9781422270691

Introduction

Students are often interested in learning more about careers, but many don’t take the steps necessary to do so, according to a survey of 14- to 18-year-olds by the nonprofit ECMC Group. It found that while 74 percent of respondents believe it is important to have their career plans determined when they graduate from high school, only 39 percent have taken classes or participated in programs to explore occupations. Many young people are not aware of the wide range of activities that are available to help them explore the industry they’re considering joining, discover career paths, and learn what it takes to train and be successful in a given occupation. If you are a middle school or high school student, here are just a few of the exploration activities in which you can participate: • fitness classes and involvement in teams and individual sports • non-sports–related competitions for aspiring data scientists, physical therapists, and business professionals • watching sporting events • school clubs • writing articles, making videos, and creating podcasts about sports • interviews and job-shadowing experiences with sports professionals • summer exploration camps • volunteer opportunities • tours of places where sports professionals play or otherwise do their work • books • websites

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