As an adult and a parent/guardian, you can describe how you made the choices you did on your employment and career path. You know what influenced you and what motivated you. Your child will be facing some big decisions on what they will do once they enter the world of work. Your support and encouragement will be incredibly important and influential, regardless of whether or not your child is ready to begin thinking about career options.
A good starting point is to share your advice and experiences. Your child may not be that interested in your story, or they might think that you can’t relate to their situation. But it’s important to get the conversation going, and don’t stop there. It’s also important to learn about career opportunities as your child learns. Your child likely has different interests, and different experiences, that might lead them in a direction you’re not familiar with. It’s also important to be aware of what your child is or will be going through as they make decisions related to their professional future.
Use this website, and this section specifically, to learn what career exploration will mean for your child. Talk about your child’s interests and future goals and participate in their exploration. You directly influence your child’s work values and attitudes. By encouraging and supporting your child’s career exploration, you will help them prepare for the next step, set goals, reach milestones, and ultimately experience career success.
GETTING STARTED
Start early.
Career planning is a process that is unique to each person. Career awareness should ultimately start at a young age, while your child is in elementary school or middle school. This probably seems really early! This doesn’t mean your child needs to know what they will do. But, learning about jobs in the community and understanding that they will enter the workforce one day are the first steps in being prepared.
Explore, even if your child’s interests change.
In middle school, your child should start exploring their interests and abilities and begin thinking about how they connect to careers. Of course we all know that your child’s interests will change over time—sometimes drastically. But, this is a good starting place, and is actually an activity your child will continue through high school and the entire career planning process. We also know that youth may have ideas of what they want to do that are improbable—professional athlete is a perfect example. Kids can and should dream about what to do when they get older and strive to reach any goals they have. But we know that it’s likely they will end up doing something else. What all of this tells us is that children are uninformed on careers, and it points to why career exploration is so important.
EXPLORING & LEARNING
Learn about occupations with your child.
In high school, your child will start taking interest and career assessments. These assessments will help them learn about different career options based on their interests, values, and personality. They will also start to learn more about occupations. (Note that a job is different than an occupation, and both are different than a career. Make sure to take a look at the information in this section on the difference between these three terms.) Your child will learn about wages, education requirements, skills, and other occupation details and match those details with their interests and goals.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
Be involved as your child plans for and takes action for the future.
As your child identifies occupations they are interested in, it will be time to start thinking about how to get the education and qualifications needed to work in that occupation. Your child will start to plan what to do after graduation, whether it be continuing their education, entering the workforce immediately, or choosing a different path. This is a critical time to support your child. They may need guidance and help in making choices, setting goals, and preparing a plan of action. You may need to assist and encourage your child in:
Creating a timeline for high school
Selecting high school coursework
Being involved in activities or employment outside of school
Understanding graduation requirements
Being aware of college admissions requirements
Learning about other options such as apprenticeship, the military, or service-related programs
This is also a great time to start talking to your child about budgeting and finances and long-term career success. Career decisions ultimately involve evaluating three things—job satisfaction, lifestyle, and money. Your child doesn’t have experience that helps them understand this, but you probably do. Talk with your child about how these three things work together to determine satisfaction in career choices.
One thing to remember is that career planning is a process that takes time and effort. It can also be stressful if your child is unsure what they want to do or is reluctant to make such big decisions. Two of the most important ways you can support your child is by talking with them about interests, goals, and dreams and how they connect to careers and by discussing the importance of planning for the future.