Recently, a stranger told me his grandson was about to graduate from high school. He said, “I told him he needs to go to college and he should definitely be an engineer. Being an engineer is a great profession. Don’t you think he should be an engineer?”
“I’ve never met your grandson, and without knowing who he is, what his strengths are, and what he’s passionate about, I can’t say what career he would enjoy. I think it's great when people choose a career where their strengths and passions combine,” I said.
He cocked his head sideways at me. “Hmmmph,” he scoffed. “Passion. Nobody’s passionate about their job. A job is a job,” he ranted.
I smiled at him, and politely disagreed, telling him that it is possible to do work you absolutely love.
When it comes to choosing a career, people are given all kinds of awful advice, including:
"Choose the prestigious career."
“Choose the career that will give you the most money.”
“Choose the safe path.”
“A job is just a job. Work isn’t meant to be fulfilling.”
“So-and-so likes her job, so you should do that too.” Or, the opposite: “So-and-so hates his job, so you should never do that.”
We spend many hours each week, decade after decade, doing work. Doing work you love makes life much more fulfilling. Therefore, it’s imperative we do a good job of guiding and encouraging our children in their quest to find and do work they love.
According to this article, 80 percent of college students in the United States change their major at least once. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that college students change their major at least three times on average during their college career. Choosing a major, and changing it multiple times, can be a stressful time for students.
When students are in college, they frequently don't have the life experiences or self-knowledge yet to choose a career path that will best fit them.
Thankfully, there are some things you can do to help your child navigate these decisions.
Here are some tips to help your child choose a career.
Have them take the strengths assessment in the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. Pay attention to what comes easily to them that others seem to struggle with. Having a great understanding of their innate strengths will enable you to help them maximize these strengths. Also, help them figure out what lights them up.
“I’ve never met your grandson, and without knowing who he is, what his strengths are, and what he’s passionate about, I can’t say what career he would enjoy. I think it's great when people choose a career where their strengths and passions combine,” I said.
He cocked his head sideways at me. “Hmmmph,” he scoffed. “Passion. Nobody’s passionate about their job. A job is a job,” he ranted.
I smiled at him, and politely disagreed, telling him that it is possible to do work you absolutely love.
When it comes to choosing a career, people are given all kinds of awful advice, including:
"Choose the prestigious career."
“Choose the career that will give you the most money.”
“Choose the safe path.”
“A job is just a job. Work isn’t meant to be fulfilling.”
“So-and-so likes her job, so you should do that too.” Or, the opposite: “So-and-so hates his job, so you should never do that.”
We spend many hours each week, decade after decade, doing work. Doing work you love makes life much more fulfilling. Therefore, it’s imperative we do a good job of guiding and encouraging our children in their quest to find and do work they love.
According to this article, 80 percent of college students in the United States change their major at least once. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that college students change their major at least three times on average during their college career. Choosing a major, and changing it multiple times, can be a stressful time for students.
When students are in college, they frequently don't have the life experiences or self-knowledge yet to choose a career path that will best fit them.
Thankfully, there are some things you can do to help your child navigate these decisions.
Here are some tips to help your child choose a career.
1. Resist treating your child as an extension of you
Your child is a unique individual. They are not you. The things that might drive you absolutely crazy about a certain job might be the things they absolutely love doing. Resist the urge to tell your child to avoid a certain path just because it’s something that doesn’t interest you. Your child might not be interested in attending your alma mater or doing the work you do.2. Help your child discover their strengths and passions
Encourage your child to visit with a career counselor to take aptitude tests. The Myers-Briggs test, Strong Inventory, and Holland Code were three of the tests I found beneficial when redesigning my career path. While I don't recommend basing huge decisions off of one test, I do believe it's very beneficial to take a variety of assessments and look for patterns among the results. If your child is interested in a career that doesn't appear to line up with their natural strengths, that doesn't mean you need to immediately rule out that option as a career. Instead, brainstorm how your child could bring their innate strengths to that field. Their uncommon perspective and strengths in that field could allow them to make a very unique, valuable contribution.Have them take the strengths assessment in the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. Pay attention to what comes easily to them that others seem to struggle with. Having a great understanding of their innate strengths will enable you to help them maximize these strengths. Also, help them figure out what lights them up.