This study analyzed high school students' experiences with academics and careers in order to explore the main directions of career education for the high school credit system, which is scheduled to be fully implemented in 2025. To this end, 5,393 high school seniors from 1,595 schools in the first year (2016) of the Korea Education and Employment Panel Survey (KEEP II) were selected as subjects, and their perceptions were analyzed in four areas. The results of the analysis showed that the career field was ranked first and the academic field was ranked second among high school students' overall concerns. In the career area, it can be seen that students are considering college and career when choosing a high school program. In the academic area, students were more likely to have intrinsic motivation, which is having interest and enjoyment in the behavior itself, and identified controls that give it personal meaning. Based on the results of the study, the authors discussed the importance of improving the professionalism of career education and career counseling personnel in order to efficiently operate the high school credit system, finding ways to select subjects that match students' aptitudes and interests, and activating differentiated creative experience activities that can improve academic motivation.