Helping Teens Choose A Career They Can Grow Into Financial Independence

As parents, we do everything we can to ensure our kids have a great life and the best future possible. However, today’s rapidly changing world isn’t the same one we grew up in.

Teens nowadays have vast opportunities that didn’t exist when I was growing up. Technology alone has opened up the world giving rise to a host of new jobs. Although most parents are still well-intentioned when it comes to helping their teens choose careers, the reality is that they don’t always have the necessary knowledge or resources to do so successfully.

While it’s still important to encourage our teens to make the most of their high school studies, we also need to do a lot more to steer them towards satisfying careers and financial independence.

Supporting Teens In Their Career Choices

Now that teens have a whole world before them brimming with options, as well as their own desires and interest to contend with, it’s hardly surprising that they find it difficult to pick a career. Their worry and anxiety about picking the right one further feeds their indecision.

The beauty of it is no teen today needs to pick just one. Few people these days stick with one career for 25 or 50 years anyway and it’s important to remind our teens that the choices they make today are not irrevocable. They just have to decide what interests them right now and then keep learning and growing as they go along.

Here are other helpful pointers:

• Ask the right questions. Instead of asking teens what they want to be, ask them about their strengths and interests, the kind of environment they’d like to work in, etc. These types of questions inspire introspection and urge your teen to learn more about themselves and what they have to offer the job market.
• Urge them to network. Writing a teen’s resume is hard especially if they have no experience, so urge them to take up part-time jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities. This is one of the best ways to network while building up a varied and rich CV which might pique a potential employer’s interest.
• Encourage them to remain open to alternatives. As I said before, the world is bursting with opportunity for those who look for them. If your teen doesn’t want a traditional office job, work with them to research viable alternatives such as entrepreneurship or online jobs.
• Nudge, don’t nag. Some teens might not be ready to talk about their future. In such cases, it’s best to give them space to figure it out while remaining open to dialogue.

Choosing a career is daunting especially for teens who are just starting to find their footing in the world. Your encouragement and support will go a long way towards instilling the confidence they need to become successful.