Who are high school students turning to for guidance?
We can all remember that time in high school when the future felt blurry and like an ever-moving target. And what was true for previous generations is now even more true for Gen Z, given the incredible amount of technological, cultural, social, and economic upheaval they’ve experienced since 2020. Further, in a world where the internet plays such a substantial role, the vast sea of information can often make decisions tougher. ‘Who do I ask for help?’ is now a question with a million answers.
To better understand how today’s students feel about their post high school life, we surveyed Connections Academy students. Perhaps most interestingly, Gen Z, the generation with the greatest exposure to the greatest wealth of technology the world has ever seen, is still completely reliant on their parents for guidance about the future. And for all the current popularity of AI, it plays virtually no role in how students are making decisions.
For instance, when it comes to making choices about college, 85% of the students we asked said that they rely primarily on mom and dad. The next closest answer percentage-wise was ‘other family members’ at 46%. Only 25% said that they would turn to social media.
Of course, the internet still plays a role: 42% of students said they use online sources and other forms of online education for help making college choices. But familial relationships had the clear priority, and digital or more remote sources were only a secondary source.
“CA HS students rely on their parents and family the most when it comes to their futures. Pearson has a unique opportunity to prepare these families with the information students want and need.
James Hammer, Futures Class of 2026
The data also shows that, for a generation often accused of constantly being on their phones, relationships with people are essential to making decisions and understanding the world. Despite the easy and constant access to a massive barrage of digital information and influencers, students would still rather talk to a real person who is present in their life. This is further emphasized by the fact that 56% of our students wished that their parents could help them more.
“Not only do CA students rely on parents and teachers, but they wish these groups could help them more when it comes to their future. With targeted messaging to CA parents and teachers, we can support the needs of students.
James Hammer, Futures class of 2026
In contrast, only 14% felt the same way about social media.
Which brings us to the next critical question. What do students wish their parents could help them with?
Figuring out what to do is the biggest challenge.
When we asked parents and students what their biggest challenges are when it came to reaching post high-school goals their top responses were:
46% said identifying what they want to do
42% said paying for college
35% said finding specific skills
26% said connecting with people who can help them
Note, here they could select multiple options. This graph shows where their votes tended to cluster.
Takeaways
So, what should we take away from all of this?
First, when it comes to big decisions about life, parents and students need to be working together. At Futures, we want to make that happen, starting with the all-important question, “What should I do?”
Second, students are in desperate need of more clarity. That won’t come with a one-size-fits-all approach. We’re committed to offering the widest possible array of resources to help parents coach their kids in the right direction.
Third, connections, skills, and experiences are key. A big part of these students’ futures will depend on finding and cultivating those relationships and skills that open doors to new opportunities.
Fourth, money matters. Across the board, students and parents need help with money—from how to pay for college to how to afford life. A big part of that comes down to finding scholarships and understanding earnings for future careers.
Fifth, students want to grow and mature. The past five years have been a real rodeo, and in many ways Gen Z is starting at a disadvantage. When they look for advice, resources, help, and mentorship, the last thing they need is to be talked down to.
Life, college, and career choices loom large for this audience. The decisions they make in the years right after high school will have an outsized impact on the things they care about. Our goal is to help students as much as possible with these decisions, and the value of our input will come down to how clearly we can point them in the right direction—towards real skills, real opportunities, and real pathways towards success.
Ultimately, the next generation needs reliable answers to their questions and the encouragement that, no matter where they’d like to go, there’s a route to get there. It may be unexpected or unconventional, but the truth is that there are far more opportunities to find a fulfilling career now than there have ever been. At Futures, we’re here to provide the map.
SEMI is the major industry association for the microelectronics industry. It represents over 3,000 high-tech businesses focused on creating a broad range of electronic products that we use and depend on every day. Microelectronics are the tiny computers and silicon chips (also known as semiconductors) found in ubiquitous items like phones, watches, cars, laptops, really any piece of electronic equipment you can think of. The semiconductor is essentially the brain of the device.
One of SEMI’s goals is to help electronics manufacturers and businesses develop the next generation of talent. Demand for microelectronics is massive, which means the industry offers numerous career opportunities for young people. The key is to help a new generation of talent learn about these many and varied careers, and to put young jobseekers in touch with the resources they can use to get a meaningful start.
Why it matters
Investments in the domestic production of microelectronics have grown tremendously over the past few years, indicating that many businesses in this sector are in dire need of talent of almost every conceivable type: engineering, production, construction, distribution, business operations, and more. Every major industry sector you can think of—from tech to communications to healthcare to the military to transportation to energy to manufacturing—needs LOTS of microelectronics.
Many of these businesses also realize that today’s junior high, high school, and college students are not aware of either the high demand for new talent or the varied and interesting types of work within the industry. So they are working hard to get in front of young people and raise awareness of these jobs.To get started, check out SEMI’s career site. There you will find:
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.
