Before discussing what do your kids want to pursue let’s focus on this question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Have you ever been asked that question? What was your answer?
You might have said – a firefighter, a dancer, a policeman, a professional actor, a doctor, or a teacher. Parents and teachers who ask this question to the children will tell you that very few kids express their interest in being an investment banker, an administrative assistant, a market researcher, or a database administrator.
Why does this happen? We know that billions of people in this world do all different sorts of jobs but we might only know the jobs and people we encounter in our daily life. We might be familiar with the jobs our parents, friends, relatives or people around us do. That’s what the current generation feels too.
Our full-time job is important as we have to support ourselves and our family in future. It is important to choose a career path which can give your students satisfaction and cater to all their needs in life. They need to find where their happiness lies and they should link it with their career path to get the fulfilment of life.
You are a career counsellor and it’s important that your students have to investigate and be curious about all kinds of careers. There is a possibility that their perfect job might be something they have never heard of. There are endless possibilities in this world. Their future would be based on the planning and work they choose today.
Many students find their passion while they are in secondary school and choose their stream on the basis of their likes and interests but some students are confused about their choices and cannot figure out the best for them. This article may help you in assisting your students with the right career choice.
What do Your Kids Want to Pursue
Do we give importance to success or happiness?
We have to differentiate between hobby and interest. Hobbies are the activities which we do for pleasure or relaxation. It can be done according to one’s own leisure time. But if we want to take it to the next level or we want to get the mastery for the same by upskilling, it’s necessary to come out of the comfort zone.
A career that can give your students happiness can be a hobby that they can upskill and carry throughout their lives. There are some career options that can give them success but if they are not happy with the work they do, that success won’t last.
How to decide what is best for your kids?
This is very important to understand that as parents we should not push the boundaries that ultimately lead to stress or disappointment for a child. We have many examples in our society where a Doctor wants his/her child to join the medical field. If the child has some other skills or interests, he/she won’t get encouragement from parents and society.
We need to observe, understand and analyze the interest and potential of our kids in order to help them in setting their future career goals. We need to identify what the child is good at as it is possible that the career that he was thinking about at a very young age may not be his interest anymore.
We need to provide an open environment where kids can explore and express their thoughts and feelings. We should focus more on skills than a set curriculum for all-around development and open-mindedness of the child. There are so many challenges that kids would face while they grow up and we need to prepare them best for their future.
The correct approach to deciding on a career
We have scientific ways to decide on a career and people who help for the same are career counsellors. Students can opt for Psychometric Tests to know about their personalities, interests etc. Accordingly, they can plan their future goals and make a proper career path for the same. There are some preparations which can be done at an earlier stage like building a suitable profile for a desired course or research for non-conventional career options.
Support and believe in the child
We need to always believe in our kids. Our trust can give them the strength to do their best in the field which they are good at and love the most. Our motivation and guidance will help them to explore and understand the challenges of life and their positive approach toward the future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: When shall we seek career counsellors’ help?
Answer: You should start early as soon as your child is in middle school. Professional help will always be beneficial to decide a goal, and a pathway to achieve it. Thus, you and your child are able to make informed choices.
Question: What is career assessment?
Answer: A career assessment gives information about careers and helps one make wise career-related decisions. It is different from regular tests as it has all questions related to aptitude, personality, interests, and more.
Hopefully, you have got the answer to this question “What do Your Kids Want to Pursue?”. If your kids/ students are not clear about what they should pursue as a career, this blog may help. Read all the aspects and factors and accordingly help them find their niche.
If you like helping students in making informed career decisions, congratulations, you are a career counsellor by heart! As the next step, all you need to do is get training from Asia’s 1st comprehensive online program for individuals passionate about career counselling, the Global Career Counsellor Program. This is the most trusted online career counselling course. Over 6500 professionals have got themselves trained with the Global Career Counsellor Program by Univariety in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension. What are you waiting for?
Supriya Khandelwal
Supriya Khandelwal is a trained Global Career Counsellor with eight years of experience in teaching and counselling. Currently, she is working as a career counsellor with ed-tech start-ups. Along with helping students in academics, she loves helping students choose the best career path.
