Turn Career Ideas into a Plan
Career planning doesn’t have to mean choosing one career and having everything figured out.
For middle and high school students, career planning is about discovering who they are, exploring possibilities, gathering information, and taking small steps toward the future.
The Career Planning Worksheet from Journey to Discovery gives students a structured way to work through that process.
What Students Will Explore
This printable worksheet guides students through eight steps:
1. Know Yourself
Identify interests, strengths, and values that may influence future career choices.
2. Identify Your Top Three Career Choices
Choose three careers to explore and reflect on why each one interests you.
3. Research Your Career Options
Compare education requirements, skills, salary ranges, job outlook, work environment, and interest level.
4. Compare Your Options
Reflect on which careers best match your interests, strengths, and goals.
5. Explore Career Opportunities
Identify career exploration activities such as career fairs, job shadowing, volunteering, college visits, career assessments, and CTE programs.
6. Complete an Informational Interview
Record what you learn from a professional working in a career of interest.
7. Create a 90-Day Career Action Plan
Set goals to learn, explore, and prepare for a possible career path.
8. Reflect and Commit to Your Next Step
Think about what you’ve learned and identify one action step to take toward your career goals.
Why Career Planning Matters
Students don’t need to know exactly what they want to do after high school.
They do need opportunities to explore, ask questions, learn about themselves, and connect their interests to real-world possibilities.
This worksheet can help students move from:
“I have no idea what I want to do.”
to
“I have some careers I want to explore, and I know what I can do next.”
Download Your Free Career Planning Worksheet
Use this worksheet at home, in the classroom, during individual counseling sessions, or as part of a career exploration activity.
👉FREE CAREER PLANNING WORKSHEET
Best for middle and high school students.
Looking for More Career Planning Guidance?
A worksheet is a great place to start, but career planning is an ongoing process.
If you’re a parent, educator, or student looking for additional guidance, explore our career planning resources for ideas, activities, and strategies to help students make thoughtful decisions about their future.
Read More
Learn how to break career planning into manageable steps and create a plan that can grow and change as students learn more about themselves and the world of work.
A Note for Parents and Educators
Career planning doesn’t have to be a one-time conversation.
Encourage students to revisit their interests, strengths, goals, and career ideas as they gain new experiences and learn more about themselves.
The goal isn’t to have all the answers today.
The goal is to keep exploring.