Set Goals For
After High School
Dateline 09/16/97After High School
It generally starts before they even go to kindergarten. We are constantly asking our children, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?'. A fireman or a ballerina are some of the answers you get at this age.
Now that your children are teens, these answers become more important, to us and to them. It is our job, as their parents, to turn these answers into realistic goals. This is not easy, parenting never is!
For example, one of my teens, I'll call her Sue, LOVES art. She wanted to be an artist. Which is a wonderful profession, but I had to keep reminding her that most artists don't make any money until they are dead. So, unless she wanted to fake her own death, and then rake in the bucks, she needed to find a profession where she could use her talents. She turned her goals into Graphic Arts and Marketing. She is doing well at college, and paints on the side.
We started our search in the The Occupational Outlook Handbook. It describes about 250 occupations in detail - covering about 104 million jobs, or 85 percent of all jobs in the Nation. It can also be found in your local library or at the high school guidance office. Have your teen go to this site with a general knowledge of what he wants to look for, otherwise it can be overwhelming!
Now that you and your teen have sat down and picked out some interesting professions, the real fun begins! You need to map out how they are going to get there. Action Plans work well here! Notice I said Action Plans as opposed to an Action Plan. When you are setting a goal as large as 'what your teen wants to do when he grows up', it needs to be set up as little goals that are easier to achieve.
Some goals to keep in mind for your teen:
- What kind of education does it take to became what I want? College, Trade School? (see my College Resources)
- What kind of money do I want to make? Will I be able to support myself?
- Does the profession I have chosen give me time for my other goals in life? (ie. Do I want a family?)
Mapping out goals for after high school is one of the hardest things to do when you are a parent. It is the start of us becoming 'advisors' to our children. They need to make their own choices and we may sometimes have to sit back and hold our tongue. Life will be changing for them rather quickly. As it does, it will be changing for us as well. A book I recommend reading is Crossing Paths How your Child's Adolescence Can Be An Opportunity For Your Own Personal Growth.
Talk About It!
Discuss this and relevant topics with other Parents of Teens on the Bulletin Board.
Want to become a part of the Parenting of Adolescents Community? Join our Newsletter!
Like this article? Want to let me know about it and my site? Click Here!
