Parents worry their kids will be worse off than they are.
Are you one of the 7 in 10 parents who worries that their kids will be worse off than they are? That’s 70% of you!
According to journalist Eryk Bagshaw, “we’re a miserable lot” in Australia. More pessimistic than many other nationalities, with “negative sentiment (surging) by 16% in the past 4 years”.(Bagshaw, 2017, The Age).
With ABS statistics telling us that wages growth is stagnating, and our young adult children competing for fewer jobs, it is no wonder that parents are concerned.
This is why parents need to support their children in practicing life skills that will make them employable.
Once your child is in year 9 (age 14 years and 9 months ideally) they need to be looking at getting a part-time job, work experience and volunteering opportunities. Without these, your child is not going to have a strong resume.
They need to be able to write and speak persuasively in an interview setting, so that when they are looking for meaningful employment they come across as confident and engaged. They learn these skills in school, but specialist support is needed in the construction of targeted resumes and covering letters.
From the age of 15 or 16 students can access specialist careers questionnaires, or psychometric inventories, which help them to identify their learning style, personality preferences and values. By understanding what they care about and how they would prefer to work, your child is better able to see what kind of work environment would suit them.
Examples of careers questionnaires for year 9 and 10 students are Career Fast Track and Morrisby Online.
By supporting your child you will see them grow in confidence. The clarity they gain from working, volunteering and completing a careers report will allow you to feel less pessimistic, as they will study purposefully and move with purpose and optimism of their own into their senior years of school and beyond.
Don’t be one of the 70% who worries about their child’s prosperity or career prospects. If you’re concerned that your child is not prepared for getting a job, or choosing study pathways, a careers questionnaire such as those used by professional careers coaches can be really beneficial. Then they can put practical steps in place to make them employable and you, the parent, can relax.
See my website at www.karenyourcareercoach.com.au
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