How can parents help their child choose a profession?

Read: 7 min.
I'm interested in my future because I'm going to spend the rest of my life in it.
Charles Kettering, engineer, inventor Do you remember how you chose your profession at one time? Was it difficult for you? Maybe someone influenced your choice - mom and dad, teacher, coach, one of your friends? Or chance? If your child is now in the same situation as you once were, choosing a future profession and thinking about where to go, he will need your help.

In this article we will tell you what career guidance psychologists advise parents of teenagers when choosing a future profession. You will also be able to take a career guidance test for parents and children, which will help you tune in to a joint search for options.

Tip 1. Let your teenager make a decision

Why is it wrong when a parent or other adult decides for a teenager what profession to choose? For example, insist that he be a doctor, like a grandfather, or a programmer, because this is a popular field. According to statistics, independently made decisions more often lead to success in the profession. That is, a young person’s own decision will always be more valuable than what others have decided for him. If there are difficulties along the way, he will always remember that the decision about the profession was made by his parents.

Even if you think your teen is unable to make an informed decision, remember that they need to be helped to learn how to choose, because this is the most important skill for life.

Formation

At the age of 11-13, the will of a teenager begins to form. By the age of 15-16 she is completely ready. Sometimes at this age a child does not want anything: he does not know where to study, he is not attracted to any profession, and doing something makes him bored. This is not a critical situation, and in general it can be corrected, but it needs to be addressed.

In the modern world, this situation is not surprising. And rather, it is not psychological, but psychosocial. This is due to the fact that today's teenagers are growing up in timelessness. They are fascinated by everything that differs from the opinion of their parents. They are interested in what is not allowed.

The heroes of our time have also changed. How can a teenager choose a profession if they constantly talk about the power of businessmen on TV and on the Internet?

Tip 2. Be on a team with your teenager

If you do not choose a profession, this does not mean that you should go to the other extreme and let the teenager go free. “It’s his life—let him decide,” say particularly liberal parents. It is important to understand that a teenager still does not know much about adult life. And if he is not helped, then he is left alone with the frightening unknown. Some teenagers will probably become more active in such a situation and begin to look for themselves, but the majority will give up and go to the university or college closest to their home. Be a support, like-minded person and friend in career guidance. Go to exhibitions together, get interested and help set priorities.

Films and TV series about unusual professions

“Canine Translator” , since 2004. The series is about how a zoopsychologist and trainer explains how you can influence the behavior of pets.

“Up in the Air” , 2009 - a film about the 2008 crisis. The “professional layoff worker” flies to large corporations and listens to the pain of people who have lost their jobs, which for a long time were their mainstay and only source of income.

“Temple Grandin” , 2010. A good film about an animal scientist who suffers from autism and at the same time becomes a doctor of animal husbandry and makes significant contributions to science.

Inception , 2010. A twisted film about unusual industrial espionage. A mind hacker who penetrates people's dreams is carefully preparing for his latest task.

“Arrival” , 2021. A film about how earthlings are trying to establish communication with alien creatures. A linguist-researcher helps with this, trying to decipher unusual signs - messages from aliens.

Tip 3. Don’t chase in-demand professions

The demand and high-paying nature of the profession is a fickle phenomenon. It is important to study the world of professions, read about working conditions, the pros and cons. And if ratings of in-demand professions encourage a child to think about the future, then that’s good. But it is wrong to specifically choose the profession of a programmer, economist or oil worker, if they are now well paid. A fashion for a profession may pass, but a person will be left with an unloved and unclaimed profession.

Independence

It is very important that your child is independent. It is unlikely that such a character trait can be instilled a couple of years before admission; by and large, it is advisable to do this from birth. But if you are just now thinking about it, then start right away.

Independence will help the child choose his own profession. Otherwise, he will listen to the parent’s opinion or advice, and then will blame them for his lack of fulfillment.

Tip 4. Focus on the child’s personality

The world of professions is changing bizarrely. Just 20 years ago there were no SMM specialists or product managers. And in another 20 years they may disappear. Therefore, the only compass in choosing a profession today is the person’s personality, his interests, abilities and character traits. A profession may or may not be in demand, but a person who truly loves his job and is ready to develop in it will be able to be useful to society and have a decent salary.

Discuss with your child his interests at the moment.

Uncertainty

This reason could be combined with the first one, which states that teenagers are not interested in anything. But it is worth highlighting separately, since the problem is really very serious.

