Are you worried about your high school-going son who is hooked on the computer playing Call Of Duty all day long? Does his disturbing routine of school-play-sleep bother you about his career? Well, we understand your concern.
It’s natural for kids to get carried away playing, spending time on social media, or just hanging out with their friends. But, this is only because of their limited exposure. However, as a parent can fix this by venturing into their career planning at a very young age.
For example, if Call Of Duty seems enticing to your child, check out if his interest lies in gaming, UX, coding, or other related areas. Well, this can be the stepping stone of their future planning. But, there are many ways to identify your child’s exciting career path and that’s what we are talking about today.
5 Top Reasons Why You Should Start Your Child’s Career Planning Early
It’s never too early to start planning your child’s career. Here are 5 important reasons why you should start your child’s career planning during high school:
- Your child gets time for “trial and error” of their interests. By planning at an early age, your child can venture into the field as an experiment and examine if their interest continues to remain in the same area.
- Your children get the time to explore the field and conduct effective research.
- They are out of the stressful situation of ‘deciding at the edge’.
- Your children will get the time to explore the possibilities of the various positions they can work in. For example, if they are interested in becoming a Pilot, starting early will keep them fit and focus on the skill they aspire to endure in the future.
- Starting their career planning from high school will give them a holistic perspective about the selected profession.
If your child is in 8th or 9th, they are at their foundational stage of building a career. This is the right time to direct their focus in the right direction. With early planning, their strength, exploration, and skills will be invested in becoming the best in their field. Because as the line goes … “The earlier, the wiser!”
Let's talk about the “How to start?” factor to career planning for your child.
1. Expose Them To Challenges
Has your child expressed interest in film directing or gaming? If not, expose them to various career options by briefing them. You can also do this by exposing them to various situations, challenges, and tasks.
For example, if your child is creative, try putting them in a position to come up with ideas for marketing. Or, if they are excited about mobile apps, push them to learn the basics of the programming languages on their own.
2. Jot Down The Filters
To successfully plan your child’s career, you need to be aware of your child’s strengths and weaknesses. As your children are in 8th or 9th, they might not be aware of things they wouldn’t be good at. So, jot the ‘no-no’s down’.
Along with that, assess strengths, have open discussions about activities they enjoy. Talk to your children about their aspirations, desires, and dreams. Have healthy career discussions with your child or seek expert advice in case you need a helping hand.
3. Seek Professional Assistance
At times, as a parent, you too might need extra hands and knowledge in certain areas. In such situations, you can seek professional help from career counselors to help your child choose the right career path. Scientific tests like an aptitude test, career profiling test, or personality-based career assessment can help your child figure out routes they might be unaware of.
Many Indian students after many years of their education realize that they had a better course or opportunity abroad in the field they are interested in. They are left with regret only because they are unaware of the universities and courses abroad. In such a case, you can talk to a study abroad expert to discuss the options available abroad that align with your child’s interest.
4. Communicate And Shortlist Options
Building a career is the decision of a lifetime. As a parent, you play a crucial role in putting your child's career on track. If you help them align their interests, and knowledge together, they are set to have a bright future. However, it is important to remember that it isn’t your career. This is why having healthy communication to cater to your child’s needs and aspirations is a must.
Talk to your child about their aspiring professions. Shortlist universities and courses they can look forward to. For instance, they can pursue Bachelor’s of Commerce, BBA in Accounting, Chartered Accountancy or Bachelor of Accounting Sciences. Help them explore the various avenues and have you as their guiding light.
5. Get On To The blueprint
Once your child has shortlisted their desired field. You can support their dream by framing a blueprint along with them. List out the best universities in the world and help them pursue their dream from the top universities. If you are unaware, you can also talk to a professional at Yocket to assist your child to study abroad.
Your child’s study abroad blueprint needs to include shortlisted universities, courses, exam requirements, expected financial investments in pursuing careers, etc. Once you’ve finalised that as a team, you can support your child to face the entrance exam and also, profile building.
6. Start Preparing
Getting a blueprint ready takes you even closer to career planning for your child. Once you have your shortlisted universities and their admission requirements ready, your child would need to start preparing accordingly.
For instance, if you have to apply to universities abroad, one of the main requirements includes providing scores of exams like IELTS, GMAT, GRE, NEET, CLAT etc. So, if you aspire to study abroad, start studying for the test earlier on.
There is another important part of the tale you mustn’t ignore. In case you and your child aren’t able to successfully navigate through your child’s career path, it is totally okay too! There are professionals who are experts in the field and will provide you with the best guidance. Your vision behind your child’s career is to guide, help and support them in the process of career planning. Let them be free in the process and that’s the start of embarking a remarkable journey.
To know a career deeper is to research effectively. The internet is one place to go, another is Yocket.
