What does work actually look like? (Part 1)

Most adults didn't plan their way into the job they're doing now - careers are journeys of discovery, not predictions. This activity uses astronaut Meganne Christian's story to introduce that idea, and sets up an interview homework that bridges into Part 2.

This lesson is designed to be delivered in 45 minutes as a teacher-led classroom activity.

This activity supports the following frameworks:

  • Gatsby Benchmark 5
  • PSHE Association KS3 codes L9, L11, L12

This activity is suitable for Years 7-9.

This is one of two resource guides designed for Key Stage 3:

These guides are designed to be used in sequence. Part 1 introduces the idea that careers are journeys of discovery rather than fixed plans. Part 2 builds on a homework interview students complete between sessions, surfacing the same patterns in the lives of people they actually know.

Learning objectives

  • Students will understand that careers are rarely linear or pre-planned.
  • Students will be able to describe Meganne's career path and the moments that shaped it.
  • Students will be ready to interview a working adult about their own career journey.

Before the lesson

  • You will need a computer connected to the internet and a classroom screen.
  • Watch the Meganne Christian - Astronaut video and skim the Astronaut career page.
  • Print copies of the interview question sheet for students to take home after the lesson.
  • Think of a moment from your own working life - a job you did before teaching, or an unexpected turn in your career - that you'd be comfortable sharing with the class. If you'd rather use a colleague's story, ask them in advance.
  • Be aware that students come from a wide range of family situations. The homework is framed broadly so that any working adult in a student's life - parent, carer, family member, family friend, neighbour, or trusted adult - is a valid subject.

During the lesson

1. Opening question (5 mins)

  • Ask the class: "If someone asked you what job you want to do when you grow up, what would you say? How sure are you?"
  • Take a few responses without dwelling. Some students will be certain, others will have no idea - both are fine, and that's the point.
  • Tell students they're about to meet someone who didn't know either, and ended up somewhere she'd never have predicted.

2. Watch the video (12 mins)

  • Bring up the Meganne Christian - Astronaut video on the classroom screen.
  • Before pressing play, give students two things to listen out for:
    • How many different jobs did Meganne have before she became an astronaut?
    • What surprised her along the way?
  • Play the video in full.

3. Unpacking Meganne's story (15 mins)

  • Start with the listening prompts above. Build a quick list on the board of the steps in Meganne's career - engineering student, researcher, Antarctic scientist, astronaut reserve - and the surprises along the way.
  • Then move into the bigger themes. Useful prompts:
    • Meganne says she "didn't actually think of astronaut as a possible job for me" when she was at school. What was she doing instead? How did each step lead to the next?
    • Meganne wishes someone had told her that choosing the wrong subjects wouldn't trap her. Why might that have been a relief to hear?
    • Meganne went to Antarctica because she was "brave enough to take" an unexpected opportunity. What might have happened if she'd said no?
  • The big idea to land: Meganne's career was not a plan. It was a series of doors that opened because she followed what she enjoyed and said yes to interesting things.

4. The shape of an astronaut's job (10 mins)

  • Bring up the Astronaut career page on the classroom screen.
  • Read through the What you'll do section together. Ask students which tasks surprise them - most won't expect "package and dispose of waste" or "take blood samples from astronauts".
  • Scroll down to where the page lists the related subjects. Walk through a few of them and ask students to spot the ones they wouldn't have guessed.
  • The big idea to land: even a job that looks like one thing from outside ("astronaut = go to space") is actually made of dozens of different tasks and skills.

5. Your homework: interview a working adult (8 mins)

  • Tell students the next session will be about people they actually know, not just Meganne.
  • Optional self-disclosure: share a job you did before teaching, or an unexpected turn in your own career. This signals to the class that everyone has a story like Meganne's - it's just usually quieter.
  • Set the homework:
    • Each student will interview someone in their life who works - a parent, carer, family member, family friend, neighbour, or any adult they trust who has a job.
    • Hand out the interview question sheet - 8 questions modelled on the ones Meganne answered.
    • In Part 2, students will only need to talk about the person they interviewed and what that person does, not name who they are.
  • Quick practice (2 mins): ask students to turn to a partner and ask them just one question from the sheet - for example, "What does a typical day look like for you?". The point is to make the real interview feel less unfamiliar.

After the lesson