Posted on | October 21, 2007 | No Comments
Careers advice is often given very little time in the school curriculum. As a parent, you are probably concerned about what your kids will do in the future. So many young people leave college with a huge burden of debt and then have difficulty finding a job. And quite a few end up in jobs they don’t enjoy, but feel obliged to take in order to pay the bills and pay off the debt.
How can you make sure your children avoid this situation? There are several steps you can take to help your kids make good decisions and find a career they enjoy.
First of all, encourage them to talk about what they are interested in doing after college. Then suggest that they do as much background research as possible. This will help them to see the steps required to reach their goal, and increase their understanding of what the job involves. Get them to look at related careers, if the one they have initially chosen proves to be unsuitable.
Once they have a firm idea of what they’d like to do, help them to find relevant work experience which will give them an insider’s view of the career. Alternatively, help them locate people already working in the field who are willing to talk to young people about what they do.
One crucial point - never try to push your own ideas on to your children, however tempting it might be. Think back to when you were a teenager yourself – the career your parents envisaged for you was probably the last thing you wanted. Even if you are right, keep quiet – let your children reach the decision themselves.
It’s also a good idea to expose kids to the bigger picture where the world of work is concerned. This is especially important if they are unsure about the direction they should take. Because we come into contact with a limited number of people, places or events, we have a limited knowledge of the careers which are available today. There are so many opportunities and with the speed of technology, so many new jobs appearing, that it’s impossible for even a careers advisor to keep up. But there is plenty that you can do to increase your family’s awareness of what is out there. Watch documentaries together and discuss the lives of the people in them and of those who are making them. Read biographies of successful people. Think about what you town or state is famous for and find out why. Look at the subjects your child enjoys at school and find out which careers are related to them. Do the same with hobbies and take this one step further by looking at everyone who is involved in making a hobby or sport possible, including manufacturing equipment, providing coaching or instructions – everything from the idea through to the end product or service. Get together with other parents and find out about their careers.
You can also help your children to find the information they need when they start looking for a job. For example, make sure they know how to create a good résumé and cover letter. The best way to get a job is to cultivate a network of contacts, through friends and acquaintances and by attending job fairs. Encourage them to start building a network long before they need a job. And when the time comes to start looking, help them develop a strong interview technique and good research skills. If you’d like more information to help you help your children get a good start in their working lives, sign out for our free newsletter and check out the Jobseekers’ Success Kit – it’ll help you too, if you’re unhappy at work. For more career-related articles, go to Career Change.
Popularity: 41% [?]
Comments
