How to understand your child’s ideal career

Deciding on an “Ideal Career” is never a simple task. It requires a lot of introspection, self-awareness plus practical considerations. At a very young age, children start developing ideas about their future profession. Parents as role models play a significant role in influencing the choices that children make early in their lives.

Children’s preferences are shaped by their parent’s occupations. For instance, a child whose mother is a lawyer or father is a doctor would consider law or medicine as the first choice of profession.

Once children reach adulthood, their mental capacity increases, and they get exposed to a lot of novel information which changes their predetermined perception. As a result, they might want to pursue careers that are considered to be unconventional. Painting, music, photography, fashion designing, writing, are a few such career choices. These career choices are sometimes considered as red flags by parents because they deviate from the popular career choices like engineering, civil services, and management. Therefore, these differences in opinions and lack of understanding can lead to friction in the relationship between children and their parents.

Career choice is not just based on one’s interest. It should also match the aptitude, personality, and financial considerations of the individual. In addition, parents should also be aware of the different professions that flourish in modern-day and age. There are a few strategies for both parents and children to reach the middle ground:

Identifying innate skills & talents: Parents must recognize and nurture any particular talent or skill that their child possesses. It helps in early building up for a specific profession. 

To be updated with knowledge: It is equally important for parents to keep themselves updated with the changing trends and the market situation to understand their child’s perspective and show him/her a realistic picture. 

Engaging children in different activities: Extracurricular activities are equally important as academics. Some of the activities, such as dramatics, debating, environment conservation and even sports give an insight into how the different industries work and lead to overall personality development. Parents must encourage their children to grab on to such opportunities.

Respecting the individuality of children: Parents at times are likely to put a lot of expectations on their children in terms of scoring high marks or winning every competition. Treating children with respect and as individuals with a different outlook and thought process is crucial for a better understanding and harmony. 

Consulting a counselor: It is always better to consult a mental health counselor or a career counselor if the child and parents are unable to decide about the future. Counseling helps in understanding the personality & aptitude of the child which helps in finding out career choices that would be the best fit for the child.

Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.

About MindTribe.in.

MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.

About the Author.

Dhruv Beri is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about him by clicking here.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.

Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.

 

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