The Role of Parents in Career Guidance

What is the role of
parents in your career choice?

By James Muthiani 

Passing high school is
crucial but what to do next - is even more critical especially in this
constantly evolving world. However, it is very worrying to note that many high
school students have no idea about what they want to do for their careers when
they leave school.

Even more disturbing is
the tendency by most parents to insist and push their children into pursuing
certain careers that the children may not even have passion for, thinking that
they know what is best for them. Additionally, many parents have their minds
still embedded and stuck in the typical courses like law, medicine, education,
engineering, and accounting among others which they believe are the gateway to
their children’s successful future while other parents expect their children to
follow in their steps career-wise and continue the family business/ profession.

Some parents even threaten
not to pay the college fees unless their children take those particular
courses. Although the real-world experience of parents cannot be put on a back
seat, imposing a career on children directly or indirectly can be dangerous.
Imagine preparing a child for a career that is soon after rendered redundant.
It’s a thing no parent would want to imagine. Then, what role should parents
play?

Parents should guide and
immensely support their children into making good career decisions but not impose
careers on the children, as doing so would lead to mismatched career paths
which make it difficult to get employed and remain productive after graduation.

Parents should consider
their children’s interests, personalities, skills, strengths, ambitions,
education and future opportunities. They should nurture their children’s
talents from an early age so that they can choose a career that is right for
them. This calls for spending quality time with their children to observe, hear
from and learn what their children love doing and are passionate about. Parents
should also help their children by doing research on which courses are most in
demand and which ones are likely to become irrelevant, extinct and obsolete soon
and maybe how they can leverage technology to stay relevant and ahead should
their interest be in such courses and careers.

Furthermore, parents
should believe in their children and then gently guide them towards their most
preferred career choices but doing so, so carefully and cautiously not to make
the decisions for them. Equipping our children for the future they desire is
much more impactful and will leave in them a mark they will never forget.