Find a Career You Love

Summary

• Students will explore how someone’s interests and education may connect to their career 
• Students will develop their critical thinking skills by matching education and interests with corresponding careers
• Students will reflect on how their own interests might connect to potential career paths

Setting the Stage

Many people find fulfilling careers by pursuing jobs that are related to their interests. Having a job that relates to something they enjoy or are passionate about can make a career more enjoyable. Students may not have explicitly connected how interests and education might relate to a career. Exploring examples of people who work in jobs that are related to their interests may help students think about the types of careers related to their own interests. 

In this lesson, students learn about how people’s education and interests can relate to their jobs. Students match people’s education and interest to their jobs, and think about potential careers that connect to their own interests. 

Materials & Preparation

In School

• Scissors (one pair per student or small group)
• Glue (optional)
• Computers, projector or tablets with access to Let’s Talk Science video profile (1 per class or small group) (optional)
• Matching Careers with Interests and Education reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF] - 1 per student or small group

At Home 

• Access to the Matching Careers with Interests and Education Jamboard
  • Teachers could create a copy of the Jamboard for each student or small group. 

What To Do

Part 1: Introduction

• Teachers could start this lesson by leading a whole class discussion about how people end up in their careers using the following guiding questions. 
  • How do you think people decide what kind of job to pursue? How do people end up in their career?
  • How might someone’s interests relate to the career they pursue? 
  • How could what someone studies relate to their job?
• Teachers could tell students that today they are going to explore how people’s interests and education can connect with their career. 
• Teachers could present Lacey Rose, a county forester, to students as an example of how someone’s interests and education connect with their career. 
  • Students can view a Let’s Talk Science video profile of Lacey or her career profile as a class or independently. 
  • Once students have learned more about Lacey, teachers could ask how her education (Bachelor’s of Science in Forestry) and interests (camping, hiking, and gardening) relate to her career. Teachers could ask how Lacey’s education and interests might help her succeed at and enjoy her job. 
  • Teachers could ask students if they know anyone personally whose education and interests are connected with their career. Students may share a few examples. 

Part 2: Matching Activity 

• Students could complete a matching activity. Students are given the names and current jobs of three people. They then guess what each person’s education and interests are. 

• In School: Students could complete the Matching Careers with Interests and Education reproducible in small groups or independently. Students cut out the education and interest squares at the bottom of the sheet and place or glue them next to the corresponding person. 
• At Home: Students could complete the  Matching Careers with Interests and Education Jamboard either as a class, in small groups, or individually. 
• Once students have finished, teachers could share each person’s actual interests and education which are in the below table.

• Once students have completed the matching activity, they could independently answer the reflection questions on the Matching Careers with Interests and Education reproducible. Teachers could lead a whole class discussion using these reflection questions. 
• What connections did you notice between these people’s jobs, interests and education? Give some examples. 
• Were you surprised by any of these people’s education or interests? Why or why not?
• Do you think everyone’s interests and education are directly related to their career? Why or why not?
  • Teachers could point out that while all the people we discussed have careers that are directly related to their interests and education, this is not the case for everyone. Pursuing a career that is connected to your interests is just one way to have a fulfilling career. 
• What are some of your interests? What kind of job might these interests be related to?