admin My daughter is at her last year in primary and moving to secondary school. This is an important milestone for a child which brings some important decisions i.e choosing optional subjects to study. Ideally the subjects chosen, would be the basis for their future careers, but let’s be realistic the majority of kids don’t have any idea what they want to become when they grow up.
However, the sooner, a child knows what they want to do when they grow up, the better. It would give them the chance to get more exposure to such career, thus reinforcing their choice or otherwise. Whatever they choose, it’s never too late to learn something new and completely change careers.
However here are 3 tips to help your child choose their career paths:
1. Identify their strengths
Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Keep in mind that not everyone excels in each and every subject. Therefore, the sooner we discover what are our child’s strengths the better. Knowing your child’s strengths allows you to build on it, because when one has a natural disposition towards something, is more likely to excel and enjoy what they do. Identifying your child’s strengths might not be their ultimate forever career, but at least it would lead them to something they don’t like.
2. Expose them to different careers
From a very young age, expose your child to different careers. In order for them to know what is out there, they need to be exposed to it. Through such exposure, you will learn what interests them and they might develop a few passions too. If your child shows a predisposition towards a certain career, find a mentor who can guide your child even further.
3. Don't force anything
Sometimes as parents, we try and inadvertly try to impose our wishes onto our children. Don’t force them to take your same career path. Your children are individuals and not an extension of yourself or your dreams. Notwithstanding the fact that a children might be attracted to things that they are used to see around them, don’t impose anything, if they don’t show the same interest.
Children develop differently, so don’t fret if your child still seems indecisive. Allow them to experiment. Remember that they are still young to have a clear picture in their mind of what they would like to do when they grow up. However, keeping in mind the above tips allows you to support them in the best possible way.
Love
Strugglingmum xxx
