Lesson Plan
Your Path, Your Power!
Students will identify personal strengths and interests through a career assessment and discuss how these relate to various career paths and college majors. This helps them explore possibilities beyond high school.
Understanding how personal traits align with careers can make future planning exciting and relevant. It empowers students to make informed decisions about their post-high school journey, whether it's college, vocational training, or direct entry into the workforce.
Audience
11th Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion and guided self-reflection.
Materials
Google Forms Career Interest Survey (external link), Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power!, Teacher Script: Your Path, Your Power!, and Personality to Career Match Activity
Prep
Before Class
15 minutes
- Review Materials: Familiarize yourself with the Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power!, Teacher Script: Your Path, Your Power!, and Personality to Career Match Activity.
- Prepare Career Test: Ensure the Google Forms Career Interest Survey (or a similar free online career test like 16Personalities.com, Princeton Review Career Quiz, or MyNextMove.org O*NET Interest Profiler) is ready and accessible for students to take. Ideally, students would have completed this before the session, but allocate 5-7 minutes if they need to complete it at the start.
- Prepare Activity: Print or prepare digital copies of the Personality to Career Match Activity for each student.
- Set Up Room: Arrange the classroom for a small group discussion.
Step 1
Warm-Up & Introduction (5 minutes)
5 minutes
- Teacher: Welcome students and introduce the lesson using the Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! and Teacher Script: Your Path, Your Power!.
- Teacher: Explain the purpose of the session: to explore how their unique personalities can guide them toward fulfilling career and college paths.
- Teacher: If students haven't taken the career interest survey, allocate 5-7 minutes for them to complete it now. Otherwise, ask them to recall their results.
Step 2
Career Test Review & Discussion (10 minutes)
10 minutes
- Teacher: Guide students through reviewing their career test results. Use the Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! to facilitate discussion.
- Teacher: Ask students to share their top personality traits or interest areas identified by the test. Encourage them to explain what resonated with them or what surprised them.
- Students: Share their results and initial reactions.
- Teacher: Facilitate a brief discussion on how these traits might influence job satisfaction and success.
Step 3
Personality to Career Match Activity (10 minutes)
10 minutes
- Teacher: Distribute the Personality to Career Match Activity.
- Teacher: Explain the instructions: students will connect their identified personality traits/interests to specific job types or college majors listed, or brainstorm their own.
- Students: Work individually or in pairs to complete the activity, discussing their ideas with the group.
- Teacher: Circulate, provide guidance, and encourage deeper thinking about the connections.
Step 4
Wrap-Up & Next Steps (5 minutes)
5 minutes
- Teacher: Bring the group back together.
- Teacher: Ask students to share one new insight or potential career/major they discovered today.
- Teacher: Emphasize that this is just the beginning of their exploration.
- Teacher: Encourage students to continue researching careers and majors that align with their interests.
- Teacher: Provide information on resources for further exploration (e.g., school counselor, online career databases, college websites).
Slide Deck
Your Path, Your Power!
Exploring Your Future Beyond High School
- Connect your personality to careers
- Discover paths that fit you
- Plan your next steps after high school!
Welcome students and introduce the lesson. Emphasize that this session is about their future and how their unique selves fit into it.
Why Are We Here Today?
To connect your unique personality and interests with exciting career and college opportunities.
This isn't about telling you what to do, but helping you discover what you could love doing!
Explain the goal: to help them understand how their interests and strengths can guide their career choices. Ask them if they've thought about their future or taken any career tests before.
Your Career Test Results
What did you discover about yourself?
- What were your top personality traits or interest areas?
- What careers or fields were suggested?
- Did anything surprise you? Did anything confirm what you already thought?
- How do these results make you feel about your future?
If students haven't taken the career survey, have them do so now (5-7 minutes). If they have, ask them to recall their top results. Prompt them to share one interesting discovery or confirmation from their results.
Personality & Careers: A Perfect Match?
Your personality isn't just who you are; it's also a compass for your career!
- Example: If you love solving puzzles and details, a career in research or engineering might be a great fit.
- Example: If you thrive on helping others, consider healthcare, education, or social work.
How do your traits fit into the world of work?
Lead a discussion on how different personality traits (e.g., introversion/extroversion, analytical/creative) are naturally suited for certain types of work environments or roles. Give a few examples.
Activity: Your Personality, Your Power Job!
Now, let's make some connections!
Using your career test results and our discussion:
- Identify 2-3 of your strongest personality traits or interests.
- Brainstorm 3-5 careers or college majors that align with those traits.
- Explain why you think there's a match.
Use the Personality to Career Match Activity handout to guide you!
Explain the next activity. Distribute the "Personality to Career Match Activity" and clarify any questions. Encourage them to be creative and think broadly.
What's Next for Your Journey?
Your future is bright and full of possibilities!
- Share: One new idea or insight you gained today.
- Reflect: How will you continue to explore career and college options?
- Resources: Don't forget your school counselor, online career sites, and college admissions offices are great places to learn more!
