Skip to main content

Explaining careers in computing for every key stage

Three primary pupils presenting an app design to an audience

Computing offers tons of exciting career opportunities – and can be the pathway to some jobs that might not even exist yet! But pupils in your classroom may not see how what they learn at school today connects to their future.

This guide supports teachers in delivering age-appropriate computing careers education across key stages 1 to 4. We’ve combined some fun ideas, real-world examples and practical strategies to bring computing careers to life, whether your pupils want to stream games or build interactive projects.

Not sure where to start? Our NCCE Computing Quality accreditation can help you to audit your school’s computing offering, and help you find ways to bring science and technology to life for pupils.

Why computing career exploration for young people matters

Whether you’re a computing teacher, a head of year or a careers specialist, there are benefits to starting discussions around careers in computing even in early key stages. Introducing career chats early and getting pupils used to connecting their computing work to the real world can:

  • show pupils the relevance of their computing skills
  • inspire motivation and engagement in your lessons
  • help pupils identify their interests and strengths

Career exploration isn't just for older pupils - it sets the foundation for enthusiastic, confident learners.

Careers in computer science at key stage 1 to 2

At this stage, careers education should focus on fun, fascination and connection – talk about jobs that will be familiar and relevant to pupils in this age bracket to start setting up the connection between computing and careers.

Show-and-tell: what jobs look like

Display photos or simple profiles showing a range of roles: coding a robot, editing a video or managing an e-safety campaign. Look for education-friendly YouTubers and influencers who talk about what their jobs are and create age-appropriate content that you can share.

Storytelling and role play

Invite pupils to imagine being a coder, game tester, or social media creator and present back to the class on what they do in a day. Use storytelling props or dress up to make it even more fun.

Use relatable projects

Build a class project, such as creating a virtual pet, or designing a simple animation as a class. Then explain how similar tools are used in app or game development careers.

Computing careers in key stage 3 to 4

From KS3 onwards, pupils should be ready to explore careers with computer science in a bit more detail.

Spotlight real-world roles

Use case studies or short videos showing data analysts, web designers or cybersecurity specialists at work. Frame examples with phrasing like: ‘Did you know code keeps your favourite games safe from hackers?’

Bring in guest speakers

Invite professionals such as developers, UX designers or community moderators. Even a short 15 minute Q&A can give pupils insight into daily tasks, as well as the kind of qualifications and skills needed. Our Computing Ambassadors are volunteers that can work with you on bringing technology careers to life.

Promote mini projects

Offer interactive challenges, such as making simple system trackers or digital badges. Link these projects to more advanced future career routes - for example, IoT engineer or robotics specialist.

Making a career in computer science engaging and fun

To spark interest in computing careers:

  • Gamify exploration: Create a classroom quiz like ‘Which tech career suits you?’
  • Career display wall: Feature jobs in computing, including streamers, esports analysts, and AI trainers, to show the breadth of possible examples out there.
  • Compute and code clubs: Pupils can explore projects tied to specific jobs like junior web developer or digital artist

These approaches help pupils relate computing lesson content to real world possibilities and consider future pathways.

Examples of careers in computer science

You can show pupils a range of fun computer science jobs using real-world connections – again, look for age-appropriate influencers or YouTube accounts that discuss their careers to help bring this to life in the classroom.

Streamer and content creator

  • Explain how streaming games combines coding (custom overlays, bots), video editing, community management and branding.

Junior developer or coder

  • Describe roles in web design, app creation or software testing, and share how pupils can start by editing simple HTML, Scratch or Python.

Robotics or cybersecurity roles

  • Explore how building robots or safeguarding systems from cyber threats can become careers in the future.

How you can embed careers in computing

Classroom discussion starters

Use simple prompts such as ‘What does a game maker do?’ or ‘How could digital art be a job?’ to kick off conversations and get pupils thinking.

Hands-on project examples

Here are a few fun, hands-on examples of projects that can help join the dots between computing lessons, and a career in technology.

  • design an app interface in groups – ask them which apps they’ve seen and used, and how they think people designed them
  • record a ‘day in the life’ video blog of a computing professional – let them choose something that’s linked to their interests, from eSports analysts to white-hat hackers
  • create a digital CV page that shows all of the transferable skills they’ve learned in lessons – they can also use this as a reference when they start putting together their own CVs for work experience

Careers fair displays

Set up a board inside or outside your classroom with roles, salary ranges, entry requirements and sample pathways. Include information on apprenticeships and university courses too.

What you can do next

  1. Choose a key stage to focus on, and introduce a single careers activity in your next unit - like a guest speaker or a physical computing project.
  2. Use the NCCE Computing Quality Framework’s careers education benchmark to assess and plan your next steps.
  3. Share success stories on your school website or social media to inspire other teachers and pupils.

Embedding career exploration through computing can transform how pupils engage with computing and envision their futures. By linking lessons to fun, real-world roles, you can support their growth - and build a stronger pipeline of future tech talent.