Every parent wants their child to grow up and accomplish great things. Whether they decide to become a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or graphic designer, the hope is that they’ll love what they do. Though a career path is ultimately the choice of your child, as a parent you can help provide the very foundation that shapes their future. By exposing your children to different career choices early on, it gives them a clearer picture of what they can become. Below are a few ways to do this.
Reading and Research
The internet is packed with information on career options. As your child starts expressing interest in a particular career, you can utilize the internet to help them learn more about the industry. If your son was great at drawing and also has a love for technology, you might have him do research on careers that combine the two passions like graphic design, web developing, white board animation, and others.
School and Community Programs
Both schools and local governments are doing more to expose children to various career options. From taking trips to local fire stations and career days to STEM programs and more, there are plenty of events that you could allow your child to participate in. Reach out to your school or city hall to find out more about events and programs and encourage your child to go.
Job Shadowing
Hands-on experience is often the best way to determine if you’d be good at a job or not. If your child is interested in learning more about a particular career then allow them to shadow someone who works in that field. For example, if your child was interested in becoming a civil litigation lawyer, you could ask someone you know if your child could shadow them for a few hours.
Day Trips
Lots of local businesses and professionals are tied to the community. They want to make a difference for the residence and will go to great lengths to help out where they can. You can take advantage of this by scheduling trips to these businesses. Find out when you can take your child to the library, police station, fire station, hospital, or other places of business. They may have an employee who is willing to provide a tour and give an explanation of what they do for a living.
Take Your Kids to Work Day
Every year parents are encouraged to bring their children to the workplace. This is the perfect time to expose your children to new career possibilities. It’s also a great opportunity for them to learn more about what mom or dad does every day. Bring them with you and allow them to shadow you and other colleagues throughout the day to get a better understanding of how each of your roles helps the business to function.
Educational Courses and Paid Classes
Whenever your child starts to express interest in a particular career you can enroll them in educational courses or paid classes. There are internet courses they can take to learn more about an industry as well as programs offered at universities and local businesses. Another option are paid classes where children learn skills that will guide them through their profession. For instance, if a child was interested in becoming a fashion designer, you might enroll them in sewing classes for kids so they can start picking up on the skills early on.
There’s nothing more that a parent wants than for their children to be better than what they are. The best way to make this happen is to start exposing them to the many opportunities that are out there. As they learn about the possibilities afforded to them, hone in on skills, and enhance their talents, it provides a solid foundation that leads to success within their career choices.