Bring the group back. Ask each student to share one key takeaway or one potential career/major they explored. Reiterate that this is a starting point.
Script
Teacher Script: Your Path, Your Power!
Warm-Up & Introduction (5 minutes)
(Display Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! - Slide 1)
Teacher: "Welcome everyone! I'm really excited for our session today, titled 'Your Path, Your Power!' Today, we're going to dive into something really important: your future after high school. We'll be looking at how your unique personality can actually be your superpower in finding a career or college path that truly excites you."
(Display Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! - Slide 2)
Teacher: "Our main goal is to connect your personality and interests with some awesome career and college opportunities. This isn't about me telling you what you should do, but rather helping you discover what you could love doing. Has anyone thought much about what they want to do after high school, or taken any career tests before?"
Career Test Review & Discussion (10 minutes)
(Display Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! - Slide 3)
Teacher: "Alright, let's talk about the career test or interest survey you took. If you haven't had a chance to complete it yet, please take the next 5-7 minutes to do so now. For those who have, let's refresh our memories on your results."
(Pause for students to complete the survey if needed. Once ready, continue.)
Teacher: "Look at your results. What were some of your top personality traits or interest areas that the test highlighted? Did anything surprise you? Or did it just confirm what you already suspected about yourself? How do these results make you feel about your future? Don't be shy; share one interesting discovery or confirmation from your results."
Teacher: "That's really insightful. It's fascinating how a few questions can give us a clearer picture of our natural inclinations. Now, let's think about how these traits might influence your happiness and success in a job."
Personality & Careers: A Perfect Match? (5 minutes)
(Display Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! - Slide 4)
Teacher: "Your personality isn't just about who you are; it's a fantastic compass for your career! Think about it: if you're someone who loves solving complex puzzles and pays close attention to details, a career in something like engineering, scientific research, or even a detective might be a great fit. You'd probably thrive there."
Teacher: "Or, if you're someone who gets energy from helping others, and you really enjoy supporting people, then fields like healthcare, teaching, or social work could be incredibly rewarding for you. You'd be using your natural inclination to connect and assist."
Teacher: "So, how do your specific traits, the ones you just shared, fit into the huge world of work? Can anyone think of a job or a field that might be a good fit for one of their top traits?"
Activity: Your Personality, Your Power Job! (10 minutes)
(Display Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! - Slide 5)
Teacher: "Now, let's get hands-on and make some connections! I'm going to give you a handout called the Personality to Career Match Activity."
(Distribute the Personality to Career Match Activity.)
Teacher: "Here’s what I want you to do: First, identify 2-3 of your strongest personality traits or interests that came up in your test or that we just discussed. Write those down. Then, brainstorm 3-5 careers or college majors that you think would align with those traits. Finally, I want you to explain why you think there's a match. Be creative! You can think of jobs you already know, or even look some up on your phones if you like. I'll be walking around to help and answer questions."
(Allow students to work on the activity. Circulate and provide support and encouragement.)
Wrap-Up & Next Steps (5 minutes)
(Display Slide Deck: Your Path, Your Power! - Slide 6)
Teacher: "Alright everyone, let's bring it back together. Your future is full of possibilities, and today was just one step in exploring them!"
Teacher: "Can each of you share one new idea, insight, or a potential career/major you discovered or thought more about today?"
Teacher: "Fantastic! Remember, this exploration doesn't stop here. How will you continue to explore career and college options? What's one thing you might do next?"
Teacher: "Great ideas. Don't forget, you have amazing resources available to you. Your school counselor is a fantastic person to talk to, and there are many online career sites and college admissions offices that can provide even more information. Keep thinking about your strengths and interests, and how they can lead you to a powerful and fulfilling path! Thanks for a great discussion today."
Activity
Personality to Career Match Activity
Instructions:
Use your career test results and our class discussion to complete the following sections. This is your chance to connect who you are with what you could do!
Section 1: My Top Personality Traits / Interests
Based on your career test results and what we discussed, list 2-3 of your strongest personality traits, interests, or skills. (Examples: Problem-solver, Creative, Helper, Detail-oriented, Leader, Adventurous, Analytical, Communicator)
Section 2: Potential Career / College Paths
Now, for each trait/interest you listed above, brainstorm 3-5 career paths or college majors that you think would be a good fit. Think broadly!
Trait/Interest 1:
- Career/Major 1:
- Career/Major 2:
- Career/Major 3:
- Career/Major 4:
- Career/Major 5:
Trait/Interest 2:
- Career/Major 1:
- Career/Major 2:
- Career/Major 3:
- Career/Major 4:
- Career/Major 5:
Trait/Interest 3:
- Career/Major 1:
- Career/Major 2:
- Career/Major 3:
- Career/Major 4:
- Career/Major 5:
Section 3: Why the Match?
Choose ONE career or college major from Section 2 that you find most interesting. Explain why you think it aligns well with your personality traits and interests. What specific aspects of that path appeal to you because of who you are?
Reflection: What's one new idea or possible path you discovered today?