just like traditional Pictionary, but with a career twist. Create cards with various job roles. Students select a card and draw an image associated with that profession without using any words or numbers, while their classmates try to guess the job.

Benefits:  Visual representation and interpretation are at the heart of this activity. Students must think creatively to depict complex job roles through simple drawings. It promotes teamwork, creativity, and reinforces the visual aspects of various professions.

15. Career Pathway Snakes & Ladders

How to Implement:  Adapt a traditional Snakes & Ladders game board to represent a career journey. Ladders signify promotions, positive networking opportunities, or successful job interviews, propelling players forward. Snakes, on the other hand, can represent setbacks like failed projects, job loss, or workplace conflicts, causing players to move backward. Play the game with dice and tokens as usual.

Benefits:  This game provides a visual representation of the ups and downs of a career. Students learn that progress isn’t always linear, and setbacks can be valuable learning experiences. It’s a playful way to introduce the concept of perseverance and resilience in one’s career.

16. Job Hat Guess

How to Implement:  Collect hats or props that symbolize different professions—e.g., a chef’s hat, firefighter helmet, artist’s beret. A student chooses a hat without revealing it to the class and wears it. Classmates then ask yes/no questions to deduce the associated profession.

Benefits:  This activity sharpens deductive reasoning and observation skills. It also highlights the symbols and tools associated with various professions, allowing students to connect iconic items with specific job roles.

17. Daily Routine Compare & Contrast

How to Implement:  Select two professions and, with the class, outline the typical daily routines of each. Discuss the similarities, differences, challenges, and rewards associated with both roles. For example, compare the day of a journalist with that of a marine biologist.

Benefits:  By delving into the daily grind of various careers, students gain insight into the tangible realities of different job roles. This activity fosters empathy, analytical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the myriad tasks within each profession.

18. Profession Trivia

How to Implement:  Craft a quiz filled with intriguing facts and scenarios related to various careers. For instance: “Which profession might require knowledge of Latin terms? A) Lawyer B) Chef C) Pilot.” Host a trivia session where students answer individually or in teams.

Benefits:  This trivia game educates students about diverse professions and makes learning fun and competitive. It stimulates curiosity and broadens students’ knowledge about the lesser-known aspects of various job roles.

19. Career Word Search

How to Implement:  Design a word search puzzle incorporating various job titles, both common and obscure. Distribute the puzzles and let students hunt for the professions.

Benefits:  While it might seem simple, word searches help improve pattern recognition and vocabulary. By searching for career-related terms, students become familiar with a wide range of job titles, some of which might spark their interest for further exploration.

20. Skill Set Venn Diagram

How to Implement:  Choose two professions and create a Venn diagram using a whiteboard or individual sheets of paper. Label each circle with one of the professions. As a class or in groups, students list skills specific to each job in the corresponding sections and shared skills in the overlapping middle section. This will also let students explore what higher education is needed for specific careers.

Benefits:  Venn diagrams are visual tools that aid in comparison and contrast. By analyzing the skills of two professions side by side, students can identify commonalities and differences, helping them understand how skill sets can be transferable across different careers. When venn diagrams are introduced to middle school students, this might be a great way to introduce career clusters.

21. Job Interview Hot Seat

How to Implement:  Prepare cards with various professions. Students draw a card and then sit in the “hot seat” where they’re interviewed for that job role by classmates. After a few questions, roles switch. The interviewer becomes the interviewee, and a new job card is selected.

Benefits:  This role-playing activity enhances communication skills, adaptability, and quick thinking. Students gain a taste of real-world job interviews, learning how to articulate their strengths and address questions confidently, all in a safe classroom setting.

22. Profession Flashcard Relay

How to Implement:  Create two sets of flashcards: one with job titles and another with job descriptions. Spread them out on a table or floor. Divide students into teams, and on the signal, teams race to match titles with the correct descriptions as fast as possible.

Benefits:  This competitive relay engages students actively and is especially effective for kinesthetic learners. It encourages teamwork, quick thinking, and reinforces knowledge about various professions in an interactive way.

23. Elevator Pitch Practice

How to Implement:  Introduce the concept of an “elevator pitch” – a concise, persuasive speech that’s typically delivered in the time span of an elevator ride. Ask students to choose a profession and craft a short pitch as if they were in that job, promoting their role or a project they’re passionate about. Allow time for preparation and then let each student present their pitch to the class.

Benefits:  The elevator pitch hones communication, persuasion, and self-presentation skills, all of which are important life skills. Crafting a compelling narrative in a short timeframe challenges students to distill information and present it with clarity and enthusiasm. This activity also builds self-confidence as students practice public speaking in front of peers.

24. What If? Scenario Cards

How to Implement:  Design cards containing hypothetical work-related situations. Examples might include “What if you were a software developer and the program you’ve spent months on suddenly crashes?” or “What if you were a journalist and a source retracts an important statement just before publication?” Distribute these cards among students and have them share their potential solutions, either individually or in groups.

Benefits:  These scenarios immerse students in real-world challenges, cultivating their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. They also foster empathy, as students step into the shoes of professionals facing dilemmas, and help them appreciate the complexities and nuances of different roles.

25. Pros & Cons Debate

How to Implement:  Distribute a list of professions among student pairs. Each pair is tasked with researching and then debating the advantages and disadvantages of their assigned job. After a given preparation period, pairs present their findings, with one student arguing the pros and the other presenting the cons.

Benefits:  This debate structure sharpens research, communication, and persuasive skills. Students delve deeper into professions, going beyond surface-level knowledge to understand both the rewarding aspects and the challenges. Through this, they gain a more rounded perspective on various careers, aiding informed decisions in their future.

Why Career Games are Crucial for High Schoolers

High school is a pivotal juncture in a young person’s life. It’s a time when dreams begin to crystallize into potential career paths, yet many students often feel lost amidst the myriad of choices. Exploring career goals at this stage isn’t just about helping them pick a job for the sake of it; it’s about discovering passions, talents, and understanding the dynamics of the working world.

Moreover, the job market is continuously evolving. With the rise of automation, artificial intelligence, and other technological advancements, some traditional jobs are fading, while entirely new careers are emerging. Providing students with a comprehensive view of these shifts can help them pivot towards professions that are not only fulfilling but also have long-term viability.

Career Activities Help Develop Skills for the Future Workplace

Beyond understanding job roles and industry shifts, students need to develop a set of universally valuable skills that will serve them in almost any profession. Here are some of the critical skills our students will develop with the aid of career games:

Adaptability and Flexibility: As the saying goes, the only constant is change. The ability to adapt to new situations, technologies, or job roles is invaluable.

Critical Thinking: In a world flooded with information, the ability to evaluate, analyze, and make informed decisions is more crucial than ever.

Collaboration and Teamwork: The future workplace values individuals who can work harmoniously in teams, capitalizing on the diverse strengths of each member.

Problem Solving: Every job comes with its challenges. Equip students with the mindset and tools to tackle obstacles creatively.

Communication Skills: Be it written, verbal, or digital, clear communication will always be at the heart of a successful career.

Emotional Intelligence: The ability to recognize, understand, and manage our emotions, as well as those of others, is increasingly being seen as a vital skill in the professional realm.

In essence, career exploration activities for high school students do more than just introduce them to various professions. They offer a platform to develop these vital skills in a fun, interactive, and memorable way. As educators, let’s harness the power of play to not only enlighten but also empower our next generation of leaders, thinkers, and doers.

Students will make career choices based on personality traits and what they believe are viable career pathways. While other classes may hone in on soft skills, one of the best ways to make a career decision is career awareness and hard work. It’s always a good idea for students to engage in things like job shadowing, participating in extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and speaking to a school counselor. Also, completing co-op credits at local businesses is helpful when exploring career interests. For a great resource on career development and handy career exploration tools, visit  https://blog.careeronestop.org/3-free-resources-for-career-development-professionals/

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10+ Fun Career Exploration Activities: Broadening Horizons and Inspiring Futures

August 30th, 2023

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Fun career exploration activities can shape a fulfilling journey for high school students beyond graduation. Engaging in these activities helps students identify their interests and passions, promote skill development, and ultimately lead to a more fulfilling career choice.

Activity 1: Career Scavenger Hunt

Organizing a career scavenger hunt is a good way to spark curiosity in students and sharpen their research skills. The activity involves giving students a list of career-related tasks and allowing them to learn as much as possible about the topics.

This interactive activity encourages students to explore various professions through research. In doing this, students can easily identify and better understand their interests and aspirations.

Counselors or career development coordinators can assign a number of career scavenger hunt tasks, such as:

Finding the steps to become a registered nurse and the roles of the profession.

Identifying the essential skills and certifications required to become a cybersecurity expert.

Discovering what a financial analyst does and the industries they can work in.

Activity 2: Job Shadowing Adventures

Job shadowing is one of the most hands-on fun career exploration activities where students observe professionals in their workplace. The activity allows students to gain firsthand insights into daily tasks, work culture, and challenges of various professions. In addition, it teaches important work-related skills like adaptability, problem-solving, and professional etiquette.

To organize this career activity, counselors can contact local businesses or professionals in various industries for possible job shadowing opportunities.

Paige Mueller’s story on Jobs for America’s Graduates, Kansas (JAG-K) is a shining example of one program where many high school students discover their passion through job shadowing experiences.

Activity 3: Mock Interview Extravaganza

Mock interviews allow students to get a feel of real job interviews. The activity helps reduce the fear of going on real job interviews in the future.

Here are three important tips for conducting mock interviews.

To make the experience feel more authentic for students, set the atmosphere to mimic a real interview setting.

Provide students with a list of generic questions relevant to the roles they want to explore.

Remember to let students rotate roles, taking turns as interviewer and interviewee.

Providing constructive feedback to students about their performances during mock interviews can boost their confidence and help them understand their strengths and weaknesses. It also prepares them for future real-world job interviews.

Activity 4: Passion Project Showcase

Not all fun career exploration activities have specific academic requirements. For example, passion projects are personal undertakings driven by students’ interests. These projects promote creativity and self-expression, allowing students to explore their aptitudes and career interests.

Typically, passion projects involve:

Getting students to reflect on their hobbies

Finding potential career paths that align with those hobbies

Gathering information and creating projects in that field

Sharing the project with professionals in the field to get feedback and guidance

Starting a school garden, developing a mobile app, and launching a recycling program are just a few passion project ideas for high school students.

Activity 5: Career Role-Play

Career role-play is an interactive activity that gives students a chance to assume the roles of professionals and participate in mock scenarios of real workplace situations. Through career role-play , students get to understand the ins and outs of various professions by stepping into the shoes of different professionals.

