The OECD’s State of Global Teenage Career Preparation (2025), drawing on PISA data, identifies substantial uncertainty among teenagers and a mismatch between aspirations, education plans and labour-market expectations. These are population-level patterns, not a prediction of any particular student’s future. They do make a strong case for earlier, more informed exploration. [1]
Start with the problem you want to solve
Replace “What should I become?” with four questions: What subjects and activities interest me? Which tasks do I enjoy enough to practise? Which environments suit me? What kinds of work or study opportunities are realistically accessible? Record answers separately. Interest matters, but so do entry requirements, affordability, duration, location and your ability to change course later.
A useful exercise is to identify three candidate directions rather than committing to the first appealing option. For each, write down one reason for interest, one concern and one fact you still need to verify. Uncertainty becomes manageable when it is turned into specific research questions.
Investigate roles, not just job titles
A job title often hides considerable variation. Technology, healthcare, education, business and public service all contain different roles, qualifications and work settings. For every direction, investigate daily tasks, typical entry routes, required skills and credible examples of work produced in the role. Use university programme descriptions, professional bodies, public occupational information and actual job adverts. Verify that the information applies to your country or intended destination.
Avoid interpreting labour-market forecasts as a guarantee. Demand can change, and the same qualification can support several possible careers. Where an occupation is regulated, check the official licensing or accreditation authority rather than relying on social media advice.
Test a direction before committing
Information alone is rarely enough. Run a small, low-risk experiment: complete an introductory project, attend an open day, speak to a practitioner, shadow a professional where permitted, or work through a beginner course. Then ask whether the tasks themselves were engaging—not merely whether the sector sounds prestigious.
For example, someone considering software development might build a simple website and document how they approached problems. Someone considering health sciences might compare different regulated health professions, discuss day-to-day responsibilities with professionals and explore introductory biology. These examples are exploratory, not professional qualifications.
Compare options using a simple evidence table
Create a comparison with six criteria: interest in the actual work, eligibility and prerequisites, total study cost, time to entry, availability of opportunities and flexibility to move into related fields. Score each criterion cautiously using evidence you can point to, and write “unknown” where you have not verified the answer. Do not turn a weighted score into a false claim that one path is objectively best; use it to reveal trade-offs and follow-up questions.
Discuss your findings with someone who understands your context, such as a career adviser, teacher or trusted professional. Where possible, talk to people from different backgrounds to avoid adopting one person’s experience as a universal rule.
Make a next-step plan, not a lifetime commitment
Finish with a practical 30-day plan: identify two programmes to investigate, contact one relevant professional, complete one short project and confirm application or scholarship requirements from official sources. Decide what evidence would cause you to continue, postpone or change direction. A good plan includes a review point.
The OECD’s 2024 policy work on teenage career uncertainty highlights the value of career-development activities; however, these activities should be adapted to local circumstances and should not be treated as guaranteed routes to employment. [2]
What to do next
Use the xtraLesson Pathways academy to structure further exploration and record your evolving plan. The strongest next step is the one that turns a vague aspiration into an informed, testable decision.
Sources and further reading
[1] OECD (2025), The State of Global Teenage Career Preparation: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-state-of-global-teenage-career-preparation_d5f8e3f2-en/full-report/component-3.html
[2] OECD (2024), Teenage career uncertainty: Why it matters and how to reduce it?: https://doi.org/10.1787/e89c3da9-en