10/08/2026

How to Promote Careers in Aging

Six practical steps for introducing students to the field

Our Careers & Conversations event reaches students most effectively before they have settled on a career path. This guide outlines six practical steps for introducing the event, as well as fields in aging, to a peer, a class, or an individual student.

1. Start with the why. By 2030, more than one in four Ohioans will be aged 60 or older, and the workforce is not growing fast enough to meet that need (see OAGE Workforce). Sharing this context first helps students understand the importance surrounding the field before you mention specific roles.

2. Name the range of roles. Gerontology encompasses a wide range of disciplines, many of which are not obvious at first glance. Roles in policy, research, administration, culinary and environmental services, and technology all fall under this umbrella, which gives students outside the more conventional majors a way to see themselves in the field.

3. Point them toward a program, not just a job. For a student still choosing a major or minor, our Ohio Gerontology Programs page is one place to start. It lists certificate, minor, and degree options across the state, along with the programs accredited for Nursing Home Administrator licensure.

4. Offer a clear next step. A specific next step tends to land better than a general suggestion to look into aging services. Consider sharing our virtual event, Careers & Conversations: Pathways into the Field of Aging, directly, or set aside five minutes in class to register together.

5. Use your own story. A personal account of how you found your way into this field tends to stay with students longer than statistics do. If a specific person or experience shaped your path, sharing it can be more effective than any resource list. Our Perspectives from the Field page is a great place to start if you would like to read others’ perspectives, or contribute your own.

6. Make it easy to pass along. The share function at the bottom of our 2026 Careers & Conversations newsletter makes it simple to forward directly to a student, classmate, or colleague who might benefit.

Printable Resource

OAGE’s printable two-page resource, Why Study Aging? Voices from the Field (PDF), is designed to print and hand out directly. It works well at tabling events, advising appointments, or the start of a class session.