~Tushita Agarwal
Being a parent is a Herculean task. What’s more difficult is guaranteeing and securing the kids future and setting them up for an effective vocation. Guiding them to the perfect career choice, future financial security, and a decent personal satisfaction is a squeezing challenge for all parents.
As their legal as well as natural guardians, children seek their parents for exhortation, direction, and lots of advice. Similarly, it is the duty of every parent to guide their child in life.
Parents have a key task to carry out in the dynamic and the general career path their children decide to seek after. Now the question is how involved should they be in this dynamic procedure of decision-making for their children?
Would it be advisable for them to adopt a hands-on job? What is the best guidance that a parent can give to his/her youngster now?
Parents have embraced convictions about progress, how to be fruitful, and what comprises a ‘great job’ or ‘the perfect life’. Anything parents advice their youngsters depends on these convictions and their encounters.
A large number of parents try to shield our kids from the errors that we made – regardless of whether they were made purposefully or unconsciously.
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
Albert Einstein
It is true that they can have a certain degree of control to cast their children away from the mistakes that they did. However, the children are bound to commit errors and face a few hiccups along the way. As a matter of fact, these errors are very essential for their personal growth.
The best thing that the parents can impart is a developed and reasonable outlook, moral education, and giving their children the devices and means to settle on their own educated choices.
Respecting the child’s choices and presenting them with an environment where they have active control over their lives and career choices is a must.
Table of Contents
Important Factors to be Considered by Parents while Making the RIGHT Career Choice
The role of parents in the career choice of their children is highly crucial. As a result, they must consider several important factors that can benefit their child in the long run.
The factors that a parent must consider before guiding the child on a path to a successful career are as follows:
- Inclination/Aptitude
The child’s aptitude is a reflection of his/her character, qualities, and weaknesses. Consequently, a strategically planned aptitude test can uncover a great deal of data concerning the student.
This can help in taking an all-round educated professional decision.
- Interest
It is extremely hard to consume your time on earth working in a field that you are not keen on. Thus, the parent should investigate the premiums of their child and think about it while shortlisting career choices.
- Accessibility of the Course
The courses driving towards an ideal profession ought to be accessible effectively in the vicinity and ought not to burden the child.
- Well-Informed Decision over Group Mindset
It is extremely simple for a youngster to get influenced by peer pressure and the society. Thus they end up picking a career that the greater part of the crowd is selecting instead of the one which is best for him/her.
In some cases, even the parents get pulled in to a professional decision that is inclining. This ultimately results in the hampering of the students’ performance.
Thus, a parent should be knowledgeable about pretty much all the career decisions and only pick the ones that are the best for their kid.
- Scope
Career scope educates us regarding the different fields and callings that are open after seeking a specific course.
The bigger the scope, the better are the odds of finding the job that suits the child the most.
- Earnings
Regardless of whether or not the most significant, earnings from the career, i.e. having a high paying job holds a huge importance in one’s life.
No one gets a kick out of the chance to gain peanuts. The earnings should coordinate with the child’s desires and should empower a fulfilled and agreeable life.
The Do’s and Don’ts for Parents while Choosing their Child’s Career
This is a curated list of Do’s and Don’ts to help parents become conscious of their role in their child’s development.
Therefore, they need to recognize the following to understand their role in the child’s career choice:
Do’s
- Review the aptitude, strengths, and weaknesses of your child.
- Help your child explore her/his passion.
- Motivate your child to pursue her/his passion.
- Inform your child about all the career aspects.
- Help the child understand the work-life in the career of his/her choice. This experience can be gained by working in partnership with field professionals.
- Prevent the child from slipping into peer pressure and group mentality.
- Make him/her feel comfortable about discussing the career-related queries with you by gaining their confidence in you as a parent.
Don’ts
- Don’t control the choice of a child. Instead, direct them to make an educated decision.
- Do not harbor unreal expectations on the child.
- Don’t be impatient while dealing with them.
- With time, the career scope changes. Never try to impose the ideas or opinions that existed during your days.
- Do not misguide the child in choosing his or her career.
- If you are not sure about it, do not answer a child’s query. Taking time, reading, or finding professional help is ALWAYS OKAY.
- Do not allow other people (friends, extended family, or relatives) to influence the career selection process for your child.
The Final Solution
Parents’ role in career selection is crucial for both the parents and the students alike. Children’s stress multiplies when they feel an emptiness of guidance.
Children feel the need to express themselves and parents sometimes fail to understand that need, which increases the gap between a parent and the child. Parents thus play a crucial role in the whole process.
The key to solving this issue is to provide your kids with an atmosphere that motivates them to express themselves better and to listen with patience. The child may be wrong but it is the parent’s responsibility to reason with them rather than being angry.
Children are naturally impulsive. Keeping track of the changing interests of the child, and recommending career options that match their interests will keep both satisfied. Therefore, parents must realize their role as parents in the development of the child.
Demotivation has a highly detrimental effect on the mental health of the child. Thus instead of ignoring all the child’s suggestions, parents should work together to collect information about the career option and then help the child determine if it is acceptable or not.
How can Parents Impact their Child?
Parents are the natural role model for every child. Consciously or unconsciously, the parent’s behaviours, habits and characteristics have a huge impact on the child.
Here are a few examples as to how parents can leave an impression on their kids.
- Having a strong and mature relationship with the child.
- Setting a good example for the child (morally, personally, and professionally).
- Adopting and expressing attitudes, opinions, and values.
- Cultivating and setting honest and real expectations related to success, personal life, and responsibilities in the child.
Conclusion
To understand it better, the parents’ role in the development of children is vital to the future planning of a child, especially in making career choices.
As guardians, one, therefore, needs to understand their role and how crucial the role is in the child’s life. They must make the child open and aware of the different opportunities available to them in whatever career field they choose.
