Parent’s guide: Charting out Your Child’s Career Path

Are you a parent struggling to figure out what profession your child should get into? Do you worry that you may be raising a wayward child? Do you wish to redirect your child?

Fear no more. Listed below are some methods you can adopt to help your child get a clearer picture of the path they wish to take. Start taking notes because these step-by-step methods must be done with consistency and on a regular basis.

• Make a few observations on which subjects your child tends to score well in his school assessments. It is likely that those are the subjects that he/ she leans towards with natural instinctual interest and that they will thrive in.
• Also note the subjects they dislike which tend to cause them to struggle. These are good indicators of the courses that should not be forced upon them.
• Listen to your child to find out what are the kind of topics that fascinate her/ him. Analyse them as they may shine light on hobbies or interests they are passionate about. Once you’ve identified these areas of interest, make your child research the different careers associated to it. They will then be able to narrow down on the kind of careers that pique their interest and which ones do not.
• Allow your child to learn and engage in new extracurricular leisure activities. Such activities end up teaching children other add on soft skills that can be handy in their future. For instance, Karate teaches youngsters patience and respect, while engaging in the theatrical arts can help naturally build confidence together with presentation skills.
• Avoid the herd mentality, wherein you are pressured by other parents to follow the commonly idolized pursuits rather than the field of interests that your child is uniquely designed for. Not all youngsters were meant to become doctors, just as not all of them were meant to become Sport Coaches.
• Avoid pressurizing your child whether verbally or emotionally, to take up careers that you were unable to attain. Your child is a separate individual with his own wants and needs and he should be given the option to choose his own field of interest. If he has been guided well, he could be on his way to becoming an expert in his career. With advances in technology; changes in the streams of education; and new increasing demands of organisations, youngsters today are presented with a vast array of career choices that could not have been conceived of, even a decade ago. Keeping such choices open to your child will definitely expose him/ her to more opportunities that match his/ her personality.

• Help your child work out a mind-map or draw up a vision board that maps out what their goals are and how they can be achieved. Following this, consistently ensure they stay focused on their goals. Regularly revisiting the mind-map or vision board helps remind them of their purpose and whether they have accomplished some of the short term goals or not. This step keeps them in check and prevents them from going off course.
• About the age of 16 or after, it can be beneficial to your child if they undergo a career assessment test, followed by career counselling with a professional. It gives teenagers a clearer picture of the career opportunities that are ideal for them. This further makes them take cognizance of their choices with more seriousness and enthusiasm. A good career counselor can even help the teen to realistically consider the possible courses they should venture into, in order to attain their respective professional goals.
• Regularly check in on your teenager and permit them to be flexible with changing their minds as long as they aren’t deviating too far from their ideal career paths. With constant changes taking place in this modern world, it may be a good thing if your child updates themselves on the current trends and needs of society and then finalizes on the vocation of their choice.

Choosing the right profession is definitely a challenge but if youngsters are given exposure to different types of careers or are permitted to undergo part-time training, they will learn more about their own strengths and weaknesses; and what they’re willing to adjust with in their future jobs. After all, making the right career choice is not just about the destination, it’s about the journey that gets you there. After having offered what best you can within your means, have faith that your child will make the best moves in their career.