Opportunity
cost
cost
You stay home to study for your math final instead of going to your best friend’s birthday party. What’s your opportunity cost?
Time and fun with friends at the birthday party.
You enjoy drawing blueprints and designing dream homes. Which career cluster suits you best?
Architecture & Construction.
Your teammate listens, respects ideas, and communicates clearly. Which soft skill is being shown?
Active listening or communication.
You’re torn between joining a free art club or a $20/month coding club. What’s the first step in making this decision?
Define the problem or decision to be made.)
You turn down a party to study for the SAT. Name the opportunity cost and a soft skill you're using.
Opportunity cost = social time; Soft skill = self-discipline or time management.
You spend your allowance on a new hoodie instead of saving for a concert. What did you give up?
The concert ticket and experience.
You love solving math problems and crunching numbers. Which cluster fits you?
Finance or STEM.
You know how to use Excel and type 80 words per minute. Are these hard or soft skills?
Hard skills.
You’re choosing between buying sneakers now or waiting for a sale. What decision-making step are you on?
Evaluate alternatives.
You’re offered two jobs: one fun but low-paying, the other boring but high-paying. What’s the trade-off?
Fun and passion vs. more money
You take a summer job instead of going to a week-long soccer camp. What’s the opportunity cost of your choice?
Time and experience at soccer camp
You spend weekends caring for animals and working in the garden. Where might your future career lie?
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources.
You stay calm and polite when a customer is angry. What soft skill are you using?
Customer service or emotional control/communication.
You can take a computer science class or a creative writing class. What factors should guide your decision?
Career goals, interests, skills needed, opportunity cost.
You’re running a volunteer park cleanup. What hard and soft skills are needed?
Hard: organizing tools, scheduling; Soft: teamwork, leadership, communication.
You join the school drama club instead of the debate team. What’s the opportunity cost here?
Skills, knowledge, and networking from the debate team
You dream of becoming a physical therapist and enjoy helping people heal. Which career cluster should you explore?
Health Science.
You can use JavaScript and fix laptops. What kind of skills are these, and why do they matter?
Hard skills; they’re job-specific and trainable.
One job pays well but is far away; another is nearby but pays less. Name two key trade-offs.
Time and transportation cost vs. income.
You skip your part-time job to attend a leadership seminar. Identify the opportunity cost and possible benefit.
Lost income; gained leadership experience/networking.
You take an unpaid internship at a law firm instead of working a paid retail job. Explain the opportunity cost and why someone might still choose the internship.
Opportunity cost = lost income. Someone may choose it for future career experience or networking.
You’re passionate about climate change, love biology, and want to work globally. Name the best career cluster and a possible job.
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Possible job: Environmental Scientist or Conservationist.
Your coworker always shows up early, completes tasks without reminders, and offers to help others. List three soft skills they likely have.
Punctuality, time management, teamwork/initiative.
Your school is deciding between upgrading lab equipment or the gym. What’s the final step in the decision-making process?
Propose and evaluate a solution.
Two job offers come in: one in your dream field with low pay, the other pays great but isn't your passion. Analyze:
Trade-off
Opportunity cost
One hard and one soft skill needed for each job
Trade-off = Pay vs. job satisfaction
Opportunity cost = What you gave up with the job you didn’t take
Skills: Hard – specific to job (e.g., coding, sales); Soft – time management, communication.)