HELP YOUR CONFUSED TEEN SELECT A CAREER FOR HIS LIFE’S WORK.

Graduation is approaching, and your teen is baffled by career choices. You’ve discussed this before, but he rejected your suggestions. You want your son to be happy at work, have a safe profession, and earn good pay. Is there a way to find out ahead of time what job will suit him more? Yes, there is. 

He can begin by studying himself before he tries to match a job to his natural inclinations. 

Start with the basics

Let’s start with his likes and dislikes. Your teen will be spending many hours at work. His choice has to match his style and personality, or he will be miserable. The checklist of questions is presented in the order of importance.

• Do you prefer to be indoors or outdoors?
• Do you prefer to sit for 8 hours, be on your feet, or mix the two?
• Do you like working with others, as part of a team, or alone?
• Are you good at following instructions, or must you be your own boss?
• Do you like adventure and change, or do you prefer your life to be predictable?
• Are you good with your hands and like to figure out how to fix things?
• Do you like to be on the move, driving, or flying someplace?
• Do you like to read a lot and learn new things?
• Do you like to teach others?
• Do you like working with kids?
• Are you a musical or visual artist?

Pick something that comes naturally

When choosing a career, it is also important to consider your son’s natural talents. What were his best subjects at school? Which did he enjoy more? Which interested him to the point that he looked things up on his own and read beyond the assigned work. Or perhaps he prefers sports. Many jobs require a lot of movement and agility so that you can use your body and mind. 

Your son will want to spend his days doing something that gives him pleasure and rewards him with a salary and bonuses. Picking a career outside his natural inclination or capabilities will frustrate him. Now, it is time to sort all this out and begin the search for careers that will suit his style and personality.

Sorting through career options

The first step is to review the 11 items above and find the words describing him. He doesn’t have to pick something from each item- just the things that apply to him and make sense. Please let him do all this on his own. He may surprise you with some of his answers. It’s not about you; it’s about him.

Use Google to find the career options and details

Your teen can use Google to help him do the sorting. Ask him to start with the statement, "Careers for working outdoors.” This will generate a long list of careers. To keep track of suitable careers, please create a table or Excel document with headings as shown below. Your teen can write each career under Career Name and look up each job description. If he likes it, he can make an X in the box for the Job Description; if not, he can put a minus. A minus will let him know to stop further research for that career. 

Please see the sample entries below.

To look up the job description, he can Google “What does a park ranger do in (state your country)?" Some job descriptions and salaries vary by region, so it’s best to focus on the ones where you live. It’s important to keep going through all the job types on his list. 

When all the job descriptions have been read and rated for X or -, ask Google about the typical salary for jobs marked with an X. For example, “What is the salary of a wind turbine technician?” Please write it down. 

Next, it’s time to look up the needed training for that career if it has a salary range written down. Your son can note what is required if he feels it’s in his scope of capabilities. If it sounds overwhelming or unappealing, he can make a minus sign.

What about all the other items?

He’s just begun the process. It’s time to make a new list based on item #2 at the start of this article: “Jobs that keep you on your feet.” I recommend that he look this item up, even if he likes to sit in front of the computer all day. It might spark some interest. Also, he might be surprised to find that some jobs he considered sedentary are quite active. 

Keep going over all 11 items on the list at the start of the article, the ones that are important to him. Ask Google what jobs fit those criteria, and ask him to add them to his list. 

Suppose teamwork is important to him. He can Google "Careers that require teamwork." 

He can Google careers for musical artists if he is a musical artist. 

Many young people are interested in video game design and being influencers. He can Google those careers for more information.

Skills and training

Here are some examples of how to Google the questions: "What skills are required to be a wind turbine technician?" "What type of training is required to be a wind turbine technician?" 

Does he possess those skills? Does he want to do that kind of training? The answers will give him more information about the job. Even if the salary looks good, he will cross off some of his listed careers.

• He’ll find jobs that he never heard of. One of them might be perfect for him.
• He’ll learn what people do in those jobs and their required skills. That career won’t be just a word. He’ll learn what people do on the job.
• He will better understand why some jobs pay more than others.
• Less training and less danger = lower salary.

Would he like to make this career planning exercise more fun? He can do it with friends.

Your son can create his future

THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT 

A quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln and Peter Drucker

Inspire your son to take charge of his future. This guide is just the beginning. He can explore, dream, and conquer the adult world by asking many questions. Encourage him to ask people he knows or strangers. They’ve been in his position. They will understand.