Survey Finds Teens Worldwide Are Lost in the Transition After High School

2 polls find students are unaware of career options or pathways and don't get work experience needed to prepare them for future employment.

The 74 By Bruno V. Manno

July 8, 2025

In his July 2025 article for The 74, Bruno V. Manno highlights troubling findings from two major surveys on teenage career preparedness: the OECD’s State of Global Teenage Career Preparation report and a Gallup/Walton Foundation/Jobs for the Future poll of Gen Z teens and parents in the U.S. The results point to a global crisis of readiness, with many teens lacking both awareness of career paths and access to real-world work experiences necessary to thrive after high school.

According to the OECD study, which surveyed 690,000 students ages 15–16 from over 80 countries, 40% of teens are unclear about their career expectations—double the rate from a decade ago. Nearly half of respondents said school had done little to prepare them for adult life. U.S. students in particular reported some of the lowest access to career development experiences such as job fairs, shadowing, or guidance counseling. These findings suggest students are “adrift” at a pivotal point in their academic and personal development.

The report introduces a “Teenage Career Readiness Dashboard” that evaluates 24 indicators across eight themes:

1. Career Uncertainty: High levels of indecision among students are correlated with disengagement from school and future planning.

2. Planning: Student aspirations are not aligned with workforce realities. Low-income students have especially limited access to tools that support planning.

3. Alignment: Teens often pursue high-status but low-availability careers while neglecting technical and in-demand roles.

4. Aspirations: Socioeconomic background heavily influences ambition. Poorer students are significantly less likely to imagine themselves in professional fields.

5. Guidance: Career counseling is sporadic and inconsistent across school systems.

6. Career Development: Experiences like internships and job fairs are shown to improve equity—but remain rare.

7. Fear for the Future: Nearly half of students worry they are unprepared for post-high school life.

8. Employer Engagement: Schools in the U.S. trail their international peers in connecting students with employers through mentorship or workplace visits.

Reinforcing these concerns, the Gallup/Walton/JFF survey of 1,300 U.S. teens and parents reveals that fewer than 30% of students feel “very prepared” for any of eight post-graduation options: college, jobs, the military, or certificate programs. Alarmingly, one-third of high school seniors' parents hadn’t even discussed life after high school with them, suggesting a lack of guidance at both the school and home levels.

The findings indicate two critical pain points in the transition from high school to adulthood:

• The Exposure Gap: Students know little about the range of careers available. Their ambitions are often limited to a few familiar roles, such as teaching or athletics.

• The Experience Gap: Students rarely participate in internships, job shadowing, or project-based learning that would make careers more tangible.

These gaps are particularly pronounced among low-income and marginalized students, exacerbating inequities that persist into adulthood.

To address this, Manno offers four recommendations for educators, policymakers, and families:

1. Start Career Conversations Earlier: Career planning should begin in middle school to allow students to explore their interests before making critical educational decisions.

2. Broaden Career Education: Schools must move beyond a college-focused model to include trades, certifications, military service, and entrepreneurship.

3. Involve Students in Real-World Projects: Letting teens take on adult-like responsibilities through internships or community projects builds career identity and confidence.

4. Support Parents: Educating parents on local labor markets, pathways, and postsecondary credentials can improve communication and planning at home.

Ultimately, Manno emphasizes that schools must blend academic learning with real-world career readiness. The OECD and Gallup data serve as a wake-up call: if teens lack both the knowledge and experience to navigate their future, they are likely to remain lost. Education systems must integrate practical exposure, workplace interaction, and personalized support to help students chart successful postsecondary paths. Failure to act risks leaving a generation unprepared—not just academically, but for life.

Original Article

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com