Find out how 16-year-old Max Charney is reinventing career exploration for himself—and his peers across the globe.
High school career exploration is broken.
Without discounting the stellar work that many guidance counselors and educators are doing at the tactical level, the systemic issues in our whole philosophy of high school are doing young people a disservice.
The push to attend college at all costs, the idea that real career exploration happens after graduation and the lack of hands-on, real-world career discovery has left many high schoolers feeling lost about their future.
But while 16-year-old Max Charney may not be sure about what he wants to do for a career, he’s not sitting back waiting for clarity to come to him.
Instead, he’s going after it himself. And he wants to take his peers with him.
About a year ago, Charney founded Career Chats, an organization that seeks to connect students with valuable career information directly from professionals in a multitude of fields. “I noticed that many of my peers feel uncertain about their futures, and I wanted to create a platform where students felt empowered to engage with professionals from a wide range of fields,” he says.
“I believe that hearing firsthand experiences and advice can make a significant difference in shaping our decisions and aspirations.”
Career Chats, which is already international, is just the kind of grassroots initiative that presents a very different picture of Gen Z than most people see. Far from being lazy, entitled or any of the other negative stereotypes out there, Charney—and many others in his generation—are already starting to solve the problems they see in the world.
I recently connected with Charney (after school, of course) to find out more about Career Chats and its mission of making career exploration more accessible and personal. Here’s what we covered.
A broken system
Charney and I share a deep concern about the current state of career exploration in high school. “According to the College Board, while 4 in 5 high school students have begun exploring career paths, 80% of students express a desire for more career exploration opportunities,” he says. “This indicates that the existing programs and resources are insufficient to meet students’ needs.”
Charney points to research by the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) highlighting that many students are not adequately prepared to make informed decisions about their future careers, often due to a lack of exposure to various career options and practical experiences.
The college push is another pitfall for many students. “The pressure to attend college without proper preparation leads to high dropout rates, with approximately 40% of college students failing to complete their degrees,” he says. “This suggests that many high school graduates are entering the next phase of their lives without the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed.”
What else is wrong with career exploration in high school today? “Many high schools focus primarily on academic benchmarks or achievement rather than practical experience and skill development, leaving students unprepared for the realities of the workforce,” says Charney. “As a result, students often end up in college degree programs for fields they are not passionate about or lack the aptitude for, leading to disillusionment and, ultimately, dropping out.
“This disconnect between students’ interests and their educational paths demonstrates the need for a more comprehensive approach to career exploration.”
Early success
The Career Chats strategy is simple: enlist professionals to talk about their experiences in their industry, record that talk and put it out there for students to see. There are also opportunities to do more direct mentoring. Although the experiment is just over a year old, so far it seems to be working.
“It provides students an honest look into what different careers are truly like, beyond the often idealized or simplified descriptions found online or in career guidebooks,” says Charney. “Individual conversations often reveal a personal narrative that includes both the rewards and challenges of their job, giving students a realistic perspective that helps them determine whether a field or path is a good fit for them.”
When asked about Career Chats’ results thus far, Charney says he and his team have already begun to see some promising early success stories. “One student spoke with a professional in the field of computer science who shared insights about their daily responsibilities and the exciting projects they work on,” he says. “This conversation helped the student affirm their interest in pursuing the competitive field of computer science, reinforcing their passion for problem-solving and innovation.”
Charney is quick to punctuate that Career Chats does not define success as solely about having all the answers, but rather, it’s about gaining clarity and insight into which paths feel right or wrong. “I think that this sense of clarity has been experienced by nearly everyone who has conducted a Career Chat interview,” he says. “By hearing firsthand from those actively working in various fields, students can refine their career plans and make informed decisions before committing to significant educational investments.
“This proactive approach will certainly save them both time and money in the long run, allowing them to pursue educational paths that align more closely with their career interests and goals.”
Enlisting the pros
Career Chats’ mission hinges on professionals who volunteer their time to give students the benefit of their experience. But the advantages go both ways. “For Career Chats volunteers, it’s incredibly satisfying to help guide young people in their career decisions because they can make a real impact,” says Charney. “Professionals often say that they wish they had had more guidance when they were younger, and this is their chance to pay that forward.
“Helping a high schooler avoid mistakes or missteps that they made—or opening their eyes to opportunities they didn’t even know existed—is deeply rewarding.”
Charney believes that mentoring through Career Chats also gives professionals a chance to reflect on their own career journey and the decisions that shaped it. “Many find that offering advice to younger generations not only helps the students but also brings a renewed sense of purpose and connection to their own work,” he says.
To get involved with Career Chats, professionals can participate in live virtual sessions or recorded interviews where they share insights about their career, their industry and any advice they have for young people. “They can sign up through our website or reach out directly if they want to mentor or offer internships,” says Charney. “Our goal is to make the process as easy as possible for busy professionals, allowing them to give back without a huge time commitment.”
Soft skills rule
Charney rightly recognizes that when it comes to career success, a person’s technical skills are only as effective as their soft skills (or as I call them, professional skills). “Many students focus heavily on their grades and technical skills, but in the workplace, abilities like communication, problem-solving, creative thinking and teamwork are equally critical,” he says. “High school is a great time to start developing these skills through group projects, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs.”
One of the most important of these skills, says Charney, is adaptability. “The world is changing fast, and the job you train for today might not exist in the same form in 10 or 20 years,” he says. “Encouraging students to be adaptable and open to lifelong learning is crucial. Career exploration isn’t just about picking one path—it’s about preparing for a future where career changes are inevitable.”
He also believes that there’s no time like the present to get started on developing these skills. “Too often, students wait until college or later to gain real-world experience in their field of interest, but starting earlier can provide clarity and direction,” says Charney. “Internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer opportunities help students learn what they enjoy and, just as importantly, what they don’t enjoy.
“Schools should encourage students to seek out these opportunities as early as possible.”
A better world—one career at a time
My exchange with Charney left one very clear impression: his generation is going to make the world a better place. In fact, they already are.
“By launching Career Chats, I hope to spread the message that career exploration is a valuable and ongoing journey,” he says. “I want to encourage students to ask questions, seek guidance, and learn from others. Ultimately, my goal is to foster a supportive community where we can all grow together and inspire each other to pursue our own interests and dreams.”