This career exploration activity can motivate students to pursue potential careers more passionately. To play this immersive game: Select various professions and provide detailed scripts explaining their roles. Allow students to choose their preferred professions and let them act out the roles using materials and props.

Activity 6: Career Trivia

Students engaged in career trivia activities start with a wide range of information about various professions. The fun activity involves asking questions and awarding points for correct answers. As they answer questions, students will naturally assess their strengths, helping them to develop genuine interests in their career preferences.

To conduct a career trivia exercise:

Prepare a set of career-related quizzes covering a wide range of job roles.

Organize students into small groups (to encourage collaboration) and conduct the trivia.

Discuss the answers after the trivia and provide more insights about the careers covered.

Activity 7: Career Speed Networking

Career speed networking is another interactive way for students to learn about potential career interests. Typically, the activity involves brief one-on-one conversations with various professionals to help students gain insight into different industries.

To facilitate this activity, coordinators can invite alumni, local businesses, and professionals in various industries to speak with students. Set fixed time intervals for each session and ensure students rotate between professionals.

It is usually helpful to encourage students to ask questions and share what they learned with the class at the end of the event.

Activity 8: Skills Workshop Showdown

Skills workshops are a good way to help students identify transferable skills. This fun activity allows students to explore different career paths, increasing their chances of becoming valuable assets in the job market.

These workshops typically involve role-playing, group activities, and problem-solving exercises. Each interactive element provides an immersive experience for students, allowing them to practice their skills in real-world settings.

Besides boosting students’ confidence and helping them understand their capabilities, workshops offer several other benefits , including encouraging discussions, providing new perspectives, and networking opportunities.

Activity 9: Industry Investigation Game Show

Designed to equip students with relevant information about different careers, the Industry Investigation Game show involves students answering questions related to various workplace scenarios, professions, and industries.

To organize the game show, coordinators craft thought-provoking questions covering a wide range of job roles, qualifications, and industry trends. It is okay to include fun facts to make the game more exciting.

Students experience the thrill and excitement of answering career-related questions while learning about different professions. Through competitive and fun interactions, students build their career knowledge in an enjoyable way.

Activity 10: Career Vision Board Party

High school counselors can help students set goals for future career paths by organizing a career vision board party. Besides unleashing their creativity, creating a vision board can encourage students to give their futures some serious thought and motivate them to work toward their dreams.

To organize a career vision party:

Choose a venue for the party

Let students gather the materials (magazines cutouts, poster boards, glue)

Explain what vision boards are, how they work, and their significance in career goal setting

Allow students to create, share, and celebrate each other’s visions

Although many students may not lock in their specific career choices while in high school, engaging in these fun career exploration activities can help shape the general direction of their futures.

Creating opportunities for students to explore these activities will allow them to gain insight into their passions and set the course for a fulfilling professional path beyond high school.

However, working with high school students around career development and ensuring they are on track to graduate can be time-consuming and demanding. Thankfully, counselors can leverage educational tools like Pathways to automate their workflow and allow more time to explore student career options.

If your school is interested in new ways to improve the learning experience for children, you may also be interested in automating tasks and streamlining processes so that your teachers have more time to teach.

Education Advanced offers a large suite of tools that may be able to help. For example, our most popular and effective tools are:

Cardonex, our master schedule software , helps schools save time on building master schedules. Many schools used to spend weeks using whiteboards to organize the right students, teachers, and classrooms into the right order so that students could graduate on time and get their preferred classes. However, Cardonex can now be used to automate this task and deliver 90% of students' first-choice classes within a couple of days.

Testhound, our test accommodation software , helps schools coordinate thousands of students across all state and local K-12 school assessments while taking into account dozens of accommodations (reading disabilities, physical disabilities, translations, etc.) for students.

Pathways, our college and career readiness software , helps administrators and counselors create, track, and analyze graduation pathways to ensure secondary students are on track to graduate.

Evaluation, our teacher evaluation software , documents every step of the staff evaluation process, including walk-throughs, self-evaluations, supporting evidence, reporting, and performance analytics.

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Career Exploration Activities: A Comprehensive Guide for High School Students

By Tom Gurin

Fulbright Scholar; music composer, historian, and educator

By Surya Ramanathan

Johns Hopkins University, B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, B.S. in Economics, and M.S. in Applied Economics

6 minute read

The journey of self-discovery and career exploration can be both exciting and daunting. Luckily, there are numerous ways you can uncover your passions and interests

Career exploration is a helpful way for students to consider their interests and goals, and to focus their energies in the right direction. Here, we’ll delve into nine effective career exploration activities you could do to help figure out a potential career path to pursue.

Why Are Career Exploration Activities Important For Students?

Although some people might be lucky enough to find their ideal careers by accident, for most, identifying the right fit means taking time to plan and reflect. Even if you change your mind or go in a different direction later on, exploring careers now might help you uncover something important about your goals for your professional life.

Maybe you already have an idea (or several) about what you want your career to look like. That’s great! The exploration you do as a student could help you narrow in on your strongest interests or open your eyes to career paths you never knew existed . For students who want to be productive and efficient with their time and studies, exploring career options is an important step for building a direct link between their education and their futures.

How Do Career Exploration Activities Work?

Career exploration activities should be enjoyable! They can take many forms, including brainstorming sessions, games, and conversations with experts in a field.

Check out our Pathfinders career discovery program to match with experts and get personalized guidance and advice.

These activities require students to reflect on their goals, values, and skills. For some students, this might be the first time that you consider questions about your future career. To help get the conversation going, try out some fun career exploration activities that can help students find what they love .

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9 Career Exploration Activities for Students

1. career mind mapping: visualizing your connections.

Building a career mind map is an excellent first activity for students to draw connections among key interests and goals. Once completed, a mind map is a tool for visualizing connections among concepts that are important to you and that could shape your career path. Here’s how it works:

Grab a large piece of paper (so that you aren’t limited in space) and a pen or pencil. (A diagramming software like Google Drawings will also work.)

In the center of the page, write a word or short phrase that is important to you when you think about your future career. Don’t think too hard about what to write; just jot down what comes to mind (e.g., “Helping people”, “Leadership”, “Exploring”, “Science”).

Next, draw one or two (or several) lines extending outward from what you wrote. At the end of each line, write another word or phrase that is connected to the first concept. Each word or phrase should connect to another, and your priorities.

Continue drawing lines and connections to new concepts, building outward from the center to create a tree of interrelated ideas that you want to prioritize when building your career.

Building a career mind map is a great first activity to help you structure your brainstorming and get started with career exploration . Remember: the goal of this activity is to start thinking about the connections among different concepts that you want to explore.

2. Self-Assessment Surveys: Uncover Your Strengths and Interests 

To embark on a journey of self-discovery, it’s important to understand your strengths and interests. There are various online self-assessment surveys and quizzes designed specifically for high school students. These assessments can be extremely helpful in assisting you with identifying your personality traits, strengths, and preferences. Websites like CareerExplorer , Princeton Review , and InternMart provide comprehensive assessments that match your qualities with suitable careers. By taking these surveys, you can get a better idea of the fields that might resonate most with you. Here are some career quiz questions to get you thinking about your choices right now:

Which subject(s) do you enjoy most in school?

What are your goals for your education?

Picture yourself in your ideal future workspace. Where do you find yourself? In an office? In a lab? In a forest?

What is your work style? For example, do you like to organize and plan well in advance? Do you like to multitask? Do you look for ways to be creative?

Assuming equal pay, would you rather be a journalist or a plant biologist? Would you rather build bridges or be a librarian?

Do you prefer to work on your own or to collaborate with other people?

3. Informational Interviews: Gain Insights from Professionals 

Sometimes, the best way for students to learn about a career path is by talking to someone who’s already in the field. Reach out to professionals in careers that interest you through a platform like LinkedIn and request to speak with them for 15-30 minutes. This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions about their job, daily tasks, and what they enjoy most about their work. If there is an expert in your school or local community, try asking them some of these questions:

When did you discover that you wanted to specialize in this field?

Have you had any surprises in your career path?

How is the work/life balance in this field?

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

These conversations can provide you with valuable insights that go beyond what you might find in a job description, helping you understand the nuances of different careers. 

4. Job Shadowing: Experience a Day in the Life 

If you’re curious about a particular profession, a job shadowing experience may be beneficial. Spend a day observing a professional in action and get a firsthand look at their tasks and responsibilities. This experience will not only give you a realistic sense of what a typical day looks like but will also very likely impress the person you are shadowing by showing incentive, creating a potential job opportunity. It can also help you assess whether the day-to-day activities align with your interests and aspirations.

5. Volunteering and Internships: Hands-On Experience 

Volunteering and internships offer a hands-on approach to career exploration. Look for opportunities in fields that intrigue you, even if they’re unpaid or short-term. Whether it’s volunteering at a local hospital, interning at a marketing agency, or assisting at an animal shelter, these experiences provide valuable insights into the practical aspects of different professions. You’ll gain real-world skills, build your resume, and get an idea of what it’s like to work in that industry. 

6. High School Clubs and Organizations: Try Something New 

Your high school likely offers a variety of clubs that can introduce you to different fields of interest. Join clubs related to science, art, debating, coding, or any other subjects that intrigue you. The best part? You’re taking on minimal risk: you won’t be dedicating years, and if you’re uninterested in one area, you can easily switch to another club to try something new. Engaging in extracurricular activities not only helps you explore your passions but also allows you to meet like-minded peers and mentors who can guide you on your journey.

7. Online Courses and Workshops: Expand Your Knowledge 

The internet is a goldmine of resources for learning about different careers. Enroll in online courses or workshops related to fields you’re curious about. 

Polygence Pods, for example, are 6-week programs specifically designed for high school students to work with mentors and a small peer group on research about a specific interest. Pods cohorts are offered throughout the year in a variety of topics. The Polygence Pods program page is the best way to learn about specific dates and topics for upcoming Pods. Space is limited, so reserve your spot early if you’re interested in joining.

Other websites like Coursera , edX , and Khan Academy offer a wide range of courses on diverse topics. These courses can provide you with a foundational understanding of different industries and help you decide which one resonates with you the most.

8. Research Projects: Dive Deep into Topics of Interest 

Undertaking research projects can be an exciting way to explore potential careers. If you’re passionate about a specific subject, consider delving deeper into it through independent research through a university, or even a company like Polygence.

