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10 Lessons I've Learned About High School Students

Author

Bryan Besecker
February 13, 2024

I’m Bryan, Co-Founder of PathSpark. We empower high school students through self-assessments and coaching to gain purpose and clarity on what life looks like after graduation. 🎓

Know a high school student struggling to figure out next steps? Respond to this email, I’d love to talk to you.

In high school, I vividly remember the angst I felt trying to pick a college major and craft a compelling life narrative with minimal direction. I was overwhelmed. Now, I’m working to spare students that uncertainty.

Through PathSpark, we guide students to confident career options aligned with their innate talents and interests by supporting them through their own self-discovery process.

This week, I sat down and outlined 10 key lessons I’ve learned through this journey that underscore why more intentional career guidance for students remains such an urgent need:

A few themes:

  1. Today’s teens feel overwhelmed navigating potential career paths, unsure where or how to begin uncovering personal interests that can translate into rewarding careers. Providing structured frameworks, assessments and reflection tools breaks down this ambiguity.

  2. Early intervention eases last-minute stress for students facing intimidating choices on majors or college options. It also mitigates unnecessary education debt by aligning selections to validated strengths instead of guesses or societal pressure.

  3. Iterative self-discovery builds confidence as interests evolve over time. Fixating on immediate clarity overstates how much teens can definitively decide at 17 or 18 years old based on limited exposure. Framing career identification as an ongoing journey reduces associated performance pressure.

What resonated most from these lessons is how empowering students with self-knowledge guides them towards careers filled with purpose and passion. But distilling these insights would not have been possible without our students candidly sharing their own journeys with us.

As we continue serving more teens in 2024, I want to express immense gratitude to every young adult willing to explore career possibilities with an open and curious mindset. Your willingness lights the path for students after you who are navigating similar terrain.

If you know any high schoolers wanting some extra support to determine their next steps after high school, please refer them to PathSpark! We’re ready to equip the next generation with the confidence and know-how to embrace futures doing what they love.

With thanks,

Bryan