Career Guidance for Pupils: When to Start

In short

There is no single right age for everyone; the process can start in lower secondary school.
Career guidance doesn’t hand out a ready-made answer; it helps pupils get to know themselves and their options.
The earlier planning starts, the more options stay open.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It sounds like a simple question, but for most pupils it is one of the hardest. Career guidance exists for exactly this reason: to turn a stressful question into an organised process of getting to know yourself and the options available.

What career guidance is

It is a counselling process that helps a pupil recognise their interests, skills and values, and connect them with academic fields, degrees and professions. It is not a test that “produces” a job title. It is a series of conversations, tools and research that lead to a conscious decision.

When is the right time?

There is no single right age for everyone. The process can start in lower secondary school (Gymnasio), with the aim of better understanding interests and options, and become more specific during upper secondary school (Lykeio).

Lower secondary: exploring interests and a first contact with different professions.
1st year of Lykeio: linking interests to academic fields and directions.
2nd year of Lykeio: researching schools, programmes and, if there is interest, studying abroad.
3rd year of Lykeio: final choices and a well-organised order of preference.

What it involves in practice

Identifying interests and skills

What do you enjoy doing? In which subjects do you feel you are “in the flow”? What tires you out? The answers give the first clues about the fields worth exploring.

Exploring career options

Many pupils know only a handful of professions, usually the ones they see around them. Exploration opens the horizon to careers they may not even have known existed.

Linking studies to career prospects

Every degree opens specific paths. We look at what is studied in each department and where it can lead. More in our guide to the Greek university preference form.

Counselling for pupils and parents

The decision concerns the whole family. When parents take part, with information rather than pressure, the process becomes calmer. Read our article for parents too.

Common mistakes

Choosing a school based only on entry scores or reputation.
Deciding at the last minute, without research.
Choosing because “my friends are doing it” or because “there are jobs”, without any link to your interests.
Ignoring alternatives, such as studying abroad.

The goal isn’t a “right answer”

Our goal is not to tell a pupil “what they should become”. Our goal is to give them the information and guidance they need to make a conscious, well-informed choice. See our career guidance service in detail.

Frequently asked questions

At what age should career guidance start?

There is no single right age for everyone. It can start in lower secondary school to understand interests better, and become more specific in upper secondary school.

Can career guidance tell me which profession suits me?

It doesn’t give a ready-made answer. It helps the pupil understand themselves better and explore different options in an organised way.

Do parents take part?

Yes. Counselling for pupils and parents is part of the process, so that the decision is based on knowledge rather than pressure.