Career planning is a lifelong process, consisting of four steps - self assessment, options, matching, and action. The step we're going to look at here is Options. During this step one explores different occupations. The pre-teen and teen years are a great time to start doing this. Even some younger children could benefit from it and might enjoy it as well. When one is young, the future's possibilities are endless. During this time one can look at the variety of occupations without the critical eye one must have later on. There are many ways to explore occupations. And parents are a key component in helping their children with this process. There are several things you must keep in mind:
- Keep Your Opinions to Yourself: Try not to discourage your child from exploring a particular career, even if you think it's all wrong for him.
- Network: Use your connections to set up opportunities for your child to meet with people working in various occupations.
- Protect Your Kids: Make sure you know who your children are contacting to get information about careers. Accompany your child if he or she is meeting with someone. Read all email correspondence.