Some teenagers may be sure of what they want, but will still continue to doubt. For a child, the period of choosing a profession is not easy, at least because it is something new, unknown, and also requires such high responsibility. And what will happen next? What if I was wrong? What if it's not mine?

It is extremely important to explain to the child that there will be difficulties and they cannot be avoided. There will be doubts, but this is not a reason to refuse the interesting adventures that await him ahead. And a mistake in choice is not death, but only an opportunity to start doing something new.

Career guidance bittest

The project's career guidance specialists have developed a double test for parents and adolescents.
The teenager will understand how well he knows himself and his interests, what professional direction he is currently attracted to, for example, creative, natural science, economics, etc. And the parent will figure out how well he knows the professional inclinations of his child. It is important to go through each part - for the parent and for the child - independently, and then compare the results. The test will take approximately 10 minutes.

How to read the results? Once you and your child have completed your portion of the test, open or print the results. It’s good if the interest scales in both results coincide. This means you understand the child and know his interests. But if they don’t match, that’s okay too. Be sure to discuss which areas are leading in the results for each of you. If a child has a creative direction as a priority, and you thought that, most likely, economic professions are suitable for him, then talk about why you thought so and ask what creative professions he likes. Use this double test to come to a mutual understanding, because this is necessary for a successful choice of profession.

Ignorance of self

Modernity, unfortunately, has brought many children to the point where they strive to be like someone else, completely forgetting about their individuality. Some people copy stars, athletes or other public figures, while others want to be like their classmate or friend.

This is a very serious problem. The child cannot understand his own characteristics and abilities. He believes that he is not capable of anything, that he cannot do anything. It’s good if a child has been showing his talents for a long time, thanks to which you can at least understand the direction in his future profession. Otherwise, you will have to contact a psychologist who would point out to parents the characteristics of their child.

Tip 5. Look for a profession first, then a university or college

If you have set out on a decade-long journey, then you need to at least have a rough idea of ​​the goal. Invite your teenager to first choose a suitable profession or at least a professional direction, and then together begin to compile a list of universities or colleges where you can get this profession and become a top-level specialist. If you approach the issue from the other side - first let him get an education and then decide - then he risks falling into the 67% of people who work outside their specialty and do not know what to do with the diploma they received.

Primary school: playing in professions

This age is a great time to get acquainted with different specialties.

Svetlana Mikhailovna Naimushina psychologist

4,95 37

Open profile

You can watch popular science films and documentaries that talk about professions. Or go on excursions to different enterprises, ask employees and get acquainted with the equipment.

And, of course, play. Games in a hairdresser, hospital or store - it is through them that the first acquaintance with the profession occurs.

Tip 6. Look for a strong university (college)

Everyone has their own path to self-realization, but if a young person can get into the strongest universities in the country in a field that interests him, then as a result he will receive not only a wealth of knowledge and skills, but also a powerful career start. A strong university (college) is a social elevator

, the choice of environment for the next 4-6 years (and maybe for the rest of your life) and, probably, even the choice of a spouse. Focus on reviews and ratings, look for an oxygen environment that will help you grow and develop, and not just get a “crust”.

Lack of interest

All modern teenagers are passionate about the same thing - social networks, computer games and parties. The child does not wander around abandoned buildings or entrances. At first glance, he is really busy with something, but how useful are such activities for his future?

Due to lack of interest, you have to think about how to introduce useful activities into your child’s “heavy” schedule that will help him choose a profession. But, as a rule, he has neither the desire, nor the energy, nor the strength for this.

But there is also an explanation for such a manifestation. Most teenagers are simply afraid of making mistakes. If you don’t want anything, then you don’t have to do anything, and therefore you will never make a mistake.

Tip 7. Don’t scare your teenager by “not getting into” university

Failure to pass the Unified State Exam is not a death sentence today. More than 50% of high school students leave after school not for universities, but for colleges, where they can also get a decent education. Some people specifically choose to go to college through college or even take a gap year to work and think. In general, educational trajectories can be varied, the main thing is not to lose awareness and look for something you want to do.

High expectations

Despite the fact that Generation Z spends energy on results and not on rewards, many teenagers still want to immediately receive a high salary. Many people have high expectations from their professions.

If you go to study to become a programmer, it means that in the near future you will be able to buy an expensive laptop and sit in cafes doing freelancing. But you should understand that a lot depends on the level of knowledge and a little on luck.

After all, history knows many examples of successful people who did not even finish school, but became popular in some area. Some people can spend their whole lives studying a particular specialty, but remain mediocre in their field.

