As parents, we want the very best for our children no matter what. We want them to have the best future possible and we know that it’s us that will ensure that they get this. We want to encourage them to be as successful as possible in all of their endeavors – even if we don’t necessarily agree with those choices they make!
You are the person who is going to guide your children through it all, and that means that you are in a very trusted, very sensitive position. You are either going to make or break your child’s dreams, and this is what you want to avoid as you encourage them to do better than you could. So, with that in mind, we’ve got a few tips to help you to encourage your child to choose a career path.
How To Help Your Child To Choose A Career Path
- Talk. Honestly, the best way to do this is with good communication. Talk about jobs, careers and life early on and make sure it’s a topic of conversation without pressure. Talk to your children about what they want to do and what they are interested in. If they are interested in medicine, for example, you can help them to choose gynecology job openings as they finish medical school. You are a big part of what influences their choices, so make it a good influence.
- Engage With School. If your teenagers are in mainstream education, speak to their school about hosting a careers day, with mock interviews and resume writing advice. You can be a big part of bridging the gap for your teenager and for other teenagers if you get their school involved in helping.
- Work Experience. Whatever your child is interested in, help them to secure work experience when they are at an appropriate age. With your help, they can then network and choose new things to experience and know for sure what they want from their future career. Children love to be engaged – they’re very inquisitive creatures! Help them to engage in their future.
- Websites & Internet. Direct kids to the internet and show them how to research their chosen career path. They will love seeing how they can plan their future with the schools that they have in mind, too. They can see how the jobs are listed and what would be expected of them, and this can help them to plan accordingly.
- Volunteering. Encouraging your children to volunteer or take an internship is a good way to help them to choose which career is right for them. They may want to be a nurse or a doctor but spend time candy striping to learn that it’s not for them at all.
No matter what you do, you need to be supportive. If they choose a career that you wouldn’t have imagined, that’s fine, just help them to point them in the right direction and give them a nudge toward what they want. You can be their beacon and help them to achieve!