Career Café: Location, Location, Location!

Career Café is an opportunity for students to learn about careers from individuals in their community. One of my biggest success as a school counselor has been starting a Career Café at my school. Students absolutely love Career Café, it is a blast to host, and it meets ASCA Student Standard in the Career Domain. Career Cafe can also be geared toward any level - elementary, middle, or high school!

I have gotten tons of inquiries and questions about hosting a Career Café. I am creating a series of posts to explain Career Café in greater detail and provide you with the tools you need to start a Career Café at your school. 


First up...

Location, Location, Location
The first step in preparing to host a Career Café at your school is determining a location for the Career Café. When thinking about a space, you want to determine how many students you will be able to accomodate in the space.

When I first started hosting a Career Café, it was held in my co-counselor's office, a HUGE classroom. Utilizing tables, chairs, beanbag seats, and carpet space there was enough room to accomodate about 20+ students at a time. 

Students at Career Café in my co-counselor's previous HUGE classroom/office. 
The speaker was a branch manager from a local bank. 

This past year, I hosted Career Café in the school library. I was able to accomodate approximately 30 students at a time. This setting was a little more comfortable for students.

Students at Career Café in the school library.  
The Career Café speaker was a police detective. 

When choosing a location, think about how you will set up the space for the actual presentations. Some presenters may want to use a whiteboard or SmartBoard for the presentation. The presenter may also want to use a PowerPoint or show visual aids. 

Also, make sure the space is a place where students can eat lunch (if you decide to host Career Café during lunch).

It is completely OK to start Career Café off in a small space and make it larger as you go! Finding a space that works for your students, presenters, and you is the first step to creating a successful Career Café. 

Suggestions of where to host a Career Café include:
  • classroom
  • school library
  • large group instruction room
  • large conference area
  • science lab
Have you hosted a Career Café? What locations would you recommend for hosting a Career Café?


Comment below, tweet, contact Danielle, or share on the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page!

Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources. Connect with Danielle via email, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.

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