Career exploration has become a major focus for students and educators, with many FFA members using classroom activities, projects and competitions to discover new pathways. The National FFA Organization also helps make the transition from the blue jacket to the workplace easier with its AgExplorer platform.
In a recent interview with FFA Live!, Megan McGrady, manager of the National FFA education development team, shared the platform’s benefits and features.
“AgExplorer is a great career tool for teachers and students to use in the classroom to give them a really broad look at the agricultural careers that exist within the industry,” she says.
According to McGrady, the MyCareer Quiz on AgExplorer matches students with potential career paths based on their personalities. “They answer questions like, ‘Do you like to work inside or outside?’ and ‘Do you prefer collaboration or independence?’” she adds.
Based on responses to these questions, the quiz “weeds down what they’d be most destined for,” McGrady says, and presents four or five matching careers. Students who already know their interests can explore 12 focus areas, ranging from agribusiness and education to animal science and technical systems.
“Animals are one of our most popular,” McGrady says. “If you know you want to work with animals, you can start in animal systems and kind of dig down deep into what some of those pieces might be.”
The site also features Virtual Field Trips that connect students with major agricultural companies, some of which are National FFA corporate partners. McGrady says that these tours are “an amazing way for students to really get behind the scenes.”
Educators can benefit, too. A resources tab offers free, ready-to-use lesson plans, activities and standards-based materials. “Teachers really love that it introduces careers in an interactive way,” McGrady says.
McGrady and her team are continuing to expand AgExplorer to include up to 60 new careers, new field trips and middle school-focused tools. Visit AgExplorer to start diving into these opportunities — and those to come in the future.
