Exploring Possibilities

This is a free demo for Career Solutions publishing Career Launcher which introduces students to 300 careers across 16 clusters through career pathways, academic subjects, and levels of education. 

• Arts & Entertainment (PDF)  
• Aviation & Aerospace (PDF)
• Construction (PDF, 5.0MB)
• Energy, Oil and Gas (PDF, 12MB)
• Health (PDF, 24.5MB)
• Information and Communication Technology (PDF, 10MB)
• Marine (PDF)
• Mining (PDF, 6.3MB)
  • Open Pit Mining (PDF)
  • Mineral Exploration (PDF)
  • Stone, Sand, and Gravel Extraction (PDF)
  • Underground Mining (PDF)
  • Hiring for: Mining Jobs in B.C. (PDF)
  • The Importance of Mining in B.C. (PDF)
• Sustainable Forestry and Forest Products (PDF)
• Tourism and Hospitality (PDF, 20.0 MB)

This Career Exploration Road Map was designed to break down the process of career exploration into manageable and actionable steps in a gameboard-style schematic. By Jennie Dorman and the UCSF Motivating Informed Decisions Program.

Game of Life has both traditional careers (teacher, doctor, lawyer) and new career choices (singer, inventor, scientist). This classic game challenges students to experience all sorts of unexpected adventures - the journey of life. 

Extension: Have students make their own version with careers they investigate and twists in life's journey that they inquire about.

Grow BC is a resource designed for teachers to show K-12 students the diversity of our province’s commodities and the importance of BC’s agriculture industry. It includes topics for straightforward integration into class curriculum. Teachers were directly involved in developing Grow BC to ensure its effective use.

Check out the numerous resources such as the Maker Club Playbook, the Light Up Cards and Taking Making Into Classrooms Ocean Tool Kits. These are great activities that allow students to apply and explore skills that tradespeople use. 

Business of Our Own, grades 6-8, helps students identify the key success factors needed to turn personal and team performance into profit. Building on basic business concepts like the different types of organizations, the role of management, and production and marketing, students learn how to run a successful retail business of their own. This program is four 1 hour lessons and a sales day. Book through JA.

Key program outcomes

• Understand business goals
• Practice skills to run a business
• Develop and implement a business plan for their own retail business
• Identify the role of promotions
• Understand the role of financial record keeping
• Discuss product pricing
• Describe their experience in operating a business
• Draw conclusions about planning and running a business by analyzing their experience

Dollars with Sense, grades 7-9, provides students with personal money management skills and challenges them to apply these concepts in their own lives. This is a free program delivered by a qualified business volunteer in four 1 hour sessions. Book through JA

Key Outcomes

• Develop a money management self-profile
• Choose appropriate forms of exchange
• Determine factors that influence their spending
• Identify steps in being a SMART consumer
• Calculate the cost of credit
• Develop awareness about consumer rights
• Identify needs, wants and financial goals
• Prepare a budget
• Differentiate services offered by financial institutions
• Demonstrate how to write a cheque
• Identify types of fraud and the protection needed
• Identify different ways to invest

Economics for Success, grades 8-10, encourages students to consider how they can prepare to enter the world of work by helping them map career clusters, consider post-secondary options, create a personal budget and develop strategies to achieve their goals. This program is four 1 hour sessions. Book through JA.

Key Outcomes

• Learn why it’s important to stay in school and explore post-secondary options
• Gain an understanding of what life is like after high school
• Map their interests, skills, and passions to possible careers
• Learn how to network, identify a mentor, and create a strong personal brand
• Create a budget to prepare for the financial reality of post-secondary life
• Develop strategies that will help them achieve their goals

Mississippi Department of Education has provided K-12 Career Lessons with full unit and lesson plans for all ages. 

Dr Seuss' masterful story "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" instructs readers to moving forward in life and overcoming challenges. Ideal for any age this book has been a guide to graduates of Kindergarten through college and remains a great advisor to many adults (6 minutes).  

Suggested activity: Look at the theme.  How does it connect with where you are at right now in your life? How can you connect the messages to career-life planning?

The Thinking Consortium has 7 lessons that provide strategies students can use when preparing to act (this can be planning and self-awareness): Analyze solutions, Cause and consequence, Clarify a problem, Dealing with ambiguity, Explore options, Rate the decision, State the problem. 

Financial and life education resources for school and at home.

 There are 16 Career Cluster videos. This is the introductory video (MODeptof Education).

WorkBC has a collection of valuable resources to complement the important work that teachers and career counsellors already do in their classrooms, whether in person or online.