Middle and high school students who enroll in Polygence’s Core research mentorship program work a research project of their choosing with a mentor who has expertise in the project’s subject matter. Each student’s Polygence experience is uniquely designed and student-led. Teens who have completed projects with Polygence have indicated their research helped them discover a deep passion for specific fields of study. Lily Nguyen’s Polygence experience led her to choose a college major at UC Berkeley. In Lily’s words, Polygence:

“definitely made me more interested in biology and science. Before my senior year, I didn't really take any biology classes yet. But when I was going through the project, I found that I really enjoyed learning about this kind of stuff. It really helped cement for me that yes, biology is a good major for me to pursue.”

Whether it’s writing a paper, creating a presentation, or conducting experiments, this hands-on experience can reveal new aspects of a field and ignite your curiosity even further.

Do your own research through polygence

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own.

9. Attend Career Fairs and Workshops: Network and Learn 

Many schools and communities organize career fairs and workshops that bring together professionals from various industries. These events offer students a chance to network, ask questions, and gain insights directly from experts. Make the most of these opportunities by attending talks, participating in workshops, and connecting with professionals who share your interests. 

Choose Your Unique Career Exploration Journey

This is by no means an exhaustive list of ideas when it comes to the ways students can explore careers. There are many routes you could take to explore a career path that is of potential interest to you, but this list is a great way to get started. 

Polygence is also here to help! Our Pathfinders program is a career discovery program specifically designed to help students find what they love . We’ll match you with three different expert research mentors in fields of your choice. In addition to learning about each field, you’ll get answers to your specific questions and direct, personalized advice from your mentors to help guide you through your career discovery journey.

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11 Hands-On Career Exploration Activities for Students

• Career Readiness

In today’s competitive job market, it’s crucial for students to have a deep understanding of the various career options available to them. Hands-on career exploration activities can be essential in helping young people discover their passions and strengths while learning about potential career paths. Here are 11 exciting hands-on career exploration activities that students can engage in.

1. Job Shadowing

Job shadowing allows students to observe professionals in their desired fields, gaining invaluable insights into daily tasks, skills required, and work environments. This experience not only provides students with an up-close view of different careers but also helps establish connections with industry professionals.

2. Internships

Internships are an excellent way for students to gain real-world experience while still in school. Internships can help students develop valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving that will benefit them throughout their careers.

3. Career Fairs

Attending career fairs offers students the opportunity to meet industry experts, gather information on various career paths, and even potentially find internships or job opportunities. Students should come prepared with questions and resumes to make the most out of these events.

4. Volunteer Work

Volunteering allows students to explore different industries while helping those in need. Not only does this provide valuable experience, but it also demonstrates commitment and compassion – two qualities that many employers value.

5. Virtual Career Tours

With advancements in technology, students can now participate in virtual tours of businesses and industries they are interested in working in. This is an interactive way to learn about different work environments without having to travel.

6. Informational Interviews

Conducting informational interviews enables students to connect with professionals in their prospective fields, obtain valuable advice, and learn about the journey others have taken to achieve their goals.

7. Company Visits

Many businesses and organizations offer group or individual company visits for students who want a firsthand look at the day-to-day operations of their potential careers.

8. Career Assessments

Career assessments can help students identify their strengths, interests, and skills to better understand possible career options. This information can guide them toward a suitable profession that reflects their unique talents and aspirations.

9. Classroom Guest Speakers

Inviting guest speakers from various professions to speak in the classroom can provide students with valuable insights into the working world while inspiring them to consider career paths that they may not have initially thought about.

10. Workshops and Seminars

Organizing workshops and seminars on topics such as resume building, interview skills, and networking can prepare students for the professional world by equipping them with essential tools for success.

11. Student Clubs and Organizations

Joining clubs or organizations focused on specific careers can help students develop professional skills, network with like-minded peers, and learn more about specific industries.

By participating in these hands-on career exploration activities, students can develop a clearer understanding of their vocational potential and make informed decisions about their future careers. Encouraging students to embrace these opportunities will set them on the path towards personal and professional success.

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The journey to your career lesson

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The career journey

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The journey to your career: Lesson plan

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Let's Talk Careers Quick Fire Activity

Thinking about how to begin their career journeys might seem like a long way off for some of your students, but they are more likely to be successful if they start doing some planning now. 

The activities on this page support you in helping your students consider the steps they need to take to ensure a smooth transition into employment. From finding out about different job roles, and what qualifications are needed for those, to talking to people in related careers.  It’s never too early to start looking at the routes available such as further/higher education, or work and study choices such as apprenticeships and T-Levels.

Teaching resources:

• The journey to your career: Lesson plan and presentation slides – full lesson plan including icebreaker for use with a group of students in the classroom
• Let’s talk careers: Quick-fire activity – 10 minute activity for a group of students in the classroom, can be used as an icebreaker for the lesson plan

Lesson plan

(30-40 minutes)

This lesson is designed to help young people make a successful transition into employment. Students will start planning their journey to a career and discuss where they can access information about careers.

How can this lesson help students successfully transition into employment?

It concentrates on helping young people recognise the main stages of employment, and understand that everyone’s plan will look a little different. The lesson plan gets them to think about the choices they need to consider, places they can go, people they can talk to and actions they can take in order to embark on the journey to a successful career of their choice.

Lesson learning outcomes

By the end of this lesson students will be able to:

• Recognise the main stages of transition into employment
• Understand the key decisions to make at each stage, and list the people, places and things that can help
• Apply these to their own countdown to entering employment

Quick-fire activity

(10-25 minutes)

The Let’s talk careers quick-fire activity focuses on helping students generate discussions with their peers about the skills, knowledge and experience that can help them reach their career goals. It features a template for a career-themed ‘chatterbox’, discussion questions and links to related questions which can be used to extend the lesson and further students’ learning.

This activity can be used as a starter or icebreaker activity to begin the lesson, or at the end to allow students to put what they have just learnt into practise.

How else can LifeSkills get students workplace ready?

Other lessons that may prove useful for students to build on these activities include the  Communication and digital skills at work  and  Online reputation in the workplace  lessons. Alternatively, consider encouraging them to check out our  Job map  or the  Advice map to help them discover the career path for them. Why not build preparing for the future in as a focus in your students’ wider curriculum? Refer to our  Content guide  to find out how this resources can be used as part of your teaching.

Job map - https://barclayslifeskills.com/help-others/tools/job-map/ Advice Map - https://barclayslifeskills.com/i-want-to-choose-my-next-step/school/advice-map/

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Why not try one of these next?

Communication and digital skills at work

Help students understand how to develop different digital communication styles for different situations at work.

Online reputation in the workplace

Help students understand how social media can be effectively used to build their personal brand and promote themselves to employers.

Help students plan for their next steps after education

Whether it’s work, training or further/higher education, use these resources to help school leavers plan for their next steps and achieve their goals.

My Career Exploration

​My Career Exploration is an important step that students will take in their career journey. Designed as a series of activities, My Career Exploration will give students learning experiences in and beyond the classroom so they can find out more about themselves and the exciting world of work.

My Career Exploration is a time of self-discovery. It is an opportunity for students to learn more about themselves - their strengths and interests, and find new ones along the way. As well as learning about themselves, students will learn about the world of work. Together as a class, students will investigate jobs of the future and learn more about the rapidly changing world of work. These resources include activities that aim to open students' eyes to a world of options—so they can discover, explore, and get excited about what the future holds for them.

Year 7 lesson plans

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• 14 Career Exploration Games for High School Students: MUST-Read for Middle and High Schoolers!
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• November 20, 2022

Middle school students and high schoolers often think about what they want to be when they graduate and get out into the real world , but for many of them, it can be difficult to figure out what their best career path is with so many subject areas and such a wide variety of jobs. Fortunately, in today’s technologically advanced world, there are resources they can utilize to help them, and many of the resources are in the form of interactive games, career pathways quizzes, or fun career exploration activities. In fact, teens can often go online and find these career exploration tools and activities, and below are 14 career exploration games for high school students that you may want to look at yourself.

• Career Card Grab Game

This is similar to the well-known game called Fishbowl, and it is fit for students at every grade level (as young as elementary students) to gain exposure to various career fields and identify the best options for their future success based on their natural skills and interests. Career Card Grab has descriptions of 54 careers across the labor market, as well as the ability to add six more of your own. The kids split into two teams and participate in three different fun career activities. The first involves looking at the cards and describing each career with both words and actions. The second involves acting out the job title without using any words, and the third involves using only one word to describe the career, which is easy because by that time, they’re pretty familiar with it.

The most interesting thing about the career bingo game is that it highlights some very unique and unusual jobs and obscure career opportunities that many student players might not have thought of at that point. These include coroner, genetic counselor, and many others. It is truly a very unique (and helpful) career exploration game for young people.

This site requires a small fee, but it accommodates teens of all ages and even adults who are looking for the perfect career paths. It is a little unique because the site contains tons of apps that use virtual reality (VR) to make them extremely realistic. Even better, many of the apps are completely free, and the areas that explore include the moon landing, well-known tourist attractions such as Hoover Dam and the Anne Frank house, and even apps describing Pearl Harbor, Mount Everest, and locations all around the world.

When it comes to career exploration, each app and digital game on this site offers an educational but fun activity to teach teens all about a particular occasion, location, or job experienced by real-life professionals. It can also become a little addictive thanks to its VR capability, so this is definitely a fun way to facilitate the process of career exploration for students who like apps and video games.

• Skills Matcher by Career One-Stop

With this game, there are a total of 40 workplace skills, and for each one, the student can choose either the beginner, basic, skilled, advanced, or expert level. At the end of the game, the site matches them with either jobs they’d be good at or jobs they’d like to be good at, so it’s a very versatile game in the end. When it comes to the importance of career exploration, this game is a good one because it gives teens possibilities for jobs they’re merely interested in, even if they have no experience in them, thus opening their eyes to uncovered options. 

Further, this game actually assesses the student’s career readiness and specific skills (applied to a variety of careers) to identify which best-fit options of interest may provide the most meaningful career. Therefore, this game doesn’t just expose students to career research, but rather demonstrates different ways their current skills, talents, or interests could be applied to diverse career plans, helping guide the student to a fulfilling future job and encouraging them to further explore the essential skills it requires. This site also gives you information on different jobs and even has resources for different groups of people, such as ex-military persons and those over the age of 55, to name a few, so it really covers the world of work in a robust and unbiased way.

• Road Trip Nation

This game is a bit different than the others because it helps players go on a virtual road trip in order to explore different careers to eventually find their dream job, which is arguably one of the most important factors in choosing which extracurricular activities to engage in, which role models to look after, and which technical skills to amass through middle school, high school, and post-secondary education en route to a student’s first real job. To get started, they simply click on “Start Your Roadmap,” and it brings them to three different questions they have to answer. Afterwards, they get sent to another page that provides them with actual job ideas, including the current trend on that job (growing, not growing, etc.).

