5 steps for parents to help their children with early career planning

As a parent, are you worried about your child’s future? Does the child seem carefree and just whiling away school days without any focus? Is the child aware of various career opportunities that lie ahead? Has the child decided on a career and is he/she preparing for it? Here are some of the answers to all the questions, positive or negative.

Reasons why a child’s career planning should start at an early stage:

It is never too early to plan for your child’s career. With early planning, their strength, exploration, and skills will be invested in becoming the best in their field. As the saying goes “The earlier, the wiser!”

• Trial and Error: The child gets time for “trial and error” to find as per their interests. The child can explore the field as an experiment and examine if their interest continues in the same area.
• Conduct research: Children get time to explore the field and conduct effective research as per their interests.
• Decision-making: Children are out of the stressful situation of deciding at the edge and avoid hasty decision-making.
• Time: Children will get time to explore the possibilities of various positions they can work in. For example, if they are interested in becoming a Pilot, starting early will keep them fit and allow them to focus on the skill they aspire to endure in the future.
• Planning: Starting their career planning from high school will provide them a holistic perspective on the selected profession.

5 steps for parents to help their children with early career planning

1. Exposure to challenges:

Has the child been exposed to various career options? If not, by exposing them to various situations, challenges, and tasks, they can experience and understand and would be able to decide properly. If the child has a creative mind, try applying creative ideas for marketing. Or, if they are excited about mobile apps, let them learn the basics of the programming languages.

2. Jot Down strengths and weaknesses:

To successfully plan a child’s career, parents need to be aware of their child’s strengths and weaknesses. Children may not be aware of things they wouldn’t be good at. So, jot down the ones that don’t work. Along with that, assess strengths, and have open discussions about activities the child enjoys. Talk to the children about their aspirations, desires, and dreams. Have healthy career discussions or seek expert advice in case it is required.

Also Read: Top 10 ways to build confidence in your students

3. Communicate And Shortlist Options:

Building a career at the initial stage is the decision of a lifetime. Parents play the crucial role of putting the child’s career on track. If a parent could hand-hold the child in aligning their interests and knowledge, the child is set to have a bright future. Always remember as a parent that it is the child’s career and not the parent’s career.

So establishing healthy communication to cater to the child’s needs and aspirations is a must. Make sure the child is exploring different career options. Let the child have the parent as their guiding light and be supportive in exploring various options.

4. Get detailed information:

Career planning shouldn’t happen for a single career path. Place various career options in front of the child. Let the child uncover details about the career option such as salary, projected growth, and day-to-day tasks that go along with the job profile.

This step is often the most eye-opening. Encourage your child to interview, job shadow, or participate in an internship.

5. Start Preparing:

Once the child has selected a career path, it is time to prepare. Parents can help the child in identifying the relevant subjects that require focus to pursue the chosen path. Be it universities, competitive exams or qualifications required for a designation, etc.

Career planning has to start immediately and shouldn’t be delayed until the later stages of the child’s academic life. So, if the child is aspiring to study abroad, then they have to start studying for the requisite tests earlier on.

Parentsʼ responsibility behind the child’s career is to guide, help and support them in career planning. Parents need to be patient as the child may be opting for a longer route of self-discovery.

It may also be that the child may want to switch career options or make another career plan based on their evolving interest. Here the child would require support and guidance of parents to continue on the now chosen path’s learning journey.

Let them be independent in the process and choose a path that calls to them – that’s the only way to ensure they would achieve happiness and success in their profession.