When this popped up as a challenge my initial reaction was to think that this is an area of opportunity already filled with LinkedIn. Right? Personally, I have found it to be a great way to meet people professionally, I enjoy the articles posted there, and I'm always stalking their job boards. It's straight-forward to use and it's well established. Why fix something that isn't broken?

On second thought, I am not a member of Gen Z and my experience with social media is significantly different than that of current high schoolers. I made a Facebook account later in life, my technological abilities were likely less advanced at that age, and it wasn't my primary form of communication (especially right now with COVID). It's a very different landscape today.

With all that in mind, would a professional networking site specifically created for high schoolers be beneficial? Could it ease the stress of navigating what is suitable to post online with work colleagues? Let's explore.

From an initial search, it didn't look like there was a product or service like this that existed. There are articles directed at that age group that talk about the importance of networking, but nothing that provided a service or guidance on how. 

Specifically, in this article about high school students building their LinkedIn profile before they graduate they mention the importance of a digital presence. They encourage students to build an online portfolio and LinkedIn profile, but they don't give a good outline of what they should be posting about.

In addition to guidance on professional etiquette with colleagues who have more experience than you do, how do these students each other outside of their current network? Can they starting building their communities now?

This is an interesting concept to think about. How can we leverage the creativity that TikTok encourages, the personality of Instagram, but keep the respect of LinkedIn? These are the future leaders of tomorrow so it's essential to set them up for success.