Here is how you can help your teens choose a career

During childhood, all parents have the sweet experience of children wanting to be an astronaut and an ice cream seller in the same day. But once they reach their teens, kids start moving into the serious world of adults, and career decisions reflect their aptitude and skills. There’s also a lot of confusion in their minds over the best choice for higher studies as well as work area. Here are a few tips to help them decide.   

Begin by hearing what your teen wants  
Parental ambition should not cloud a child’s decision. You may want your teen to be a teacher, but she may want to be a musician, and have the ability to be one as well. So, talk to your teen, encourage him or her to speak, and then just listen. It’s okay if they sound dreamy, they are supposed to be that way. But you may get a clue about what may be a suitable study option for them, and that can help in paving a career.   

Provide aptitude testing opportunities for teens  
Expose your teenager to career fairs, counselling sessions, workshops, hackathons and Olympiads. Not all teens are able to determine their interests by themselves. Sometimes, they need an external stimulus to recognise their actual calling, and figure out what they would like to study for the next two years, if not the next three or five years.  

Research opportunities and get teens to take courses  
A week-long course won’t hurt anyone’s schedule, but it just might help your teen recognise a talent. A student who has a natural flair for microbiology may simply not know the word ‘microbiology’. That’s where research and investment in short courses comes in on part of the parent. Go that extra mile for your child, you won’t regret it.   

Get teens a hands-on experience  
Encourage working in non-school interest or hobby groups, collaborating on projects, attending workshops and reading widely. Practical experience of trying to make a circuit board can decide many things reading about it can’t. This applies to all subjects across Science, Maths and Humanities. Let your teen taste some real-life work. They will at least understand preferences and aptitudes, even if they can’t decide on a career yet.