The game also provides a list of “leaders” and “majors,” which describe exactly what some of these people did in different scenarios to get into their particular career field. Included are some of the milestones that they accomplished to get the job they’re doing today.

• Mapping Your Future

One of the things that makes this game a little different is that the jobs are listed in career clusters, which means, for example, that if you are interested in something in healthcare but you’re not sure of the exact job that will suit you best, you can explore a variety of healthcare professions to determine which one is right for you. In these days of the gig economy – an economy highlighted by short-term, freelance, and contract jobs – it’s good to explore jobs that have a better track record when it comes to longevity and a more predictable job outlook, which this game does.

Some of the options included in the Mapping Your Future game include Match My Career Interests, Visit the Featured Career, and a Career Search feature. It is a fun and productive game that teens, especially older teens, will get a lot out of in the end to help them answer the age-old question “What do I want to be when I grow up?”.

• Career Building Blocks

Created by a teacher and featured on the teachers pay teachers online marketplace, this is just one of many teacher-created easy-to-use career awareness activities games that’s structured with step-by-step directions that work great for friends and families at home or at career days in the classroom. The game is similar to Jenga, but themed around career choices. You can either buy the game from the online marketplace or (if you’re a parent or teacher) make one yourself, using a cheap game at a second-hand store and taping pieces of paper on the blocks with sayings on them. These sayings can include, “what is your career goal?,” “name a career that someone in your household has,” “how do you plan on determining what you want to do for a living after you graduate?,” and anything else you can think of that will make the players think about their careers.

Not only is this game a great way to think of some creative ideas when it comes to future professions, but it’s a game that is exciting, loud, and of course, a lot of fun. The kids won’t even realize they’re doing something educational, so it’s the perfect career game for tweens and teens. In fact, if you’re looking for other similar teacher-created, printable, or make-them-yourself career development games, you may want to peruse the vast listings across the teachers pay teachers platform, as they have no shortage of creative, stimulating, educational games that have probably never graced your school district.

• Career Quiz by Princeton Review

While you don’t typically think of Princeton Review as a provider of games, their career quiz is a great game-like free resource that makes planning students’ futures and lives fun and inspiring. The career goals quiz begins with a set of 24 questions, and each set gives the student two possibilities. With each set of questions, students choose the answer that best suits what they want out of life, from time freedom to financial preferences. Once they complete the questions, they receive a color-coded description that helps students decide what to do with the rest of their lives, which is a great resource custom-tailored to that student’s ideal future. Your style and interests are broken down into four areas: red, which stands for expediting; green, which symbolizes communication; blue, which stands for planning; and yellow, which symbolizes administration.

These four colors help students determine what they’re best at and what careers might work best for them. Even better, accessing the test (and your results) are absolutely free, and since it comes from the Princeton Review, you know you can likely trust the results, so it’s a great place for teens to start.

• Education.com Online Career Test

There are 35 tests on this website, and they test things such as life skills and critical thinking to find something you are likely to love doing for a living. The site is unique because it specifically tests for a wide variety of areas such as financial, environmental, service-minded, technical, nursing, cultural, communications, and artistic. It essentially steers teens to the careers it thinks will work out best for the users, but it’s all based on the inputs they provide (which generate the best-fit results of the test).

One of the things a lot of users like best about the test is that they can get their results right there on the screen as soon as the test is done. There’s no clicking on additional tabs and no waiting for the site to send the results to their email. It is fast and simple every time. Furthermore, it might broaden a student’s career exploration process by suggestion a profession they hadn’t previously considered; for example, a service-minded student might be matched up with a health care profession, even if they never considered pursuing a medical degree.

• Career Village

For students with a nagging curiosity who want the nitty gritty truth behind hard-to-ask questions or little-discussed taboo topics (like salaries or bonuses), Career Village is a great option that invites them behind the curtain and sheds light on the highs, lows, and secrets of diverse jobs, divulged by real professionals. Simply put, Career Village is a forum that allows teens to ask questions that go directly to adults already working in that particular area. They can find out how much a particular professional makes, what’s the best way to enter the field, and what the average daily workday is like for that professional. Since they are asking the questions of real professionals, they’ll get honest answers that they can learn from and which can help them decide if that job is right for them.

The Q&As are divided into unanswered questions, newest questions, and all questions that are still being utilized. It is also a good site if you’re an experienced professional and you’d like to share your expertise with others.

Though this one isn’t exactly a game or a quiz, it is a great informative and intriguing website populated by real-life interviews with professionals in lots of different fields. These are people actually working in these professions, so the teen can learn first-hand what it’s like to be in that particular career. There are hundreds of available interviews in hundreds of professions, and students can even search for certain interviews using criteria like jobs that pay a certain amount of money or jobs that allow people to work in certain environments. In other words, it’s a way for teens to get the answers to job-related questions they’re too afraid or shy to ask.

One of the things that makes this resource so unique is that there are a lot of jobs that people have never heard of because they are so unique. If a teenager doesn’t want to do “whatever everyone else is doing,” they can find lots of jobs that are very unique and at times, even a little unusual.

• Career Girls Career Quiz

While it’s a sad fact, even today, many career-related quizzes are somewhat gendered or geared towards boys, which can make it harder for female high school students to be aware of the breadth of options available, especially considering the growing number of STEM-related job opportunities and the underrepresented female talent pool. That’s why the quiz created by Career Girls is different, as it consists of a total of 35 characteristics that, if you’re interested in them, you can put a check by them on the list. With these characteristics, which are essentially personality traits, the test gives you a list of careers that you are very likely to be good at, whether it’s a social worker or fitness trainer, or anything in between – and it includes today’s modern and technologically advanced and evolving employment opportunities.

After checking off traits they know apply to them, students get a list of potential good fit careers, so they aren’t boxed into one or just a few opportunities, but rather shown the gamut that fit their traits, skills, interests, and strengths. 

• Day in the Life by Vault

With Day in the Life, it’s easy for teens to get practical information on the careers they’re interested in learning about. It’s mostly in written form, but it’s written by people who are working in these fields and therefore, teens get practical and realistic information that they can count on being reliable. Some of the career areas include law, consulting, financial services, internships, technology, and numerous others. There are also different blogs on tons of topics that help you learn even more about your potential career choice.

There are also guides that help with getting a job, improving your resume , professional development, and even information on going to graduate school. Regardless of what you need to improve your chances of being successful at your career of choice, as well as what you need to figure out what you’d like to do, you can find it at this website.

• O*Net Interest Profiler

This site allows you to enter answers that they will match with a certain career choice. There are 60 questions total, and for each of them, you get a total of five choices, ranging from Strongly Like to Strongly Dislike. There are no right or wrong answers because you’re just describing yourself and what you like or dislike to do. Once you finish all of the questions, the site gives you some suggestions of jobs that you might enjoy doing for a living.

The test is based on six different areas, known as RIASEC, which stands for realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. The questions are not difficult, and you can feel free to answer them any way you like without the fear of judgment.

• Department of Labor Employment Websites

This isn’t a game or interactive website, but it has tons of information not only on each state’s Department of Labor services, but information such as the minimum wage in that state, how to apply for unemployment benefits, OSHA offices and locations, district offices for mine safety, and all of the services available to veterans. It is a one-stop shopping opportunity to learn anything related to working and getting a job in that state.

Forall things job- and career-related, the Department of Labor can provide you with the information you need, and their website gives you links to all of the resources you need to get started. 

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University of Notre Dame

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Navigating Your Career Journey

Think about a recent trip you took.  What did you do to plan for this trip?  What were some of the logistics (lodging, travel, etc.)?  What did you want to see/do on this trip? What did you pack?  How long did this planning process take you? Usually planning a trip is not a quick process - depending on the nature of the trip - but hopefully it’s also a bit fun and rewarding, especially if you end up having a really great time!

Planning your career is much like planning for a trip.  There are many details and decisions to make and it requires a lot of exploration and research.  It’s not a one-step process.   Contrary to popular belief, deciding on a major doesn’t always determine the rest of your life.  A common phrase we hear at the Center for Career Development (CCD) is “I’m a [insert name of major] major - what can I do with that?”  There seems to be this commonly held belief in our society that a major always equals a certain career path. Granted there are certain career paths – such as accounting and engineering fields - for which it is valuable, if not necessary, to have a certain sort of educational background.  

 At the CCD we talk a lot about the “career development process”. What exactly does that mean?  Essentially this is the process of deciding on a career (or careers) and navigating your journey.  It is something you’ll engage in your entire life - and you’ve already started. It is a dynamic process with movement back and forth between stages.

Much as we present it with arrows from one step to the next, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not always linear; these steps don’t take place in a nice, neat order.  It’s a developmental process that will recur throughout your lifetime and you’ll move between stages as you learn and grow. After you leave ND, some of the details (like choosing a major) will change, but the core elements remain the same: learn about yourself, explore careers, reflect, & take action.  That’s why it’s important to learn the process now so you can engage in it again and again as needed to effectively manage your career. Let’s explore a bit about a common career theory to learn more about these stages.

Super’s Career Development Theory and Step 1: Learn About Yourself

Dr. Donald Super developed one of the most universally accepted theories of career decision making (Luzzo & Severy, 2009).  He was among the first to suggest that career decision making is a developmental process that spans a person’s entire lifetime.  He contended that career satisfaction/success depends in part on how well a person can identify and implement his/her career self-concept, which is comprised of your values, interests, personality, and skills.  The idea is that the best career choices for a person are those that allow him/her to implement as many parts of his/her self-concept as possible. If a person only focuses on one or two parts of his/her self-concept for a career, that person may most likely hit a wall.  If someone focuses only on skill, for example, he/she may realize that that interest is lacking, or alignment with values, or personality is off. That person can do the career for a while but eventually may start to feel dissatisfied and likely burn out. This reinforces the need to consider all four aspects - values, interests, personality, and skills - when making a career decision.  

This brings us to step 1 in our visual above: learn about yourself.  You have to know yourself first - your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS) - before you can make effective career choices.  The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life!  Everything you’ve done to this point, as well as all the interactions you’ve had with others, have already started shaping your VIPS.  This includes classes, activities, jobs, service, research, etc. - even those things that on the surface don’t relate to a career area can give you great insight into things you like, what’s important to you, and how you like to interact with the world.  Sit back and reflect on those experiences - what was satisfying/dissatisfying to you? The CCD has structured inventories on our website to help you reflect upon your experiences to ascertain your VIPS.  So with this in mind we’ve already moved into step 2: study what you enjoy and get involved. See how interrelated these steps are?

