Role of Parents in Career Planning

15 September,2023  |  By Brainwonders

"A parent's guidance and love are invaluable in helping their children achieve success in life. By providing insight, knowledge, and support they can help their child find the perfect career path to walk down."

Career Planning :

To ensure that your child is set up for a future successful career, financial security and an excellent quality of life is a challenge for every parent. As a parent, even if your child would not like to admit, I will look for your advice and guidance.

Parents have a very crucial role to play in the decision-making of the career path your children choose to pursue; but how involved should the parent be in this decision-making process? Should a parent adopt a hands-on role? At this time what is the best advice you can give your child?  

Parents have adopted beliefs about success, the way to achieve success, and what constitutes a ‘good job’ or ‘ideal life’. Anything we give feedback to our child is predicated on these beliefs and our own experiences. Many folks make the error of trying to shield our child from the mistakes that we made – whether knowingly or unknowingly. While we can guide them away from some of the pitfalls we encounter, they’ll inevitably make mistakes and hiccups along the journey – but these hiccups are vital for their personal growth.

Must Read: Parenting With the Right Learning Style.

The best thing you can give is a mature and sensible mind-set, giving your children the tools to form their own informed decisions.

How you can influence your child:

• Having a strong, mature parent-child relationship 
• Set a good example (socially, personally and professionally) for your child
• The attitudes, views, and values you adopt and express
• The expectations you set for your children’s education, career, and life
• The opportunities you provide for your children to learn and develop.

In terms of career choice, you should:

• Aid, but not dictate, the decision-making process
• Support your child’s decisions
• Give your children freedom and time to discover their skills
• Provide the motivation to develop and achieve
• Provide encouragement to pursue interests and ambitions
• Try to give a responsible attitude and a mature outlook
• Giving an attitude of self-belief by being positive and never critical – as a parent, your words will have the biggest effect on your child.

Parents and Their roles in Different areas of development:

• Cognitive Development:

Parents can improve the response of their children and also stimulate them to grow into better people. They can also help them deal with any problem correctly, while letting them acquire time management and discipline traits.

• Socio-cultural Development:

Parents are the role models for their children and the way parents behave with others is the same way their child is going to behave with others. 

• Physical Development:

Parents must always motivate their kid either to exercise regularly or to play an hour of outdoor games. They must also try to inculcate leadership qualities in their child and provide them with a proper diet plan.

• Spiritual Development:

Parents must teach their child religion, prayer, distinguishing between good and bad, compassion, correct ethical values, honoring parents, and strengthening purposefulness to release a free spirit in children. 

Recommended Read: Child Development: Encourage Your Child Enhance The Special Talent. 

Steps to Remember While Guiding Your Child for their Career:

• Explain to your child that he must identify the career after examining interest, skills, and values.
• Help your child eliminate all the courses based on priority.
• As parents, you are more familiar with the market and current trends so consider all the risks before allowing your child to select a course.
• Parents must also seek career guidance for their child to avoid any bad decision.
• Parents can also help their child to set attainable and smart goals rather than the ones which are built on fantasies.
• Parents must also consider online courses and digital programs that can nurture their kids with extra value courses.
• Do not let your child become a prey to peer pressure.

What should you bear in mind when helping your child with career planning?

The decisions we make in our youth can impact our career path. If parents pressurize this decision, the child may end up following a career that, deep down, they aren’t interested in. At the same time, without practical guidance and support when pursuing education, poor choices can be made. It is always better to do career planning.

Every child has a unique set of skills and aptitudes. Each child is an individual in their own way, they may possess different skills and abilities to their parents. With this in mind, adopting a similar career role to either parent may not be the right course of action. 

We all take the time to ‘find the right career’. Parents often say things like “pick a course you think you’ll like”. Though it may seem they’re doing the right thing in terms of steering their children in the right direction, parents also need to understand that we all need space and time to discover what we truly want to pursue. University, for example, isn’t for everyone – and engaging in relevant work experience and/or undertaking an apprenticeship can be just as valuable in finding a suitable vocation in which you can thrive.

The trick here is to educate children that life is about self-discovery and new skills and talents are developed. How many of us are in careers we thought we would be in when we were 18?  We can only make decisions based on what we know about ourselves at the time, take the pressure off of them by letting them know it’s okay that they aren’t sure what they want to do yet but the important thing is to be proactive in finding their way.

Must Read: What Is A Parent's Role In Choosing A Career For Their Child With The Help Of Career Guidance?

If you are having any trouble in parenting your kid or you are unable to help your kid in career planning, then you can take help from Brainwonders which is India's largest Career Counselling Company.

FAQs on Role of Parents in Career Planning

Q1: How can parents help their children make informed career decisions?
A: Parents can help their children make informed career decisions by familiarizing themselves with the different types of careers available and discussing the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. Additionally, they can help their children research job roles and explore different pathways into various industries. 

Q2: What should parents consider when guiding their children on their career path?
A: Parents should focus on understanding the individual needs and interests of their children and provide them with the necessary tools and resources to assess potential career paths. This could involve exploring options such as internships and apprenticeships or providing access to professional contacts and networking opportunities. It is also important for parents to remember that career decisions are personal and need to be respected.  

Q3: What tips can parents follow to ensure their child's success in pursuing a career?  
A: Firstly, it is essential to provide support throughout the entire process. Children will benefit from having honest conversations about potential careers, expressing potential doubts openly and understanding that change is sometimes necessary. In addition, parents should focus on instilling good study habits, encouraging self-motivation and providing tangible rewards for successes achieved. 

Q4: How can parents stay involved throughout the career planning process? 
A: Parents can remain involved throughout the career planning process by staying educated on career trends and recent developments within their desired industry. Furthermore, they can assist their children by researching local internship and job opportunities, inquiring about college courses available and connecting with other professionals who may be able to offer insight on relevant topics.