Career Exploration can start at ANY age! Gifted students sometimes have high aspirations when navigating careers. It is difficult even for parents that may have attended college to determine what the new options are and how to find information on them.
First, where do we start?
Source: https://portal.missouriconnections.org/
Missouri families can use Missouri Connections to explore and discover. Click on “Guest Login” in the lower right and complete the questions. This will lead you to topics on military jobs, an interest survey, and my favorite: degree and certificate programs. This organizes the nation’s colleges and universities by the degree you want to earn.
Source: https://www.onetonline.org/
O*Net Online has a ton of resources. Here, I would start on My Next Move which will allow students to explore if they know the field they are interested in or have no idea. Even if they do think they know, I would encourage them to check out the Interest Profiler. This will allow them to see everything they MIGHT be interested in. And you don’t know what you don’t know! A child could be perfect for a job they never have heard of yet.
In short, use the Interest Profiler and discover what jobs are out there that meet your interests and personality.