So, What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

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Discovering Your Passions in High School and Beyond
Some Career-related Facts…
• 65% of working adults think they are in the wrong job
• An average American will make 4-6 significant career changes in a lifetime
• Most career decision-making is largely unintentional (accidental)
• 60% of entering freshmen have no career goals and no major in mind (undeclared/undecided/uncommitted). This makes them vulnerable!
• 80% of this year’s kindergartners will be working in jobs that DO NOT exist today

What Is Career Exploration?

Like nearly every young person, your children are asked this question repeatedly while growing up. Some are fortunate to know the answer, while many others are completely lost. If your child is one of the latter and he is unsure about what he wants, it would be highly beneficial if he would slow down, give it some thought, and take the time to get it right. The task of deciding what to do with one’s life after school is a fundamental one and, if it is not addressed properly and in a timely manner, will lead to struggling and confusion well into adulthood. That’s when career exploration and career counseling can really come to the rescue.
Career exploration is the process of choosing a career path that will fit one’s interests, personality, skills and values (basically it is matching one’s talents, interests and personality to the right career). The rewards of Career Exploration are many:

• It helps teens clarify their career goals, thus making learning much more relevant, meaningful and effective.
• It expands teens’ horizons. How many occupations can your child list and describe (there are over 3,000 job titles)? Career exploration exposes students to occupations they didn’t even know existed or have not considered previously.
• It saves time and money. When teens choose education that matches their abilities, they are less likely to change majors and more likely to complete their education. Others may choose areas in which motivation is lost once they are employed, which could result in overall dissatisfaction with their career and a constant “career drift”–something that could last for years.
• It provides a reality check. It helps adolescents learn about specific job requirements, pay, future career outlook, etc.

Career Exploration BEFORE College Planning… ABSOLUTELY!
Do you know that the number one reason students drop out of college is a lack of career focus? Even if young people do stay in college, those who lack career goals end up spending more time and money to earn a degree. To understand the many career opportunities available and to make wise career decisions, adolescents should understand the nature of career planning and the value of career exploration.

Unfortunately, this is often not the case. For years career counseling has been neglected by high schools, as school counselors have been focusing primarily on academic and administrative issues. While some schools provide some sort of career planning services to students, the majority does not recognize career development as integral to the school curriculum. Typically, random career services are provided on an “on and off” basis, leading to merely a surface understanding of the world of work. Consequently, young people often feel confused about who they are, what they want to be after their high school graduation, and how to relate to each other in this constantly changing world. Quite often, teens and their parents are also unaware of the labor market and occupational resources, as they are not readily available at school. As a result, many students feel alone in their career decisions, as many parents do not know how to approach topics as vast as career exploration. This means that students’ initial career choices can be unrealistic as they are often based on inadequate knowledge.

Rapid lifestyle and family changes create uncertainties not only in kids, but in their parents, who themselves are constantly struggling with the unpredictability of today’s labor market. It is also important to keep in mind that for many parents, a mid-life crisis and their child’s adolescence happen at about the same time, so both parents and children are going through some major life changes and looking for answers. The good news is that helping your child with evaluating his career choices will also help parents clarify their own work and life values and answer many questions of their own.

The World of Work Has Changed Dramatically…
If you think back on your own career, you might find that you did not do much planning or that your own parents were not really involved. Even just 15 years ago, the need for career planning was not so urgent. But the world of work has changed a lot since then and will continue to change at an even more rapid rate. The job market is vastly different now than even a couple of years ago. So today’s young people don’t have a choice but to take full responsibility for planning and managing their careers.

So How Do You Get Started With Career Exploration?
Self Exploration = Get to Know Yourself. You can’t find a career unless you know what you’re looking for. So doing true “grown up” work means finding out who you are and what you really enjoy. How well do you know yourself – have you ever wondered? What makes you unique? What drives you, disappoints you, what do you value and what is totally unacceptable in your surroundings and relationships? If you are uncertain, the best approach is to assess your skills, personality, interests and values. Knowing yourself and being honest about your strengths and weaknesses will help you focus and will give you the confidence to move forward.
1. Occupational Exploration = Get to Know the Job Market. Research occupations that you might like. Find out more about the nature of the jobs that interest you, such as educational requirements, salary, working conditions, future outlook, and anything else that can help you narrow your career list.
2. Compare and match your skills, talents and interests with the occupations you’ve selected. The career that matches your skills, interests, and personality the closest may be the career for you.
3. Do a Reality Check
Try new career experiences before making a commitment. Workplace field trips, internships, job shadowing, volunteering and other career experiences allow teenagers to gain a realistic look at the careers of their interest.
3. Select a Major. Once you’ve decided what occupations match up best with you, select a Major that offers a college degree that best meets your career goal and financial needs.
To Be Continued…
To find out more about the topic of Career Exploration, please join us on Wednesday, December 8th at 7 p.m. (room G-100). To reserve a spot call (650)223-8621 To contact Elena directly please e-mail collegepathway@gmail.com