As a career coach in Delhi NCR, I’ve met several parents who want to be a part of their child’s career-making decision. The best way to do that is to get involved in meaningful conversations with them every week.
Parents are often surprised when they realize their child has a career dream different from theirs. Is it the gap of silence that increases over the years and as the child grows? While parents strive to earn a living and give the best to their children, oftentimes, important aspects of life are ignored. In raising them with the right morals, ethics, and attitude to oneself and others, the career perspective gets ignored too.
In this blog, you will find meaningful tips that parents can use to play a significant role as career mentors.
Parenting with a purpose: Tips for Career Mentoring a Child
As a parent, it can get daunting when you think about whether or not your child is thinking in the right direction. After the process of thinking, will they act in the appropriate direction, and so on? This is why these career mentoring tips below offer amazing ways to engage in meaningful conversation with your child.
- Open channels for conversation
If you’ve been busy with work, try to identify ways where you can make space for having an open and honest discussion with your child. Encourage them to share their interests, thoughts, perspectives, opinions, and concerns about their future. You may have to cut back on other parts of your schedule but remember that their future depends on it.
- Identify your child’s interest
Your child may have several interests since day one when they realize they can be something when they grow up. They may want to do what you do or become something else. They may have more than one interest, from flying high in the sky to writing with chalk on a blackboard, playing AI-driven games, and so on. Understanding their passions and hobbies will help you note the key points that hold their interests. Knowing these points will also help when you need professional help from career mentors in India.
- Have them meet various professions
If you’ve ever experienced a ‘bring your child to work’ day at your workplace, you’ll understand the significance. When a child meets a professional at work, they will have interesting questions. They also get a glimpse of identifying career possibilities.
Arrange visits to workplaces or introduce your child to professionals from different fields. Exposure to various professions can broaden their understanding of career possibilities.
- Help them explore educational options and networking
Help your child to gain the confidence they need to network with people. Every child is different from an introvert to an ambivert and an extrovert. Nurture their potential to meet and connect with people from different industries. This practice can also help them in their exploration of different educational backgrounds and which field they are more inclined to pursue.
- Encourage them to build key skills
Help your child to learn more about communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability skills. Teach them about the importance of resilience and how it can help them going forward in their career path. Also, inspire them to never stop learning and the importance of staying updated with development in the field and industry they work.
- Seek an external career mentor
Career mentors in India offer services of additional guidance, sharing insights, and gaining clarity about future decisions. Using their professional help can assist your child to develop a career map that aligns with their purpose and identity.
- Educate them financially
Discuss the importance of financial planning and budgeting with your child. It should be a major point of discussion during your career mentoring conversations. These discussions will help your child develop a deeper understanding clubbed with making informed career decisions.
Remember that your child’s career is for them to decide while you provide the light, they need to shine their path. Foster an environment where your child feels free to express themselves and follow their path confidently.
