High School Student Uses Flyers to Shadow Professionals
A 16-year-old student seeks hands-on career experience to better prepare for his upcoming college applications.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Teens
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Would you encourage a high schooler to pursue direct job shadowing to explore career paths?
High school junior Avi Lichtenstein recently distributed 300 flyers across New York City to secure job shadowing opportunities. The 16-year-old launched the project to explore potential career paths before starting the college application process.
Why it matters
Engaging in hands-on career exploration can help high school students clarify their interests before making significant post-secondary academic commitments. This proactive approach to vocational discovery allows teens to test real-world environments firsthand.
The project involved a grassroots campaign of 300 distributed flyers and a $500 personal investment to facilitate weekly shadowing sessions. It remains unknown how these diverse professional exposures will influence the student's academic path.
The players
Avi Lichtenstein
A 16-year-old high school junior who initiated a citywide project to shadow various professionals.
The details
Avi Lichtenstein hired two individuals via Craigslist to attach flyers to streetlamps throughout New York City. The 16-year-old is pursuing a schedule of shadowing one professional each week during the school year to gain direct insight into various industries. So far, the teenager has shadowed a dog groomer, a radio show host, and a ramen shop owner, while also drawing interest from an airline captain and a tattoo artist.
Timeline
October 15, 2026: Article publication date.
Health Landscape
This effort reflects an ongoing shift toward experiential learning in secondary education, where students increasingly seek direct professional immersion to inform their development. It marks a transition from standard passive career counseling to active, self-directed exploration of diverse professional environments.
Parents and students may find that structured shadowing helps reduce the stress often associated with the college application process. Families should consider discussing whether local networking or formal school-sponsored internships could provide similar benefits for teen career development.
The takeaway
Active exploration can provide a clearer sense of direction for high school students facing upcoming college decisions. Consider encouraging teens to reach out to professionals in their community to request brief, observational shadowing opportunities that fit within their school schedule.
Further reading
For more on helping students navigate career development, explore our Teens section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Business Insurance.
Live Poll
Would you encourage a high schooler to pursue direct job shadowing to explore career paths?
