You know how when your kids are with someone else or at someone else's house they are much more behaved than when they are with you or at home? I am not sure why this is, but for whatever reason kids seem to remember what we have taught them only when they are not with us.
Can anyone else agree?
The same thing is true when it comes to building a post-high school plan. You can talk to your teens and give them all kinds of suggestions and instead of rapt attention and eager discussion you are met with eye rolls, blank stares and monosyllabic responses. Yet, when they get together with a career coach like me they are all about their ideas and plans and have a completely positive attitude.
Does this mean you will never be able to help your own kids with their post-graduation planning? Of course not! Just like you can get them to do their chores without asking or picking up after themselves at home (an anomaly I know), you can learn how to effectively help them build their post-high school plan.
Here’s three tips for parents on career planning to get you started:
Start Early and Be Open: Begin conversations about the future long before senior year, framing them as exciting rather than stressful. Refrain from telling them what you want them to do, and encourage them to pursue what they most want in their lives. Start with discussing values, passions, and natural skills and abilities and work up to career identification, before ever discussing education and training.
Ask Questions, Don’t Lecture: Engage your teen with open-ended questions about their
interests, fears, and dreams instead of imposing your ideas. This is best done while teens are engaged in an activity. Focus on starting with one or two questions and then listen to their responses, allowing that communication to dictate further questions.
Collaborate on a Plan: While it’s true that teens are overwhelmed by the vastness of
career options available to them, it is also true that too narrow a focus can stifle creative exploration. Work together on creating a flexible plan that includes exploring different career opportunities. Use those potential careers to dictate pathway development including experience, education and training, certifications, and stackable credentials in related fields.
While I can’t guarantee this process will be conflict-free, I can assure you that these strategies are what I use with my clients to help them build a career development pathway they are excited to pursue.
Need some additional support? Check out these resources:
College Is Not Mandatory book (which has a full career-development guide suitable for any teen!)
ONET My Next Move Interest Inventory and Career Research site
CareerOneStop Career Interest Assessment and Career Research site
Schedule a free Discovery Call to explore 1-1 custom career coaching
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