Activities to explore dream careers and see what opportunities you can explore

Difficulty: Explorer (Level 1)

Everyone knows about careers like teacher, doctor, and firefighter. But there are plenty of unconventional jobs too!

Did you know it is someone’s job to test waterslides? They make sure they are safe. It also helps determine how much water the slide needs and how long it takes to go down.

Another unique job is golf ball diver. This is a person who fishes golf balls from the ponds at golf courses. No golf ball goes to waste!

One surprising job is the snake milker. Snakes don’t give milk like cows. A trained snake milker removes the venom from a poisonous snake. The venom can be used in medical research. Doctors can also study it and make antivenom.

There is also a job that involves tracking the location of icebergs. They move slowly and could block cargo ships.

There are interesting opportunities out there for everyone!

Using films to discuss careers

“Hidden Figures” is about three female African-American mathematicians who worked for Nasa in the 1960s. Photo: Handout

Materials

• pen or pencil

• paper or notepad

• a movie with human characters, such as Hidden Figures, Big Hero 6 or Ratatouille

• someone older to watch the movie with

Instructions

1. Pick a movie to watch with your companion. You can discuss the themes and careers within the movie with them. Keep your pen and paper with you.

2. While watching, note every character’s job or profession (when it is explicitly stated) and how this job is shown in the film.

3. When you finish the film, answer the questions below for each character’s job. Then, discuss your thoughts with the other person and ask what they thought of the jobs mentioned in the movie.

• Have you heard of this job before? If so, what did you know about it before watching the film?

• Did the film show this job positively or negatively?

• What did the movie teach you about this career? Do you think this film is realistic?

• What qualities did the character have that helped them do well in this job?

Career goals chart

There are many different types of careers to explore! Photo: Shutterstock

Materials

• pencil

• paper

• glue

• markers

• scissors

• old magazines or newspapers

Instructions

1. Write down three to five careers you are interested in pursuing at the top of a sheet of paper.

2. Discuss three steps you could take to achieve these jobs with an adult. For example, consider what school subjects are related to this goal. What would you need to study after secondary school for this career? You can go online to research more.

3. Add some pictures for inspiration! Cut out photos from magazines or newspapers related to these careers and glue them to the page. You can also colour and draw on the paper.