Your Teen Doesn’t Know What Career to Pursue? Help Them Out! Forbid the Next Career Fairs!

Do you want them to choose a career out of resignation or on a whim? There’s someone who’d be thrilled with that… ;)

The best way to make this happen is to send them to a career fair without any clear idea beforehand. A career fair is a marketing event.

Do they have a rough idea of their options? A potential career path in mind?

Talk about it, listen to their explanation, question their choice.

Are they not fazed by the slightest contradiction? Is their reasoning a bit unclear or inconsistent? Are they not very convincing?

Do them the greatest favor: don’t act as if they convinced you.

It’s beneficial for both of you.

They won’t jump into the first thing that pops into their head.

And you won’t have to suffer through the potential effects of a career change later on (statistically, there’s a one-in-three chance of this happening).

I’m about to release a series of articles to unpack this topic, which is much more complex than it appears, and to help you guide your child’s career choices more thoughtfully. Parents are the primary career “advisors.”

We’ll tackle some common misconceptions, learn a few basics to better understand the issue and its stakes, and finally get into some practical steps you can start implementing.

The series will wrap up in about a month—just in time for a few more months of reflection before decision season arrives…