Once you have validated your initial interest in a pathway through learning and identified one direction to prioritise, the next step is to test it in real or semi-real environments. This gives you clearer insight into what the work actually feels like day-to-day.

This might include:

• Volunteering or casual work
• Work shadowing or informational interviews
• Internships or short-term projects
• Freelance or small personal projects
• Simulated tasks or case studies

Experience tests

1. Choose 1 career area you want to test further based on your learning.
2. Identify at least one hands-on experience you could try (formal or informal).
3. Complete the experience and observe:
   • What tasks felt natural or enjoyable?
   • What felt challenging or draining?
   • Did the reality match your expectations?
4. Reflect: Would you want to do more of this kind of work, or does it narrow your direction further?
5. Repeat this exercise for other roles as needed, but use what you have learned so far to be intentional about where you invest your time and effort. Focus your practical testing on pathways you have already explored through research and learning, so your decisions are informed and targeted rather than exploratory at this stage.