Talking to Your Teen About Careers and College Post Pandemic

“What do you want to do when you grow up?” is a question they’ve been asked from an early age.  Industry demands change every decade. Looking at high growth areas such as healthcare, tech or environmental conservation may be the way that you want to start the conversation with your teen. Other parents may want to make college (no matter what) a focus.  Many lucrative career paths, however, are no longer requiring college degrees.  Trades and other training opportunities increasingly come as a result of experience versus degrees. So, when talking to your teen about careers and college post pandemic, it’s good to remain open to all ideas. Encouraging research through on site as well as online exploration is key.

Some Career Talk Guidelines:

1. Introduce the concept of careers as early as possible. Take them to work at an early age. Let other trusted friends and family take them to their jobs, as well.  Expose them to as many environments and settings as possible.
2. Encourage internships and volunteer work projects as soon as possible
3. Ask open ended questions about the future. What does your teen love to do in their free time? Might there be a way to build a career around that?
4. Provide support and encouragement. Remind them where they excel.
5. Collaborate but don’t direct. Do not speak for them.
6. Don’t pose ultimatums: they always backfire.
7. Encourage your kids to make the most of their high school counselors and other resources they can connect with and relate to such as Holistic Learning. 

Provide Empowerment Thru Self-Assessment

“Encouraging teens to explore career cluster information and aptitude self-assessments which are readily available online can be a great way to get them started on the path towards a fulfilling career,” according to Holistic Learning College & Career Counselor Jess Spayd.

Holistic Learning provides tutoring, wellness, learning strategies, career counseling and career seminars for students to explore at their own pace or in live settings. Weekly career seminars with leading experts from a wide variety of professions are available as well as interactive self-development workshops and facilitated future-planning sessions to aid with personal, academic, and professional growth. Group and individual sessions with experienced college and career counselors help give teens a sense of self-direction. This, combined with a video library featuring a wide variety of topics related to finding purpose and motivation in life, college, careers and beyond, can open students’ eyes to the countless possibilities available to them.