Today in Education: How Parents Can Help Students Choose Careers

Outwardly, high school today may appear entirely alien to adults.  Music, fashion, hairstyles, parental influences, social mores, and other factors collaborate to produce continuous change in campus life. 

Underneath, however, some things never change.  Kids today still wonder and worry about the same simple questions: 

• What career should I pick?
• How do I get a job in that field?

Simple questions, but they often confound teenagers and, as statistics demonstrate, even adults: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, American adults change careers – not jobs or positions, but employment fields – between 3 and 5 times on average.

If adults change careers that often, how can students choose wisely?  Shirley Bennett and Marty Kleefisch consider those questions daily and help students at and high schools make informed decisions.

As career coordinators, Bennett and Kleefisch educate students about careers and the training required to get jobs.  They take students on field trips to local colleges, trade associations, and seminars and to meet with professionals in technical, medical, and many other fields.

Like every other aspect of education, Bennett and Kleefisch stress that parents should play roles in helping their children choose careers. 

“Parents should open a dialog with their children about the classes they enjoy, activities or projects they have liked, and their interests,” said Kleefisch.  “Parents can also discuss their own job experiences, encourage them to explore career interests, and talk to them about setting goals.”

Parents should encourage their students to take career field trips.  Bennett and Kleefisch plan outings that reflect labor market trends.

“We take several field trips to Moraine Valley Community College to make sure they have information about not only the associate degree programs, but also their diploma and certificate programs that often lead to immediate employment,” Kleefisch said. 

Some schools provide extraordinary opportunities for students interested in specific careers.

“This semester students participated in the American Airlines Aviation Careers Day at Southern Illinois University. Students were flown from O’Hare airport to the downstate campus free of charge to learn about a variety of careers in aviation,” Bennett said.

For ease of access and use, nothing beats Career Cruising.  Available on-line, both parents and students can use it. 

“It’s our most widely-utilized resource tool.  This web-based resource contains a wealth of information about interest and skills assessments, career profiles, multimedia interviews, college and financial aid information, an electronic career portfolio, a job search link and a resume builder,” Kleefisch said. 

“When students are logged in to ‘Career Cruising,’ they have immediate access to current information on education, training, soft skills, and hard skills,” Bennett said.

District 218 also sponsors career fairs, job shadowing, internships, and inclusion in other public and privately sponsored career programs.  Students and parents just need to ask to learn more.

Some career fields may offer job opportunities that students may not have considered.  ‘Green’ fields, for example, appear poised to serve as an emerging job market.

“More green economy jobs are expected in the future,” Kleefisch said.  “The green economy employs 2.7 million workers at 41,185 companies in nearly almost every industry.   Although not as large as the health care industry, which employs 13.8 million workers, the green economy is fast growing and will provide an increasing number of jobs to today’s students in the future.”