HOW TO HELP YOUR KID IN BUILDING HIS/HER CAREER?

Since childhood, we develop an inclination and expertise in some activities like singing, dancing etc. We feel that our kids can easily become a doctor or an engineer after getting good grades in their boards and other competitive exams. But things may not fall into place as expected. So, how to help your kid in building his/her career? Let us discuss it.

Every parent wants to help his/her children in reaching their full potential. And sometimes they cannot see what the best way to help is. Most of the parents think that they can only support them financially by building a good career and securing a big job to advise or teach some professional skills. This might be true, but often your kids will not listen to you or take your advice seriously. But children are also smart, and they have a habit of learning by themselves. All you should do is find opportunities for them when they start exploring new things in life. And when this happens, try to get them on the right path to follow their dreams, for which there is an excellent chance for your kids to find their passion.

Also Read: How to identify the skills of your child

How to help your kid in building his/her career?

There are some basic things that parents can do to help their children in building their careers.

The major things that parents can do for this are

1) Talk about career options: Parents must talk about career options with their kids, as early as possible. It is better if you start talking about it right from the time when the child starts going to school. This will make the child aware of various career options and he or she can think well in advance which one to choose. The child can also decide on his/her interests and see which one of them could turn into a career option. It is very important for every parent to talk to their children. You should ask them what they want to be or what they want to do in their life. You should also try to understand their interests and passion. You should also share your experience with him/her. And, you should also tell him/her how you achieved success in your life. It will help him/her to understand how things work in real life and you can also motivate him for their goals and dreams by sharing your struggles.

2) Help them with college applications: You can help your child by helping him/her with college applications, like filling up forms and providing documents. You should make sure that the documents you provide are correct, as there can be chances of rejection if the information provided is incorrect or incomplete. Be there for your child when he/she needs your help during the entire process of applying for colleges.

3) Build their confidence: Build up their confidence, so that they can apply for a job confidently. Give them an insight into how interviews take place, what kind of questions are asked in interviews and how to correctly answer them.

4) Talk About Their Interests: You should talk about what inspires them and what are their interests. This will help you in guiding them towards the right career path and will also help them in making some important decisions about their life. You should also ask them about their hobbies and if they like any specific subject so that you can guide them accordingly.

5) Aptitude Test: You should take an aptitude test of your child so that you can get to know about his/her skills, abilities and talents and then guide him/her accordingly. You can also consider various options like science, commerce or arts while taking an aptitude test so that you can guide him/her according to his/her unique quality.

6) Make a plan: It is very important for a child to make a plan for his/her future career and studies. You should always encourage your child to make a plan and take responsibility for it. It all starts from planning, setting goals and achieving them by following the plans made by self. When he/she takes responsibility then he becomes capable of taking decisions on his own behalf.

7) Help Them To Learn More About Themselves: It is important for parents to help their children find out about themselves – the things they are good at, the things that interest them, the things that make them happy, etc. Encourage them to take aptitude tests and personality tests to get an idea about what kind of work would suit them. You can also ask your children’s teachers for additional information about your kids and how they work.

In the end

Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Be patient with yourself and with your child as you both navigate this uncharted territory, and try to understand what each of you is going through. Children learn how to navigate the real world by making mistakes, and so should adults. Having said that, there are some times when it is very important for us adults to intervene. You need to know that your adult self is the best in that situation. So be very careful!