Step 2: Study What You Enjoy and Get Involved

We know it can be daunting to find ways of getting involved on campus as first year students - most of the first year is spent trying to keep your head above water, make new friends, and do well in your classes.  But as much as you can it’s important to find other avenues of getting involved that are right for you. You don’t have to join only career specific clubs. If you peruse the Student Activities website you’ll quickly see there are hundreds of clubs on campus that cover a wide array of interests.  You can also get involved in your residence hall and the various opportunities through hall council. But be aware of overextending - getting involved on campus is all about quality over quantity. Remember, sleep is important too!

Studying what you enjoy goes hand-in-hand with getting involved.  You might have heard this piece of advice already and maybe some of you thought it was great advice and some of you thought it was ridiculous.  Studying what you love is a core value of the CCD’s - it is not something to which we merely pay lip service. There is no “best major” out there - but there is a “best major for you."   We also view studying what you love as highly practical.  If you are in a major you enjoy, you will be more motivated to go to class, get better grades, and overall be happier - all of that leads to better post-graduate outcomes.  That sounds pretty good, right? I’m sure you’ve all done things that you really haven’t enjoyed - maybe it was something a friend or family member wanted you to do or a required course in high school.  It’s really hard to motivate yourself to do well if you’re just not interested in that subject matter or activity, or maybe your skill is lacking so it gets frustrating quickly. Now imagine focusing primarily on that activity for four years.  Does that seem appealing?

So how does one figure out what he/she enjoys studying the most?  Taking classes is the most obvious way but it’s not always possible to take a class in every subject matter of interest.  As a very basic starting point, it’s important to review requirements for majors/minors and read class descriptions (these can be found in the ND Course Bulletin or departmental websites).  This will help you start to gauge what subjects are most interesting to you. After that, other avenues of exploration include talking with faculty in departments of interest and older students in majors you are considering.  Getting the perspective of those teaching or taking the classes is amazingly insightful. You might also ask if you can sit in on a class or two to get a firsthand perspective.

Step 3: Explore Career

After engaging in introspection around your VIPS, getting involved, and exploring enjoyable majors, you can begin looking externally at career paths .  There are so many career paths and industries out there that it’s best not to limit yourself too much right off the bat. There are likely some fields that you’ll know automatically don’t hold your interest, so that will help narrow things down a bit, but beyond that it’s good to explore broadly.  This is where the self-assessment in step 1 comes into play. By knowing more about your VIPS, you’ll have a better idea of what career areas could be a good fit for you once you start exploring. The CCD has numerous tools and resources you can use to begin your research.

But you can only go so far with online research.  Eventually, you’ll need to get a first hand perspective and talk with people in career fields of greatest interest to you.  You will learn so much by talking with someone in a career you are considering - the good and the bad. This process is called informational interviewing .  The point is to investigate a career field and either narrow down or expand options. You can also get great advice on what you can do in college to prepare yourself for the field, how to enter the field out of college/grad school, and how to apply your skills in the field.  We know this process can seem a little scary at first - talking with an older person who you may or may not know very well about what they do.  But if you can get over that fear, you will gain so much from informational interviewing. But who should you speak with and how do you find these people?  To begin with you might consider people you already know - relatives, neighbors, friends’ parents, parents’ friends, etc. That sort of “warm” connection can be a little easier when you’re getting started. But the Notre Dame family is also an excellent resource - and ND alums really do like talking to current ND students and helping them with this process!  We recommend students utilize IrishCompass and LinkedIn to search for and contact alums. If you’re not sure how to get started with these tools, the CCD is here to help.

There are also many opportunities to learn about career fields on campus.  Employers, alumni and graduate programs hold information sessions throughout the year and the CCD runs workshops and events focused on different industries and topics, view many of those on Handshake .  Take advantage of those on-campus opportunities to learn from professionals!

Tying It All Together

As you gather this career information, it might help to keep a list of what you’ve learned, aspects of certain majors and careers that sound most appealing, areas you want to explore further, things you want to avoid, contacts you’ve made, etc.  You’ll notice in our career development model that “reflect and take action” touch all phases of the process. It is imperative to take time after an experience or conversation to think intentionally about how it impacted you and how it aligns with your VIPS.  You’re not just checking a box and moving on. Every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not!  We know that life is busy and it’s hard to take the time to slow down and process.  But if you give yourself that time you will gain so much. To help yourself “take action”, you might treat the career development process like a one credit class - commit an hour each week to career exploration.  That way it will become more of an imbedded process in your life and it won’t feel like something extra you need to do - and you’ll likely feel much more relaxed and confident come senior year.

As you can see, career development is a process and a journey and ties into your mission in life.  If you actively engage in the process, take ownership, and utilize the tools at your disposal you will reap the benefits and establish a satisfying professional life.  Please refer to all the resources we have on our website and come see us at the CCD when you need help. Remember this is your time at ND and your career.  Make the most of this time by studying subjects you enjoy, getting involved in activities that interest you, build your skills, and taking advantage of everything ND has to offer!

Below are action steps and tools you can use for self-reflection and career exploration:

Luzzo, D.A., & Severy, L.E. (2009).  Around we go: the developmental process of making career decisions.  In Making career decisions that count: a practical guide (3rd ed.) (pp. 1-12).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

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A Simple Way to Map Out Your Career Ambitions

• Marc Effron

Identify where you are and where you want to go.

It’s easy to be confused about how to grow in your career. Even the most successful global companies are vague about the most effective development options. So it’s up to you to take charge of your own growth. Start by writing your “from/to” statements. These are two brief statements — one describing where you are today and one describing your next big (not your ultimate) destination. Then create a personal experience map. A personal experience map shows which experiences you want to acquire in the next two to five years. Growing yourself faster isn’t easy but it’s made far simpler when you’re clear about your origin, your destination, and the fastest, experience-driven route between the two.

It’s easy to be confused about how to grow in your career. My experience with even the most successful global companies is that they’re between average and poor at developing future talent. They’re often not transparent about your real needs and vague about the most effective development options.

• ME Marc Effron is the founder and President of the Talent Strategy Group where he leads the firm’s global consulting, education, executive search, and publishing businesses. He advises the world’s premier organizations on how to build high performing talent. Marc founded and publishes Talent Quarterly magazine and is the author of the book 8 Steps to High Performance and the best-selling One Page Talent Management . Follow him on Twitter at  @the8steps. 

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Your Career Journey Part 1: Résumé Prep and Job Searches

#MTtalk , Career Skills

Who doesn't enjoy a good sequel, trilogy or series?  I do because I like watching a story evolve and unfold in, often, surprising ways! Managing your career can feel like a similar journey. In fact, the career journey you take develops over time, as you learn and grow.

That's why I suggested this series of blogs to help you plan your career journey, whether you're a current job seeker, an employee looking for a change or a step up, a future entrepreneur, or a student. 

This blog series on career journeys will coincide with three consecutive #MTtalk Twitter chats and Facebook Live events. And, if you're a Club member, we'll also be hosting exclusive #MTmasterclass videos on LinkedIn. (You can find further information about these at the end of this blog.)

Starting your career journey – Prepping your résumé

What are your key skills and strengths.

Before explaining your knowledge, skills, abilities, and interests to anyone, you'll need to identify what they are.  

Mind Tools has several resources to help you do this, including our personal SWOT analysis , our blog on "What's Your Life Plan? Balancing Dreams and Reality" , and the Mind Tools Life Plan Workbook .

So get familiar with your own strengths and skills. Then use this information to define the following about yourself: 

• Talents 
• Interests 
• Knowledge 
• Skills 
• Abilities 
• Philosophy/Values 

Summarizing your work experience

A résumé is an organized snapshot of your career objectives, qualifications, skills, education, experience, and work history. Essentially, it should provide the hiring company details of what your career journey looks like so far, and demonstrate how well your skills and experience match up to the vacant position. Recruiters often request that résumés be limited to one or two pages, so be concise but informative. 

For quick and easy reference to your work experience so far, keep an up-to-date LinkedIn profile. Also, maintain an "at-a-glance" data file that contains key information for each of the jobs you've had, such as dates, titles, key responsibilities, accomplishments, company info, and key work contacts or former supervisors. 

Some jobs may require you to document your work experience in different formats. For example, if your background includes postgraduate work in the technical, educational, scientific, legal, and medical industries, companies might request a curriculum vitae (CV) instead. 

In my experience, a résumé is a shorter summary of your work that can be skimmed in 15-30 seconds, while a CV may include paragraphs to summarize your specialized work. Government entities and other organizations may also require you to fill out online or paper applications that are specific to them.

Résumé design

A résumé typically contains the following, regardless of format: 

• Name and contact information. 
• Career objective.
• Relevant job history (with job title, dates, company, city/state). 
• Key responsibilities and skills.
• Education level.
• Other information such as hobbies, activities, honors, and affiliations. 

How you format and design your résumé will depend on what information you want to highlight. What do you want the hiring company to know about you? 

Remember, the likelihood is you only have a few minutes to grab the recruiter's attention. So you need to design your résumé in a way that presents your work experience clearly and effectively. There are several résumé format styles you can use, but – in general – the three most popular are: 

• Chronological – best for consistent, relevant experience.
• Targeted – best for downplaying a limited job history of direct experience by spotlighting relevant, transferable skills and abilities instead.
• Functional – best for emphasizing related duties and responsibilities from multiple positions.

Because this is your résumé, choose a format or combination that highlights your strengths and represents you the best. Also, think about the roles that you're applying for and consider tailoring your résumé depending on the different skills and experience that each requires.

Finding the right career journey: Searching for Jobs

Now that your résumé is ready, the next obstacle on your career journey is to find the right job for you. But how do you know what will be a good fit and what won't? Where should you be looking? Where do you even start?

When it comes to doing a job search, your ultimate goal is to find a role that excites you, but that also meets your salary expectations. There are various places you can look, including:

• Company websites. 
• Newspapers.
• LinkedIn and recruitment websites.
• Networking/word of mouth.
• Campus career center or local economic development department.
• Executive search consultant/firm.

You might find that there are thousands of jobs relevant to you and your industry out there. But, remember, you are the customer here. So consider some of the following to find the right fit for you :

• Determine your salary requirements and acceptable range based on your needs, and the industry average for the types of jobs you're applying for.
• Don't get hung up on titles. Instead, focus on the responsibilities. (For example, a coordinator at a large organization could have the same responsibilities as a manager at a small company.) 
• Learn about the company and compare how its corporate values measure up to yours. 
• Consider location. Where is the job? Are you open to relocation? 

