How to guide early career revelations
My 14-year-old daughter, Louisa, has so many interests that it’s often difficult for me to keep up with her latest. When she told me last spring that she thought she’d like to work for an animation studio one day, I wasn’t sure if it was a passing thought inspired by her enjoyment of watching The Princess and the Frog, or if she’d had a true career revelation.
In a happy coincidence, a relative of mine owns a commercial animation studio in Minneapolis. When Louisa’s interest persisted, we arranged for her to spend a few hours at the studio one day, and the hands-on experience was one of the highlights of her summer.
Will she become an animator? I don’t know. What was important to me was that she had the chance to explore an interest and see how it translates into an occupation. As I learned from talking to a couple of college career advisers, it’s not too soon for my ninth-grade daughter to begin exploring her career options.
“The earlier students start thinking about this, and the earlier parents begin to nudge their kids — in a nice way, not in a hassling way — the better,” says Gary Donovan, director of Career Services at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Donovan says parents should try to empower their kids to be independent thinkers and provide encouragement as they explore different career fields.
“If parents can do that by being nonjudgmental, that’s great; that doesn’t always happen,” he says.
Assisting with aspiration
Denise Ward, director of the Macalester College Career Development Center, agrees that parents are influential in shaping their children’s career aspirations. Because of that, she says they should be aware of any contradictions they may convey — for example, by saying that working in a nonprofit agency is admirable while noting that the pay is low and the hours are long.
Ward says the most important thing parents can do early in the process is to help their students figure out their strengths and passions. Once students have identified areas of interest, they can apply for a part-time job or internship that employs those interests, or talk to someone who has a related career.
“Many parents will say, ‘We don’t want you to have to work, we want you to be engaged in sports and extracurricular activities.’ I’d say the opportunity to experience employment or internships is just as important as participation in a school organization or activity. They learn so much,” she says.
Parents can direct students to career resources available at their high school counseling office, through online sites like ISEEK, which focuses on Minnesota resources, through college career sites, or through the websites of professions they’re considering.
Ward encourages parents to listen to their children’s ideas and ask questions, but not feel like they have to have all the answers, or make the decisions for their child.
“The student has to own the decision and the process,” she says. “It’s easy, if someone is telling them what to do and it doesn’t work out, to point a finger, instead of putting in the time and effort and energy to make it work.”
Today’s teens are entering a workplace that’s not only much different from the one their parents encountered, it’s different from what it was even three years ago, due to the globalization of the economy and changes in industry and technology. Because of this, Donovan says, young people should view career development as a lifelong journey, not a process determined by one decision.
“If we can teach our young people to navigate that process when they experience these changes, they’ll be quicker to adapt,” he says.
I think it’s exciting to watch Louisa develop interests that could lead to a career. She might change her mind several times in the next few years, or she may continue to pursue experiences that will lead her into the field of animation. She might choose a career that doesn’t yet exist. Whatever she decides to do, I’m glad to be part of the adventure.
— When she was in kindergarten, Joy Riggs wanted to be a librarian.
Resources
ISEEK
Minnesota’s career, education and job resource
iseek.org
CollegeBoard Education
Pays report
trends.collegeboard.org/
Macalester Career
Development Center
Parent Guide
macalester.edu/cdc/family.html
University of Minnesota
Morris Career Services
Parents page
morris.umn.edu/services/
career/parents.php
