Why career guidance matters in education
Published: 03:07 PM,Jul 18,2025 | EDITED : 07:07 PM,Jul 18,2025
It is the time of the year when high school exam results are being released and we hear celebratory cheers in homes. But amidst the excitement, an important question often goes unasked: What comes next? All too often, students are expected to chart their future pathways with little structured support. This lack of formal guidance is a gap in our education system that parents, educators and communities cannot afford to ignore.
Academic success is a wonderful foundation, but it should not be the final goal. A recent global study found that 39 per cent of teenagers are unsure about their future career paths as they approach graduation, largely due to inadequate guidance and overwhelming information that is not well organised. In Oman, too, we see capable students arriving at university or entering the workforce under prepared, often dissipating talent and potential.
Without career guidance, young people make life-changing decisions based solely on grades or, worse, parental expectations rather than on their own strengths, passions, or long-term employability. Schools focus on learning and development up to the point of university admission, but once focused on tests and placement, resources dry up. The 'transition phase' from secondary education to real-life becomes a bottleneck, not a bridge.
Career guidance is not just a helpful extra but it should be integrated into the high school curriculum, a standard part of every teenager’s journey. Evidence shows that schools offering structured career education see students who are more confident in their career choices, achieve higher academically and possess a stronger awareness of their future options.
Moreover, intensive high school career guidance significantly boosts university enrollment rates for low-income students by as much as 10 percentage points and reduces income-related gaps in higher education. Not only does this foster equity, but it also translates into higher incomes and better societal outcomes down the line.
The OECD, a global authority on education, deems career guidance essential for lifelong learning and employment success. Yet, in many schools, counselors are under-resourced, teachers aren’t trained and career planning remains fragmented.
Schools must become active incubators of informed decision-making. This includes, exploring strengths and interests through personality tests and aptitude assessments, career exposure by inviting guest speakers, hosting internships or industry visits.
Also structured guidance sessions that include guiding students through career frameworks and mapping options or curricular integration by tying academic subjects to real-world careers, showing students how what they learn applies beyond school.
Parents are often reliable confidants and studies show 90 per cent of Gen Z trust their parents most for career guidance but yet many parents feel unprepared themselves.
Parents and teachers can begin by initiating conversations: “What do you enjoy?”, “What do you see yourself doing?”, “Which subjects excite you?”
But without systemic support, good intentions fall short. Schools must embed career guidance into daily life, equipping students with self-awareness, job-world knowledge and decision-making skills.
The real milestone is what comes after the results are out. Let this moment be a catalyst for families to start deeper conversations, for schools to question if they are supporting the full educational journey and for community leaders to advocate for structured career guidance across our educational system.
Because when we support students to know themselves and understand their future, we empower not just individual success, but the future of a nation itself. If we want our educated young people to make informed choices, thrive in global careers and contribute confidently to society, we must fill this gap.
Academic success is a wonderful foundation, but it should not be the final goal. A recent global study found that 39 per cent of teenagers are unsure about their future career paths as they approach graduation, largely due to inadequate guidance and overwhelming information that is not well organised. In Oman, too, we see capable students arriving at university or entering the workforce under prepared, often dissipating talent and potential.
Without career guidance, young people make life-changing decisions based solely on grades or, worse, parental expectations rather than on their own strengths, passions, or long-term employability. Schools focus on learning and development up to the point of university admission, but once focused on tests and placement, resources dry up. The 'transition phase' from secondary education to real-life becomes a bottleneck, not a bridge.
Career guidance is not just a helpful extra but it should be integrated into the high school curriculum, a standard part of every teenager’s journey. Evidence shows that schools offering structured career education see students who are more confident in their career choices, achieve higher academically and possess a stronger awareness of their future options.
Moreover, intensive high school career guidance significantly boosts university enrollment rates for low-income students by as much as 10 percentage points and reduces income-related gaps in higher education. Not only does this foster equity, but it also translates into higher incomes and better societal outcomes down the line.
The OECD, a global authority on education, deems career guidance essential for lifelong learning and employment success. Yet, in many schools, counselors are under-resourced, teachers aren’t trained and career planning remains fragmented.
Schools must become active incubators of informed decision-making. This includes, exploring strengths and interests through personality tests and aptitude assessments, career exposure by inviting guest speakers, hosting internships or industry visits.
Also structured guidance sessions that include guiding students through career frameworks and mapping options or curricular integration by tying academic subjects to real-world careers, showing students how what they learn applies beyond school.
Parents are often reliable confidants and studies show 90 per cent of Gen Z trust their parents most for career guidance but yet many parents feel unprepared themselves.
Parents and teachers can begin by initiating conversations: “What do you enjoy?”, “What do you see yourself doing?”, “Which subjects excite you?”
But without systemic support, good intentions fall short. Schools must embed career guidance into daily life, equipping students with self-awareness, job-world knowledge and decision-making skills.
The real milestone is what comes after the results are out. Let this moment be a catalyst for families to start deeper conversations, for schools to question if they are supporting the full educational journey and for community leaders to advocate for structured career guidance across our educational system.
Because when we support students to know themselves and understand their future, we empower not just individual success, but the future of a nation itself. If we want our educated young people to make informed choices, thrive in global careers and contribute confidently to society, we must fill this gap.