As the Career Coach and Psychologist at Serene Hour counselling consultancy, I often come across posts all over the internet that doesn’t really answer the question from the point of view of a 14/15 year of child. Who has to make a career decision when they haven’t seen enough life, haven’t had many life experiences or exposure, who are still discovering themselves as individuals. I am going to answer this question purely from the point of view of a child, who needs to decide the right career path for themselves that influences their life path.
From my observations as a career counsellor, quite a few factors play role in a child’s opinion about a career or a profession. Which also affects their final decision regarding a career choice.
- The professions of the child’s parents and near ones influence their opinions. They could either develop a strong liking and inclination towards a profession or feel repulsed. E.g. The child of Doctor parents could either be very inclined towards medical profession or feel repulsed. They know so much about the profession. The good the bad. They understand the profession. And sometimes they begin to see themselves wanting to be just like their parents or their idols.
- Myths and Unrealistic Opinions. Movies, social media etc often portray a profession incorrectly and unrealistically. In some movie, Investment Banking can be seen as boring & stressful and in another, it can be portrayed as popular and money making. Children make their opinions based on what they see. Visual Media is powerful.
- Sometimes parents are ill-informed. Their opinions or views on a profession may or may not be correct. Those opinions create a cascading effect. Their children are more likely to think alike.
- Not having a fair knowledge about one’s strengths and weaknesses. Most often, children underestimate their own capabilities. They often don’t have a fair understanding of who they are as ‘Individuals’. This occurs because they have never been put into situations where they can self-introspect. So far, they believe everything their parents, teachers, relatives and even friends have to say about them. Sometimes those opinions about them could be grossly wrong too. Unfortunately, their influence is quite strong.
- Most children and parents are not aware of the various Careers & Professions. It’s not their fault. Most people know only the basics. There are professionals whose job is to be aware of the various career options, industry trends, popular careers etc. It’s like an Architect knows his job the best, a layman relies on his expertise.
I would like to share an anecdote from one of my counselling sessions with a young lad of 15 years of age.
“He is painfully shy“, his family complained. “He never talks. He feels socially awkward even in social situations that are considered ‘normal’. We feel so disappointed with his behaviour. We are so concerned about what would be the right ‘profession’ for him” They said. I discovered that the child had a temperament of being shy right from when he was a toddler. During those days, he found great comfort when his mother was close. He grew up to be socially shy & anxious of situations, people of authority figures, even of friends and regular people. ‘Social Anxiety’ being the diagnose.
He needed understanding and encouragement from close ones. He needed someone to help him work around his natural personality and give him a career choice that was less likely to be stressful or forced down on him. He needed someone to tell his parents how to understand him. He needed someone to understand him. He needed someone to help him understand himself.
We did just that.
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