ABSTRACT
It is a paradox of modern life that globally, young people have never left education more highly qualified, but still they struggle to find good work and build satisfying careers. In too many countries, young people are expected to find their own way through education. They are required to make good decisions about their education but too often lack the information and experiences needed to show such agency. For a long time, international studies have shown that the career aspirations of teenagers can be characterized as overly narrow, frequently confused, and often distorted by social background. Now compelling new longitudinal research shows how schools can give students the tools to better visualize and plan their futures. Career guidance does work: it can be expected to make a difference in how well teenage students do in work as young adults. As the COVID-19 pandemic makes the working world still more turbulent, it is time to break down the walls between education and employment and ensure that every secondary school student has access to the tools they need to guide their journeys into adult life.
