Most teenagers don’t know what they want to be when they grow up and that’s ok. Many adults are trying to figure that out as well. Sometimes, the process of elimination helps — what don’t I want to be when I grow up?! The American dream for many is to run their own business and you can help your teen discover their inner entrepreneur, and this might also help them choose a college, as well as help them find a career path.
Both of my daughters took a gap year before starting college to pursue their entrepreneurial endeavor and this proved to be an experience in which they learned more than they could from any business class or textbook. It also helped them decide what kind of college they wanted to attend, and even more importantly, helped them get into it.
Once they were in college, their entrepreneurial experience helped them get into club activities that were highly competitive. It also gave them focus and confidence when it came to deciding what they wanted to study and their future career path.
Discuss Types of Employment
If your teen has no idea what they want to do as a career, they might first consider the types of employment that are out there. For instance, although some teens might be happy with traditional employment where they report back to a manager and work up the ranks of a business, others might be more interested in alternative types of careers, such as those that allow you to be self-employed. Self-employment can be great for those that like to work at their own pace and who are interested in flexible hours. This can also be a great option for teens and young people as it can allow them to work on side projects alongside their main source of income. Your child might also be interested in starting up their own business or becoming an entrepreneur.
Consider College
Your teen should consider whether they want to go to college or not. Deciding whether to go to college is extremely difficult, especially if they are worried about being away from home or are not interested in spending another couple of years in education. However, some career paths require a college degree. Teens may not be aware of those types of jobs, so learning about different college programs and the possible carer paths that it leads to might be helpful. For example, your teen might be interested in colleges with entrepreneurship majors or in colleges that are focused on the performing arts.
Think About Their Interests
It is also important that your teens take their interests into account if they are undecided about what they want to do for a career. Although you might think that their interests are completely separate from their future jobs, this is not always the case, and having a career that you are passionate about can help you to succeed in it. For instance, if they are interested in sports, they might decide that they want to be a personal trainer, or if they love being creative, they could consider a career as a graphic designer, an artist, or a performer.
Accept Their Choice
Whatever you do, once they have made their decision, you should try to support them in this, as they will be the ones that will have to spend their time working in the job for the next 40 or so years of their lives. Once they have made their decision, you can then start looking into ways that they might be able to follow their dreams, such as going to college or finding work experience.
p.s. Related posts:
Indigo, Samurai and My Daughters’ Clothing Company
Teen Entrepreneur: indigo clothing co. co-founder presents at Entrepreneurship Day
My Daughter’s Team Wins BlueGreen Innovation Challenge!
RISD Industrial Design Students Win BlueGreen Innovation
Learning About Industrial Design
Design for Kids & My Daughter’s Mama Chia Design Idea
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Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
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