“The reality is that most parents feel out of their depth when advising their children about which career path to take. Many parents are also only comfortable discussing careers they are already familiar with. Often the discovery process of choosing a career path becomes a forced event, and not an inspired expedition that stimulates your child to think seriously about their future career aspirations. However, it is possible to engage children properly to get them to think about realistic career goals,” says Natalie Rabson, Marketing Manager at Boston City Campus & Business College.
Boston offers the following simple tips and advice that will help your child choose the right career path:
As a parent you need to always be aware of your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses. Children who find certain subjects less stimulating than others often struggle in a related career. For example, if they battle with courses related to mathematics, it’s likely that they will not be inspired by careers in accounting, finance or any other discipline that requires advanced understanding of math. Knowing their strengths will therefore help you chart them into professions that go along with their passions.
Also don’t leave it to a later stage to have your child complete a thorough assessment of his or her skills, interests, values and personality traits. A trained professional such as a school guidance counsellor or career counsellor will need to interpret the results, thereby helping your child understand what the results mean and how they can be used in exploring career options and making the right career choice.
It’s as important to keep your child’s academic options open. Course choices at secondary school level are a determinant of a future career direction. Many learners are either not ready to make career decisions in high school or are quick to change their minds. Open discussions with your child’s teachers are vital in this regard.
Help your child find out about salaries, job prospects and working conditions by reading the job classifieds, visiting recruitment agents and finding job shadow opportunities. Don’t encourage choosing a career based solely on economic projections and job prospects – interests and talents must be included in the equation. The work market is a shifting, dynamic terrain, filled with events that are impossible to predict – whether they are due to politics, changes in the economy, natural disasters or technological advances. Rather encourage your child to choose a career based on interests and reasonable job prospects. This will encourage your child to make a lateral change if opportunities have shifted by the time they graduate from college or university.
Your job as a parent is to suggest - not impose. Avoid shooting down ideas they may have about their future careers. If you react negatively, you might shut down the whole exploration process. Therefore, it is important to keep the lines of communication open. Remember, as a parent, you’ve now become an observer rather than a participant. Your role has now changed to one of asking the questions, and letting them look for the answers. The best you can do is to ask what they love and how they can make that a career.
As a parent it is also important that you try and remain impartial. Encourage individuality from an early age and be careful that you don't unintentionally pressurise your child to realise your own unfulfilled ambitions. They may not be suited to the career you once dreamed of, respect their individuality and allow them the freedom and space to live their own life.
Times have changed and thanks to the prominence of the Internet, children these days are more informed about the ins and outs of the world – including new careers that parents may not have heard of or may not have considered viable career options. Ultimately, parents should be more involved and supportive and assume the role of an advisor.
With a footprint of more than 40 campuses across the country, Boston makes the access to career assessments so much easier. Rabson therefore recommends that parents encourage their children to take the Boston career compass assessment to give them a clearer picture of what career paths are best suited for them – this becomes an eye-opening experience for both the learner as well as the parent.
For more information on the Boston career compass assessment or course enquiries visit www.boston.co.za or call 011 551 2000.
Students that apply for admission at Boston City Campus & Business College will get a response to their applications within two working days. And those that apply long in advance for their 2016 studie…
Read more »
