Career Exploration for High School Students

The Career Exploration page is a page full of opportunities to help you explore careers. From various summer camps to websites that give you information about finding a career. If you want help exploring careers, we encourage you to take a look at the pages listed below. They will help you figure out which careers could be an option for you.

• Exploring Careers through Internships
• Exploring Careers through Career Exploration Camps
• Exploring Careers through NMPED Career Clusters
• Exploring Careers through My Next Move's Career Assessment
• Exploring Careers through NM Workforce
• Exploring Careers through NM Career Pathways

Internships

Internships for High School Students

As a way to support New Mexico tribal entities in developing their own managerial and technical expertise, Indian Resources Development promotes, funds, or helps develop internship opportunities for NM Indigenous high school and college students.

The resources below explain internships for high school students and how they are beneficial in high school and in exploring your career interests.

• How are internships beneficial for high school students?
• Exploring Careers through Internships

Benefits of Internships in High School

Internships are beneficial in high school, because they can help high school students narrow down their career choices and pick a career they would like to pursue. High school students can explore a career in which they are interested and see if that is the career they would like to pursue.

Internships can also be listed on a student's resume, which will make them a stronger candidate on a college application or a job application. Students gain leadership skills, communication skills, and expand their networking connections through internships. The connections and mentors they gain will be of assistance to the students in the future, when applications require letters of recommendation or references.

Exploring Careers through Internships

Participating in internships in high school is a way to explore careers and know what is involved in a career. Internships provide high school students the opportunity to deepen their understanding about a career through hands-on experience. Internships are offered by businesses and organizations for a limited period of time. Students typically work for a chosen employer for about one to four months, however, the duration can vary. Internships can be taken for credit, be paid, or unpaid.

Some high schools offer an internship class as a way to support students in acquiring and developing professional "soft" skills, and helping them identify and secure internship opportunities. If you want help exploring careers, we encourage you to take a look at the page listed below. They will help you figure out which careers could be an option for you.

Following are additional resources on this topic:

• How to Find Internships for High School Students

Career Exploration Camps

Summer Camps

Bridge Programs