You don’t need a crystal ball to know that high school students entering the workforce over the next few years are facing an uphill battle. They’re living through constant upheaval and change—change driven by technology, by generational turnover, and by a heaving sea of economic, political, and cultural forces that can feel, even to seasoned adults, like a perfect storm. Add to that mix the internet, and everything is amplified by ten—the good, the bad, and the confusing. Students are now faced with more choices than ever, along with a million competing voices. It’s enough to give anyone decision fatigue. Or downright paralysis.
52% said that affording college was a major concern. It’s no surprise that money tops this list. The ever increasing cost of higher education is, by now, a cultural byword. And it is a real problem. Rising costs, both in education and living, make finances a major factor in any life decision. But, as difficult as money issues are, the solutions are more straightforward. As the cost of education has increased, scholarships have generally kept pace.
42% said they didn’t have a lot to offer. But lurking behind the money question is a range of other concerns that all share the same root cause—confidence. Some 42% of the students we asked think that they don’t have a lot to offer. That’s a sad statistic. Starting any journey with a pessimistic mindset like that won’t set you up for success. Gen Z’s lack of confidence also reveals they don’t know how much need there is for talent and how much they do have to offer. We’ll address that misunderstanding later on, but for now, just note that one of the biggest problems the generation faces isn’t a lack of potential—it’s a lack of belief in that potential.
When 42% of students say that they don’t know how to figure out what they want to do, we think this also relates to the confidence problem. How so? First, a lack of awareness indicates that students are ill equipped to do basic exploration. Where should they look? Who is telling them what the future holds? How can they discover what they like? This is a huge hurdle. But more importantly, if you don’t believe you have a lot of value, it will be virtually impossible for you to see opportunities, even the ones right in front of you. If a student doesn't believe they have what it takes to be a hero, well… why start the journey?
The same can be said for the 36% of students who were simply afraid of meeting new people, trying new things, and taking the risk that goes along with uncharted territory. If you think you have a valuable skill—that the world wants you—then those fears are a lot easier to overcome. If you don’t, that discouraging voice in your head is harder to ignore. The good news is there’s a way through. With the right help and the right tools, we can see a path towards changing these students’ outlooks and setting them up for success.
To better understand how to help students we asked them to identify what they wish they knew about finding their dream job. Like we wrote about here, students have a good general sense of what they need in order to prepare for their future. In other words, they know where they need help. When it comes to finding your dream job or getting a job at your ideal company, what do you wish you knew?
Students know that employers value skills first and foremost, and are eager to identify what skills are necessary to land their dream job.
There’s a good chance that you got your start in life via a mentorship, an internship, or an apprenticeship. At Futures we call these “SHIPS” for shorthand, and they’re no less essential for today’s students than they were for us.
Offering students these opportunities—for one-on-one teaching or the chance to dip their toes into an industry—is incredibly impactful in building their confidence and pointing them in the right direction.
This is closely related to internships and apprenticeships: students know that relationships with the right people make a world of difference. There’s no substitute for straightforward, human interaction, and the opportunity to start building a personal relationship. Whether that translates to a recommendation, a hire, or simply advice, networking is an essential, time-tested facet of finding success.
Finally, students know there’s no more impactful way to learn than by doing. The more they can experience, the deeper their understanding will be of their own interests, skills, and desires. Not only this, but they’ll also be more attractive to employers who value real-world knowledge and the lessons that come only through action.
Despite the myriad of challenges they face, today’s students are facing a unique opportunity. Our goal is to get them to see that opportunity and show them how to take advantage of it. This comes down to two fundamental things.
The world is starving for solid talent. Nothing will help students’ confidence more than knowing how much the world needs them. Many industries, like healthcare, logistics, construction, manufacturing, and education are currently facing unprecedented talent shortages, which show no signs of letting up.
This means that employers are going to greater and greater lengths to find and attract talent. So, as a high school student looking to enter the workforce, you are very much in demand. That simple realization, in and of itself, can transform students’ outlook and give them the confidence they need to explore new territory, take risks, and learn new skills. Perhaps the single greatest thing we can do to help students regain confidence is to simply turn their assumptions on their head.
42% of the students surveyed believed that they didn’t have any particular skills to offer
The skills will come; you just have to show up. As we noted earlier, 42% of the students surveyed believed that they didn’t have any particular skills to offer. The demand for talent is so high that companies are now happy to solve that problem with you. Sure, as a high school junior you may not know how to program a computer chip or frame a house, but there are thousands of companies out there who would love to recruit, hire, and train you regardless.
Your job is simply to show up and work hard. The reality is that the most valuable thing you bring to the table is not a particular skill set; it’s you. Skills are transferable, people are not. And even as the demand for particular skills waxes and wanes—due to AI, new technology, or economic shifts—the demand for willing and ambitious talent will only continue to rise.
If you’re ready to start working on your future now, or if you're helping someone who is, reach out. We’d love to give you all the help we can.
Last year, we asked over 1,000 HR leaders and hiring managers what types of jobs are hardest to fill and 37% said that they struggle most with hiring those who are just getting started in the labor market. To put that in perspective, according to these business leaders, entry level talent is actually harder for them to find than executive level talent.
That’s the question we asked students in a survey conducted in August 2023. The overwhelming need-to-know item wasn’t college advice or career options, but skills. What skills should I develop? What skills are employers looking for? What abilities, knowledge, and experience do businesses want to hire?
According to another study conducted by Pearson, the top five skills desired by businesses are human skills (aka soft skills)—relational skills that help us forge connections with colleagues and customers. LinkedIn reported similar findings in their 2024 Most In-Demand Skills list, where the majority of the top 10 skills of today are human skills.
Employees with strong human skills tend to understand others’ needs and problems, communicate excellently, adapt and innovate well, and make good team players. So it is no wonder businesses want to hire people with such strengths.
What about hard skills? Aren’t they still important? While hard (or technical) skills remain vital, it is classic skills such as communication, leadership, and collaboration that form the necessary foundation for technical skills to rest upon. If a software developer can write code in five languages but can’t communicate well with management or collaborate with others, they are of considerably less value to their company. And in recent times, it appears that human skills are the commodity in short supply. Thus the demand is skyrocketing.
In this article, we will look at the top five desired skills and discuss how students and jobseekers can develop them early in the game—before they go off to college or land a “real” job, or even before they leave the house. We will also look at some of the fastest-growing, high-demand technical skills that can be added on top of the foundation of human skills.