Introducing yourself using a cover letter

Many recruiters ask job applicants to write a cover letter to go with their résumé. Essentially a cover letter is a personal letter that introduces you and your résumé to the recruiter. It's a chance for you to highlight the unique strengths and skills that you can bring to the role, and explain how you'd make the best fit.

To make sure your cover letter sends you to the top of the recruiter's pile, consider the following:

• Carefully read the job description and focus your letter on the key skills and attributes that it requires.
• Stick to between three to five paragraphs and no more! This could, for example, be structured as: an opening paragraph (the purpose of your letter); two to three paragraphs that promote your skills and that summarize why you'd be an asset to the company; and a closing paragraph (action and appreciation).
• Use a standard letter format but tailor the content of your cover letter for each position that you apply for.
• Use action-oriented language to bridge your experience with prospective duties. For example, "strategize," "build," "create," and "develop."
• If the recruiter didn't request items (such as headshot, samples, etc.), don't submit them. (Recruiters may receive dozens of attachments or pages for each vacancy, so these may simply go ignored if they are not necessary.)
• The recruiter should confirm receipt of your submission (via email, phone, or text message). 
• Don't assume the recruiter's preferred greeting titles.  Ask for their preference before you begin writing.
• Look at a mix of job descriptions for the same position to understand how to tailor your language.
• Factor in any voluntary and other unpaid experience you've done to demonstrate transferable skills. 
• Save documents to a portable document format (PDF) to preserve your original formatting. (Several "free" PDF creation software tools are available online.) 

Let's continue the conversation about Career Journeys

We want to explore the different career journeys people have taken further. So we'll be hosting a number of exciting talks on our social channels to discover more. These will also be great opportunities to access the wonderful wealth of experience our coaches can offer you, as you navigate your own career journey.

We'll be hosting an #MTtalk on Career Journeys on Wednesday, May 10th @ 12 noon ET. Anyone can join! Simply follow us on Twitter, type #MTtalk in the Twitter search function and click on "Latest" – you'll then be able to follow the live chat feed. You can participate in the chat by using the hashtag #MTtalk in your responses.

On Thursday, May 11 at 11 a.m. ET members of our Career Community Facebook group will be able to join a 20-minute Facebook Live conversation and question session.

And, finally on Friday, May 12 we will release a short coaching video on our Mind Tools Coaching Hub on LinkedIn , which is exclusive to Mind Tools' Club members.

Resources: Explore more at Mind Tools...

If you want to delve further into some of the topics we've discussed, check out the following from Mind Tools. (Note that you will need to be a Mind Tools Club or Corporate member to see all of the resources in full.)

Finding Career Direction Managing Your Career Developing a Career Strategy Writing a Résumé Writing a Cover Letter

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You may also like..., digging into conflict: how to "play nice" at work.

"It leads to what the author calls “assertive play” – not brick-on-skull assertive, but self-confident engagement, where people know they have things to contribute, and stake their claim."- Jonathan Hancock

Book Insight , Career Skills , Communication

What's Your Story?

"A story never ends because it changes who we are, how we think, what we do. Its threads and impact continue to grow in ways we know, and don't know." - Yolandé Conradie

#MTtalk , Change Management , Stress

Transitions

Some transitions are harder to face than others. The Mind Tools coaches share their experiences of going through transitions, and their tips on how to deal with change.

#MTtalk , Change Management

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At Rotman Commerce Career Services, we base our career coaching and education on the idea that career development is an iterative, ongoing process that will continue throughout your career. As a result, we have organized our career service offerings around this framework.

The career journey has three major phases:

• Discover : In this phase, you uncover and recognize your strengths, skills, values and interests, and explore career options that leverage your unique attributes.
• Develop : During this period, you’ll develop a toolkit to showcase your strengths, skills and experiences.
• Experience : Here, you’ll collaborate on real-world challenges in diverse environments and expand your network to make meaningful contributions.

Once you begin working on these phases, you’ll discover that the career journey is not linear; it’s a cycle that will repeat many times, sometimes with overlapping phases. Your journey is unique to you and depends on your particular strengths, skills, goals and experiences.  No matter where you are in the cycle, you can find support for your goals at Career Services.

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101 Activities to Boost Your Mood

A massive list of ideas to counter depression-related withdrawal..

Posted April 21, 2024 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

• What Is Depression?
• Find a therapist to overcome depression
• Depression, low mood, and anhedonia can lead to withdrawal from activities and people.
• Engaging in pleasant activities is associated with better mood and lower depression symptoms.
• If you aren't sure how to get started with behavioral activation, this list of 101 activities can help.

“Behavioral activation” is a therapeutic intervention that involves scheduling or incorporating pleasant activities into daily life. It is effective for treating depression as a stand-alone treatment. However, multiple other psychotherapies (such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) also incorporate a focus on increasing pleasant events.

The concept intuitively makes sense–do fun things and you will start to feel a little better. But in practice, it isn’t always easy to engage in pleasant activities when you are already feeling down. Chronic low mood often leads to withdrawal. Withdrawal, in turn, leads to a sense of isolation and even lower mood. Furthermore, anhedonia –a lack of interest or enjoyment from life's experiences–is a common symptom of depression and can make activities that used to be appealing no longer seem so. After a while, it can be hard to remember what types of things used to be fun.

Scheduling pleasant activities (rather than waiting until you spontaneously want to do them) can really help to improve mood–and even reduce anhedonia . Consider planning one per day for the next week, and track your mood before and after each activity. If your mood goes up, add that activity into your regular rotation. A 2023 study of US adults suggests that engaging in a greater variety of pleasant activities is associated with lower levels of depression. So even if you already have a few hobbies that help you feel better, there may be value in broadening and diversifying your favorites. If you can’t think of what to start with, here is a list of 101 ideas:

• Go to a trivia night
• Draw or sketch
• Use a coloring book
• Read a book
• Listen to an audio book
• Listen to a podcast
• Watch a documentary
• Listen to music
• Make a playlist for yourself or someone else
• Play an instrument
• Go for a walk
• Visit a public park
• Go to a dog park
• Cook a meal
• Make an old family recipe
• Freeze or can food for later
• Bring a meal or baked goods to a neighbor
• Go fishing or hunting
• Practice yoga
• Workout at a gym or in your home
• Visit a climbing gym (or go mountain climbing)
• Go on a run
• Take a long bath or shower
• Ride a bicycle
• Rollerblade or skate
• Visit a beach, lake, river, or swimming hole
• Go hiking or camping
• Visit a farmer’s market
• Go to a restaurant or cafe
• Try a new cuisine
• Visit a bakery
• Do a jigsaw puzzle
• Do a crossword, sudoku, or word search
• Plan a trip
• Take a free online course
• Visit the library
• Visit a museum
• Play a video, computer, or phone game
• Go on a picnic
• Get a massage
• Host a clothing swap
• Join a “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook and give something away
• Read or watch old cartoons
• Volunteer for a cause or political campaign that you care about
• Sew, knit, crochet, or embroider
• Learn a new craft
• Meet a friend for coffee or tea
• People watch
• Sit by a fountain, pool, or natural body of water
• Write a letter, card, or postcard
• Make a fire in an indoor or outdoor fireplace
• Get a haircut or style your hair
• Paint your nails
• Give yourself a facial
• Visit a salon or spa
• Play ping pong, pool, or darts
• Watch a sunrise or sunset
• Call a friend or family member
• Eat a popsicle or ice cream cone
• Dress up in an outfit that makes you feel confident
• Write a poem, story, essay, or song
• Go on a date
• Visit a zoo or aquarium
• Play a board game, chess, or checkers
• Play a card game
• Visit a place of worship
• Pray or meditate
• Visit a yard sale, thrift store, or flea market
• Go antiquing
• Go for a drive or take a road trip
• Go to the movies
• Listen to live music
• Go to an open mic night
• Watch standup comedy
• Go to the theater
• Attend a sporting event
• Watch sports on TV
• Play a sport
• Go kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, or tubing
• Start or tend to an herb, vegetable, or flower garden
• Landscape or mow the lawn
• Go foraging for edible plants
• Take care of houseplants
• Volunteer for a community organization
• Wash or detail your car
• Learn or practice a new language
• Go bird watching or set up a bird feeder
• Cut (or buy) and arrange flowers
• Make a photo album
• Print and hang photos in your home
• Go on a walking or bus tour in your own city, town, or region
• Play with a pet

Alsayednasser, B., Widnall, E., O'Mahen, H., Wright, K., Warren, F., Ladwa, A., Khazanov, G. K., Byford, S., Kuyken, W., Watkins, E., Ekers, D., Reed, N., Fletcher, E., McMillan, D., Farrand, P., Richards, D., & Dunn, B. D. (2022). How well do Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Behavioural Activation for depression repair anhedonia? A secondary analysis of the COBRA randomized controlled trial. Behaviour research and therapy, 159, 104185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2022.104185

Ong, A. D., & Lee, S. (2023). Variety in pleasant activities is associated with improved mental health: Evidence from two national samples of u.S. Adults. Affective Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-023-00225-x

Richards, D. A., Rhodes, S., Ekers, D., McMillan, D., Taylor, R. S., Byford, S., Barrett, B., Finning, K., Ganguli, P., Warren, F., Farrand, P., Gilbody, S., Kuyken, W., O'Mahen, H., Watkins, E., Wright, K., Reed, N., Fletcher, E., Hollon, S. D., Moore, L., … Woodhouse, R. (2017). Cost and Outcome of BehaviouRal Activation (COBRA): a randomised controlled trial of behavioural activation versus cognitive-behavioural therapy for depression. Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), 21(46), 1–366. https://doi.org/10.3310/hta21460

Emily Hylton-Jean, Ph.D., MPH , is a psychologist, writer, and consultant committed to bridging the gap between scientific research and public knowledge.

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• university of new orleans
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• two uno chemistry professors selected for nsf career awards

CAMPUS NEWS: APRIL 26, 2024

Nsf career awards, two uno chemistry professors selected for nsf career awards.

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University of New Orleans chemistry professors Phoebe Zito and David Podgorski have been selected for a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Two University of New Orleans chemistry professors have been awarded CAREER grants, the most prestigious award presented by the National Science Foundation. Chemists David Podgorski and Phoebe Zito, whose expertise is in environmental chemistry, are the recipients of a 2024 Faculty Early Career Development Program award.

The award seeks to support faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. In selecting recipients, the NSF favors research with the potential to build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

"The awarding of two prestigious NSF Career Awards to Dr. Zito and Dr. Podgorski in the Chemistry Department is unheard of and is a testament to their outstanding skills as researchers in environmental effects of pollutants on ecosystem health across a broad range of environments,” said Steven Johnson, dean of the College of Sciences.

