Top Tips for Giving Your Child Career Advice

When the time comes for your child to start making big decisions about their education and future career, they will need plenty of support and advice from you to help them feel confident in their decisions. I have teamed up with an independent school in Surrey to share some top tips when it comes to giving your child career advice.

Your child has their own identity, so try help them consider what they’re actually interested in and avoid advising them based on your own likes and dislikes. What you find boring or too challenging might be what makes your child tick. Help them think about what they enjoy doing and see if you can come up with some career routes together, based on those interests. 

It would be a good idea to encourage your child to pursue a range of extra-curricular activities from a young age to help them find their passions. Take them to museums and galleries, ask them to help you with the gardening and DIY tasks, and encourage them to play sports and learn musical instruments. The more activities they are exposed to, the easier it will be for them to find their passion. 

It’s likely that you have lots of friends and family who all have different types of jobs and careers. Encourage your child to chat to these people about what’s involved in their jobs and consider whether or not that might be something that could interest them in the future. Your child will learn from all of the role models in their life, including yourself, so give them a chance to develop an understanding of what constitutes a successful career. 

Try not to put too much pressure on your child to make a final decision about their career, because they will likely change their mind several times and are probably already feeling the pressure. Be patient and don’t force the issue; give them time to think things through and explore their options. Remind them that life is a learning journey and it’s ok to change course, as long as they are continuing to discover new things about themselves and the world around them.