Tip 8. Give your child the opportunity to try a profession

It’s rare that a teenager can try out a profession in practice. Yes, it is difficult and not always feasible. For example, if a child decides to become a surgeon, who will give him, without education and experience, to operate on patients? But it is quite possible to get as close to the profession as possible—to communicate with surgeons, work in a hospital, and feel the atmosphere of your future place of work. With the help of the so-called “professional test”, a teenager not only receives some information about the profession, he tries it on himself, forms his own opinion about the profession.

Trying a profession means forming your opinion about the profession.

Vocational testing is one of the most effective methods of career guidance, which has been used in the Japanese school system for 80 years. Japanese schoolchildren try different professions for 3 years. In our country, either parents or projects such as Ticket to the Future can help in this matter.

Professions of the future and trends in the labor market

Global changes in the labor market are leading to the fact that many professions are disappearing or will not be needed in the next 5–10 years. Physical work will soon be taken over by machines. But globalization, the development of computer and nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence, and robotics will give birth to new professions. Process automation will free specialists from routine work. On the other hand, competition between them will increase.

Of course, the use of machines will not be immediately available to all countries, but labor market trends show that the future lies in specialties where robots and technologies will not be able to compete with humans.

The professions in demand in the near future will continue to be IT specialists (project managers, testers, developers), logisticians, marketers, psychologists, and managers.

New professions will appear in medicine, IT, biotechnology, agriculture, energy, ecology, and nanotechnology. For example, online therapists, city farmers, robot designers, drone operators and Internet of Things developers will soon become in demand.

Natalya Yemchenko, director of communications at System Capital Management, talks about professions and skills that will be relevant in the next five years.

Professions of the future. Labor market in 2025 | Natalia Yemchenko

Tip 9. Devote time to career guidance

The process of choosing a profession takes time and effort. Study the interests and characteristics of the child’s temperament, study the labor and education markets, go to career guidance exhibitions and university open days, communicate with representatives of professions so that your child can, with your help, make an informed decision about the future - all this requires time like yours, so does the child. Treat career guidance as an exciting project work, the results of which you will see in a few years.

Who to read to plan your career

HR specialists and career strategy experts can often learn useful techniques. For example, how to behave during interviews or what to read (watch) to keep abreast of labor market news.

Elena Rezanova is a specialist in career strategies and self-realization, author of books. On her page there are useful broadcasts, recommendations for films and books “Never. How to get out of a dead end and find yourself” and “Now. Notebook for getting out of a dead end,” posts about career and psychological aspects of self-development.

Career consultant Elena Ivanchikova writes on her page about how to plan a career, prepare for interviews, and develop self-presentation skills. In the #careermedia section, Elena publishes videos on various aspects of career development.

Elena Gonorovskaya writes about how in ordinary situations you can notice psychological and professional moments that will affect your career. The posts share useful information related to HR and changes in the labor market.

Maxim Spiridonov, CEO of Netology and founder of the Foxford online school, writes about education, business and trends. His page contains many announcements of large-scale events, interviews and links to articles about education and entrepreneurship.

Tip 10. Tell us about yourself

Career guidance specialists have long understood that the first professions that a person considers as possible for himself are the professions of his parents. Therefore, it is in your hands to objectively talk about how you chose your profession, how you work, what you like and don’t like about the profession. What is important is objectivity and honesty: there is no need to idealize the profession or, conversely, exaggerate. If you feel driven because you have realized yourself in your profession, this is perhaps the best thing you can do for your child in career guidance.

Demand

It is equally important to choose from those professions that are in demand in your country or city. Of course, you can get a specialty that will require moving, but you should talk about it and plan right away.

When it comes to the question of the demand for a profession, it is worth understanding that we are not talking about prestigious specialties, but specifically about those in which one can find a job. To do this, you can use the ratings of local employment centers.

You can also pay attention to more universal specialties. For example, now knowledge of foreign languages ​​is definitely suitable for everyone, since with them you can get several completely different professions at once. For example, a person graduated from English philology, but did not go to work as an English teacher, but became a journalist for a foreign publication.

Search for studies

How to choose a profession for a teenager? Psychologists recommend paying attention to specialties outside your city or country. This advice is especially useful for those who live in small towns where there are a limited number of educational institutions.

By looking at the capital's universities, it will be easier for you to understand the opportunities that are open to your child. There is always a large number of different specialties here. But there is another side to the coin - moving a child to another city. Here, not every parent is ready to support their child, especially if there are problems with independence.