The awards, which are for five years, each total more than $700,000. The NSF awarded only 500 CAREER grants for the 2024 cycle.

“This award validates my path to become an independent researcher in this field. It also attests to the four years I put into the development of this research program, including my plan for education and outreach,” said Zito, who joined UNO’s faculty in 2019.

Podgorski, who has been at UNO since 2017, said receiving the award as a faculty member in the UNO Department of Chemistry is the “cherry on top.”

“It is no secret that UNO lacks the research infrastructure that you would find in other major laboratories. This award is evidence that we can succeed despite those challenges and contribute to bringing resources to UNO instead of going elsewhere to find them,” Podgorski said.

Podgorski applauded the support he receives from his department.

“The work environment is polar opposite from my previous experience,” said Podgorski, who described the climate at a former job as toxic. “The support I received from my colleagues in the Department of Chemistry re-energized me, even through COVID. Although I’ve been relatively successful over the past few years, this award provides confirmation that I have transcended those who tried to bring me down.”

For Zito and Podgorski, who are married, their awards mean double the exposure for their department and having an academic partner who can appreciate the research journey is a bonus.

“One of the perks of marrying your colleague is that you do not have to go on the academic rollercoaster alone and we both support one another’s professional and personal growth,” Zito said. “We couldn’t imagine our lives any other way.”

The awards also serve as testament to the impactful research—both locally and globally—that UNO’s faculty members are conducting, Zito and Podgorski said.

“Our chemistry department is very small, so this type of award means so much to us and helps put us on the map to be competitive at the national level,” Zito said. “Also, UNO is the only public research university in New Orleans. I can use it as a platform to let others know that despite our size and lack of resources, we can still do good science.

“At the end of the day, it helps provide better resources and opportunities for students who come to UNO to study chemistry.”

Podgorski’s Research

Thousands of oil spills occur each year in U.S. waters and energy from the sun can chemically break down the components released in such oil spills, Podgorski said. There are hundreds of thousands of chemical compounds in oil, and the products of their chemical transformation can have deleterious effects on human health and sensitive aquatic ecosystems, he said.

“Louisiana’s coast is invaluable to the state in terms of our economy and food resources,” Podgorski said. “The information obtained from this study will help us understand more about how our coast is impacted after an oil spill. Podgorski’s research, titled “Measurement of Photochemical Mechanisms, Rates, and Pathways of Radical Formation in Complex Organic Compounds,” will study the process, length of time, and compounds that survive when hydrocarbon compounds are exposed to sunlight.

There is a plethora of information about the breakdown and removal process of a couple of hundred small-size polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in oil by the sun. However, knowledge is lacking about the chemical fate of the large compounds that make-up the fraction known as the unresolved complex mixture (UCM), an important compound class, particularly in oil-spill scenarios, Podgorski said

The research will provide fundamental information on the reactivity of large compounds present in petroleum, he said. Data from the project will show how the sun removes these compounds from the environment and how long it takes.

“Essentially, this information will tell us how the compounds break apart in the environment, where they end up, and whether we should be concerned about them,” Podgorski said. “In turn, this information can be used in risk assessment models.”

In addition, his project will provide training and mentoring to college and high school students.

Zito’s Research

Zito’s research titled, “A Bottom Up Approach Toward Understanding the Sunlight Driven Mechanisms and Pathways for the Release of Metals from Petroleum,” will study how sunlight changes petroleum-bound metals and their impact on ecosystem health.

The energy in sunlight can break down petroleum, but very little is known about the resulting materials, Zito said. Even though the oil is invisible once it has been cleaned up, it can still have detrimental effects on aquatic health, she said. Oil in the presence of sunlight produces compounds that are water-soluble and can mobilize through the water. Several of these compounds contain heavy metals which are frequently found in petroleum mixtures, Zito said.

“This research is important to the public due to the increasing amount of pollution entering our water every day,” Zito said. “In Louisiana there are thousands of oil spills a year, each one having the potential to release heavy metals into the environment.” Research is necessary on heavy metal reactivity as well as heavy metal effects on aquatic life. Data from the project will show how sunlight helps release the metals from petroleum and how their transformations affect the natural biogeochemical cycle, Zito said.

Zito said the research will also include education and outreach activities to introduce students to potential STEM careers, including in industry.

“Educating the community through outreach events and having hands-on research available for New Orleans high school students is a way to spread awareness about the effects of heavy metal pollution on the environment,” Zito said.

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Kevin Hart's journey from stand-up comedy sets in bowling alleys to global tours

By Anderson Cooper , Aliza Chasan , Nichole Marks, John Gallen

April 21, 2024 / 7:00 PM EDT / CBS News

Kevin Hart, now one of the most successful comics out there, struggled to find places to perform when he first started out as a stand-up comedian, so he picked some very unexpected venues.

The 44-year-old entertainer took gigs wherever he could get them: bowling alleys, cabarets and strip clubs. He doesn't "know who thought that comedy and strippers mix," but a strip club performance led to one of the most heartbreaking moments of his career on stage. Hart remembers hearing a woman say, "Oh, baby" during his set. 

"[She was] so disgusted and heartbroken that this is what I chose to do with my life," Hart said. 

But things turned around for him. Hart is the highest-grossing comedian today. His last comedy tour made grossed more than $122 million and, last month, he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor — as close to a lifetime achievement award as you can get.

Becoming a comedian 

Hart has always been confident, friends said. Comedian Na'im Lynn, who's known Hart since Kevin was a teenager, didn't get it at first. 

"I mean, it was perplexing in the beginning," Lynn said. "Like, 'Why does this little ugly dude have this much confidence?'"

Hart grew up in a rough neighborhood in North Philadelphia. Home movies made by his mom, Nancy Hart, show he was always the family entertainer. Hart lived in a in a one-bedroom apartment with his brother and mom, who kept a close eye on him.

She planned every moment of his day, making sure he went to swim practice and did his school work, even quizzing him to make sure he didn't rush through his assignments. Hart credits her with his drive. 

Nancy Hart also kept Hart's dad, Henry Witherspoon, at a distance. Witherspoon was in and out of prison. He was addicted to drugs, which Hart talked about in a 2011 stand-up special called "Laugh at my Pain." Hart describes his dad showing up at spelling bees and debates and treating them as if they were athletic events.

"First of all, you can't cheer for no kid at a spelling bee. It's a spelling bee. It's quiet, I'm focused. I'm in the middle of spelling a very difficult word," Hart said during the special. "My dad shows up late. Busts through the back door high as hell making cokehead noises, alright. Once again, I cannot make this up. Aright, this is all I heard. I'm in the middle of spelling some s–t. Out of nowhere all I heard was: 'Alright, alright, alright. Yeah!'"

The details are heartbreaking, but Hart finds the humor in it. 

"I see it for what it was," he said. "But as a kid, that's dad."

Hart's path to success 

For a long time, Hart struggled to make it big.

Hart had to contend with the sound of pins being knocked over during his early performances at bowling alleys. He would start jokes over if someone bowled a strike while he was telling a punchline. 

Having a strong drive is a huge portion of making it as a comic, Hart said. Comedians who can't get gigs on actual stages need to create their own wherever they can perform. 

"It's one of the most hustled entities that exists today," Hart said.

• Kevin Hart's daughter on her dad's embarrassing jokes

He thought he'd made it when he shot a sitcom for ABC called "The Big House" in 2003. The network flew him out to what's known as the Upfronts to present the show to advertisers and the media. As he waited backstage, the "guy with the microphone" who was directing everyone told Hart his show wasn't being picked up. No one from the network told him — just "a guy named Barry in the back, holding the curtain." 

That rejection pushed Hart. He didn't want his career determined by people he didn't know. 

"I might be sitting here all day if I don't go grab it and I don't go make what I feel should be mine," Hart said.

And that's what he did. He started a small production company, now called Hartbeat, and began developing his own stand-up specials. Hart also marketed himself relentlessly through social media — and Hollywood studios took notice, hiring him for a slew of movies.

From highpoint to controversy 

When Hart was picked in 2018 to host the Oscars , it seemed like a highpoint in his career.

"I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time. ... To be able to join the legendary list of host[s] that have graced this stage is unbelievable," Hart wrote on his Instagram at the time. "I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear right now."

But then comments he made about LGBTQ+ individuals years earlier onstage and on Twitter caused controversy. 

Hart stepped down as the Oscars host. He initially didn't apologize for his comments, but then posted an apology the next day on Twitter.

Hart said he spoke with comedian Wanda Sykes and said she explained to him that there were people hurting because of comments like the ones he'd made. 

"It was presented to me in a way where I couldn't ignore that," Hart said. "So in those moments of despair, great understanding and education can come out of it if you're given the opportunity."

Bouncing back and developing material for an upcoming tour 

Hart has since bounced back. He seems to be constantly in motion, starting with a daily pre-dawn workout. Hart owns a nutrition supplement company. He's also got a fast-food chain, a tequila brand and a $100 million venture capital fund. His entertainment company, Hartbeat, is now worth more than $650 million.

"I'm no longer just the comedian. I'm an investment. I'm a studio," Hart said. "I'm a partner looking for partnerships. Work for hire is not in my best interest if it's a one and done situation."

He's also working on new material for an upcoming comedy tour called "Acting My Age." He doesn't work with his team in a room to develop his ideas; Hart takes them to small comedy clubs to try them out. Friends and collaborators Harry Ratchford and Joey Wells act as his writing consultants.  

Hart doesn't write down his material, instead sticking to bullet points on his phone. He said he wants to make sure the story he's telling is understandable and focused on relationships, friends and aging. 

"All things that, no matter where you are and who you are, you can go, 'Aha,'" Hart said. 

60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper watched Kevin Hart work out his notes on stage in front of 3,000 people in Pasadena, California. Everyone had to hand over their phones so the material wouldn't leak.

"Like 90% of what I'm going to do tonight I feel like is really good," Hart explained to the audience. "The reason why I took your phones is because of the other 10%. Right? Like just in case. Just in case some of it's not, you don't have no proof."

Wells and Ratchford took notes as Hart performed. Ratchford focuses on structure, where jokes should go in the set, Wells said. Wells focuses on how to make Hart's set just a little bit funnier. 

"He might get a standing ovation. I'd go 'That was great. That was great. What if you tried this?'" Wells said. 

Hart's sets include embarrassingly revealing stories about his wife and four kids, his insecurities and his many shortcomings. 

"It's talking about the things that you aren't afraid to laugh at about yourself," Hart said. "I'm really confident that the laugh that I'm getting, you're not laughing necessarily at me, as if I'm a joke. You're laughing at the experience."

Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," has contributed to 60 Minutes since 2006. His exceptional reporting on big news events has earned Cooper a reputation as one of television's preeminent newsmen.

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Finding his calling: Nick Stanley’s journey to leadership

During his childhood summers in Fort Worth, Texas, Nicholas Stanley would regularly get woken up by his grandmother for full days of fishing. She would strap down five long cane poles on top of her minivan and drive them to wherever the fish were biting, and she and Nick would sit along the riverbank for hours until they had caught their limit before heading home to have themselves a delicious fish fry. He fondly credits his grandmother for inspiring him to fish, chase bugs, and embrace the landscapes and wildlife around him at an early age.  

Following these warm memories, Nicholas, who goes by Nick, attended Grambling State University, a historically Black university in Louisiana to pursue a career working with animals.  After learning about the university’s wildlife program and being taken under the wings of dedicated mentors, Stanley soared into a wildlife conservation career. This trajectory would eventually bring him into various leadership roles national wildlife refuges across the U.S. The National Wildlife Refuge System is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and provides habitat for wildlife and public recreation opportunities for visitors far and wide.  

Jumping in order to fly  

Determined to help animals, Stanley was initially enrolled in the pre-med/veterinary program at Grambling.   

One day while walking down his school’s hallways, he was intrigued by a Department of the Interior logo posted outside of the office where he learned about the school’s wildlife program. He then attended several speeches given annually by refuge manager, Pon Dixon about working for the Service. Dixon would later become one of Stanley’s greatest mentors. The decision to change his course to pursue a wildlife degree would lead him to work with some of the nation’s most spectacular wildlife from bighorn sheep and sandhill cranes to the California condor, meeting his initial goal to assist animal species in ways he never imagined. 

While completing his degree, Stanley gained early experience through an internship program (now part of the Pathways Program) at Desert National Wildlife Refuge in Las Vegas. He fell in love with the National Wildlife Refuge System after seeing his first bighorn sheep there many years ago. His decision to intern paved the way toward a career with the federal government.  

After graduating, he took a leap of faith and moved his family from Texas to California where he took his first permanent position at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge   as a refuge operations specialist and at Pixley as a refuge manager. At Pixley, he learned everything about natural resource management while managing the refuge’s 3,500 acres of grassland and waterfowl habitat. Nick worked diligently for years at those refuges, taking on more responsibility until he eventually became the project leader at Kern.  

“My career progression was not traditional. I feel grateful that I was able to stay in the same place for much of my career, but I got a wide variety of experience doing different things at the same location,” said Stanley. “I always challenged myself to try to do something different, not just being the status quo at that refuge. That helped me grow as a leader and as a refuge manager.” 

After more than 20 years of working at Kern, Stanley gained the expertise needed to lead his current team at Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, championing efforts to save North America’s largest bird, the California condor, from the brink of extinction.  

A birder at heart 

While studying at Grambling, Stanley participated in weekly bird surveys as part of the wildlife program for more than two years. He studied all types of birds from neotropics and waterfowl to wading birds while living in Louisiana.  

“I do consider myself a birder at heart,” said Stanley. “When I was at Pixley, I fell in love with the sandhill crane. So much so, that it inspired me to write a children’s book called Sandy’s First Flight.” Pixley National Wildlife Refuge receives anywhere from 5,000 to 12,000 sandhill cranes, annually and provides significant seasonal marsh wetland habitat other waterfowl.   

Now at Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which manages the California Condor Recovery Program, Stanley has found a passion for the California condor, a species that had only 22 birds left in the wild in 1982. Today, the Service, and its public and private partners, have grown the total wild free-flying condor population to more than 300 condors through the Recovery Program. 

“Their recovery story alone makes you fall in love with them to persevere and make it back from the brink of extinction.  Although we still have a long journey ahead to get the California condor population where it needs to be, we are in the fight,” Stanley says.  

Outside of work, Stanley keeps a list of all the birds he’s seen in his life, traveling as far as Costa Rica to see new birds and wildlife. “Getting out into nature and enjoying it helps center me, and it helps reinvigorate the passion I have for wildlife,” he said. 

In addition to birding, Stanley and his family enjoy the outdoors through hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and simply hanging out in their backyard.  

When speaking about his experiences outdoors, whether professionally or recreationally, Stanely says, “It is not for one particular group over another. Just because you’re the only one who looks a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s not for you, it just means you need to bring more friends with you.” 

Others like me

Thinking back on his time at Grambling State University, Stanley fondly remembers the kindness and mentorship offered by Dixon of the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, who ultimately encouraged him and other wildlife program students to pursue wildlife conservation careers with his monthly visits to the historically Black university. “I am thankful for the energy he put into us…I appreciate him for always coming back to Grambling and recruiting us. He still checks in on me.”  

He also recalls the influence of Jerome Ford, a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans. Learn more about national wildlife refuge manager in Louisiana at the time, and now the Assistant Director of the Migratory Birds Program who also regularly visited Grambling to recruit and encourage African American students to take on conservation careers. “He let me know there were other people who looked like me that did this job, which I was not aware of at the time.”  

There were other mentors, who were not people of color, who were equally as devoted to helping Stanley develop into the leader he is today. “David Hardt at Kern, who took me under his wing...he didn’t look like me, but he treated me like his own son, and I learned everything that I could from him.”  

Flying Full Circle

Reaching the role of a project leader, where he was often the only person of color within leadership, was not easy, but he is proud of the increased emphasis on hiring diverse staff within his region.  

When speaking about being a Black leader in the Service, Stanley says, “I’m still adjusting, for lack of better terms, to often being the only one, professionally. I think we have made huge strides as far as diversifying the workforce within refuges. It used to be that I was the only person of color, and now I’m not and which says a lot about the leadership we have within refuges. Within the Service as a whole I am proud to be one of three refuge project leaders of color in the nation, at least that I know of.” 

Stanley emphasizes the importance of his mentors in helping him reach the level of leadership he has obtained which now motivates him to foster and help the next generation of diverse leaders. “I think it is my responsibility now, to do what Pon Dixon did for me, which is mentor the new people who are coming in, who aren’t so sure of their place in the Service. 

“My advice to everyone is, don’t be afraid to step out on faith and be the only one.”   “That gives you the opportunity to help change things from within.”    

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Randall basketball star reflects on career and next step of journey

Coming into his freshman year at Randall High School, KJ Thomas was an unassuming 5’5,” 125-pound basketball player, but he now leaves the program as its all-time leading scorer, heading for the next part of his journey at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). 

Making the varsity team as a freshman, Thomas only averaged just over 3 points a game, but when he entered his sophomore year, Thomas had a major growth spurt that now had him standing six feet tall and an opportunity to be a starter. Thomas ran with the chance to play, showing his potential to be a special player for Randall, averaging 21.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, and was named the Amarillo Globe-News 2022 newcomer of the year. 

As a junior, Thomas led his team to its first state semifinals in program history against Oak Cliff Faith Academy. Although Randall lost 67-47, Thomas scored 33 points in the game. For that season, he was named the Amarillo Globe-News Player of the Year, averaging 22.9 points and 3.7 assists per game. As a senior, he led his team back to the state semifinals and became the all-time leading scorer in Randall High School history. He holds the record for most points and 3-pointers in a single game. 

Recruited by multiple Division One teams, including Louisiana Tech, Texas State, and Drake, Thomas signed his letter of intent to play for the UTEP Miners in September of last year. Thomas is known for his all-around play, his ability to get his teammates involved with his passing, and his prolific outside shooting. 

At Monday’s ceremony naming the gymnasium for longtime Randall High coach Leslie Broadhurst, Thomas reflected on his playing career with Randall High School and his journey going forward with college basketball with the Miners. 

“These last two years have been very special for me,” Thomas said. “My junior year, this was the first time the team has ever been to state. That was a great team that really struggled at the beginning of the year, but we really picked it up. Just making that trip down there was fantastic. Continuing that was my senior year; going to state again was awesome. We fell a little short of our goals, but I would not want to do that with any other team." 

Every year, Thomas improved as a player, and he credits Broadhurst with his improvement as a person. 

“I grew a lot since my freshman year. Coach Broadhurst and I always talk about my freshman year and how he believed, and I just grew as a leader,” Thomas said. "Being under Coach Broadhurst really helped out a lot. I worked extremely hard to get it done, but when you have teammates and coaches like I had, it just makes it that much better and easier.” 

Thomas said that his key to choosing UTEP was that it felt like home on his visit. He cited assistant coach Jeremy Cox as a core reason for his choice, but the whole UTEP staff impressed him 

“I loved the coaches and players; it felt like a second home where I could see myself for the next four years,” he said. “I just love to play for El Paso. The whole staff showed a lot of love, and it felt like I was at home.” 

On his first visit to El Paso, Thomas said he was highly impressed by the campus and surrounding city. He also said he was not aware of the basketball team's history before the visit. 

“I really did not know much about El Paso, but when I went there, I was extremely surprised at how nice it was. I really loved it.” Thomas said. “I did not start learning about the history until they started talking about the national championship and Don Haskins. Being at that school is a great honor; they have a lot of tradition that I would love to carry on.” 

The atmosphere and the fan support were also big factors, according to Thomas. 

“When I went on my second visit to UTEP, it really sold me on the school,” he said. “The team is really just like a family, and you can tell by how they play on the court. You can tell by how far they went this year to the conference championship. The continuity of that team with the family vibe, and the fans' and coaches' love and support, really impressed me.” 

Thomas cited former Miner Souley Boum as his favorite UTEP player. Thomas said that upon seeing a video of Boum play by Cox, he was really impressed. 

Thomas described his game and his expectations as a freshman at UTEP, where he will start in the summer to pursue a degree in business. He feels his greatest strength is his passing ability, but his defensive intensity is something that he wants to work on. 

“I will say I am a leader, and I can get my teammates involved and score when I need to,” he said. “I am an all-around player and a winner. I wanted to go into a place where I had a chance to play immediately, and I feel like they offered that to me. If I work hard and do what I am supposed to, I will definitely have a chance to play quite a bit. I just want to bring a winning culture to UTEP like they already have.” 

James Harden was named as Thomas’s favorite player whom he would like to mold his game after. “He scores with the ball in so many ways and can pass the ball,” Thomas said. 

Thomas hopes when people look at his legacy at Randall, he wants to be remembered for more than being a great basketball player. 

“It is an honor and a privilege. I want to thank God for this opportunity,” Thomas said. “I hope my legacy is that first of all I was a great and genuine person, and second that I was a man of God.”