Parents+Talking+Career+Choices_2013

As a parent, you play an importantrole in helping your child to makeeducational choices and careerdecisions. This role begins when yourchild is young—as they watch youand others around them take part inworking life.As they grow older, you can playan even greater part in guiding theircareer development and fosteringtheir optimism, enthusiasm, energyand curiosity. A lot of this relies ongood communication.This brochure covers practicaland beneficial ways for you tobe involved in your child’s careerplanning. It outlines currentinformation on the many optionsyour child will have when they leaveschool. It also identifies usefulresources and websitesStart talkingTake advantage of all opportunities to talk toyour child about possibilities for their future.Most young people respond well to casualconversations about careers, so be readywhen they ask questions about life after school.Your child probably wants to know how youmade decisions about your career. Be readyto tell them about your own work and lifeexperiences and the paths you took to getwhere you are. They’ll gain from knowing aboutyour different jobs, how you found them andwhether you liked them. They may also likehearing about experiences of other familymembers and friends. It’s quite possible youknow someone who works in a job or industrythat interests your child. See if they are willingto tell your child more about their work, and itspositives and negatives.Be ready with questions too. Ask your child ifthey have thought about different types of furtherlearning. Find out what their friends are planningto do. Ask if they have talked to their schoolcareer adviser. Ask if they know other ways tofind out more about careers or if they would liketo attend career expos. Expos are a great way tofind the education and training providers in yourarea, and meet potential employers.Think about your child’s experiences. Have theyhelped in or with your business? Do they havea creative hobby or a special skill or talent thatcould lead to an occupation? Have they workedas volunteers, held casual jobs or done workexperience? How did they feel about theseexperiences? Learning what they don’t want todo can be as important as learning what theydo want to do. So even if they didn’t enjoy anexperience, it is good to talk about why theydidn’t enjoy it.You can take this further by helping themto fully understand their interests, likes anddislikes, strengths and weaknesses, skills andwhat is important to them. Be sure to discussthe importance of gaining employability skills(see the checklist on page 6).And above all, be encouraging and supportive.Be positive about their ideas and chances offinding a satisfying career path. Let them knowyou believe they are a capable and resourcefulperson. This kind of parental influence can helpto boost your child’s confidence, maturity anddesire to succeed.1Parents Talking Career Choices