How can I help my child with making an informed career choice?
1. Keep their academic options open: In secondary school, the courses your child chooses can be important determinants of their future career direction. many adolescents are not ready to make career decisions in high school; others change their mind. Encourage your child to keep their academic options open by speaking with their teachers or guidance counsellors.
2. Find the right fit: In order to make good decisions, your child needs an assessment of their interests as well as their abilities and achievement levels. Report cards, test results and your child's teachers and guidance counsellors can help with this.
3. Come up with a realistic plan: Some adolescents may be unrealistic in their potential choices, not considering the competition, opportunities and their abilities. While it is healthy to dream and consider different ideas, at some point a realistic plan needs to be set in place.
4. Discover what they like: Providing varied experiences for your child offers an opportunity for exploration, building skills and developing interests. These do not have to be expensive, and could include exposure to outdoor activities, music, cooking, architectural tours, etc. The more they know about, the better informed they can be about what they like, what is happening in the world, and what career options are out there.
5. Learn about what you do: Sharing your own career journey and what you do at your job can be very useful. However, keep in mind that your knowledge of current work trends, as well as academic and professional requirements, may need to be updated.
6. Build flexibility into their plan: Life would be really easy, predictable and possibly boring if our first choices always worked out. You can help your child come up with a number of career options that would suit them.
7. Find the right balance: It's natural to be concerned about economic security, but finding meaningful work is also important for personal satisfaction. Some people have a strong desire to work with their hands, work with children, prepare food or own their own business. You can help your child find a way to respect these desires and also maintain financial security.
8. Research the labour market: Help your child find out about salaries, job prospects, and working conditions. But keep in mind that choosing a career based solely on economic projections and job prospects doesn't always work. There will always be events that are impossible to predict and that will have a major impact on the job market, whether they are due to politics, shifts in economy, natural disasters or technological advances. Choosing a career based on interests and reasonable job prospects reduces the chances that your child will feel cheated if opportunities are limited by the time they graduate from college or university.
9. Seek professional advice: A professional opinion is useful even if it just confirms a direction, and there are cases when it becomes even more important. These cases include, but arent limited to: high school students whose aspirations and plans are out of line with their academic achievements, undecided students in the last years of secondary school, college or university students who are still unfocused or dissatisfied wit their current studies, students whose plans rely on areas of weakness, and even those who dislike school and are ready to go to work without developing some marketable skills.
10. Find Counselling: High school students can consult with their guidance counsellor. College and university students can talk to counsellors at their institution. Other good resources include youth programs and employment agencies, as well as family and private counsellors. If you have an Employee Assistance Program through your work, this service could also be useful.
NOTE: Retrieved and copyrighted by: Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
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