by Kimberly Bartel, Manager
"What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“So, what do you want to do with your life?”
“You know, you are going to have to work for a living. What are you going to do?”
These are common questions, but they can be extremely overwhelming, especially for teens.
Preparing your teen for the world of work is one of the most important things you will do as a parent. But, how do you talk to your kids about making career-related decisions?
Career planning is something we have to learn to do and there is a vast amount of information on this topic. The information in this publication should provide helpful direction to you and your kids.
One of the best strategies for talking about career planning is to wait until it comes up in conversation and then take the opportunity to talk about it further. Keep in mind that many teens don’t want to have to think about working for a living, it can seem to be drudgery compared with their current lives.
Deciding on a career path is not always easy. It may not be a straight, planned out path. Usually it is more of a process that can start as early as a five-year-old saying she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She wants to be a teacher because that is the job she sees people doing each day. Talking about what you have learned from your experiences working can be helpful in opening up dialogue with your teen.
