How to Launch a Teen: What to Study

Recap:  Thinking about what you want your life to be, in the long term, helps identity goals that can be accomplished in the next five years.  Long-term goals can be broad and should cover as many aspects of life that are important to you.  Shorter term goals, like those in a Five-Year-Plan, should be defined as specifically as possible.  I identified one of the goals in my Five-Year-Plan as Provide Sarah with whatever assistance I can to help her reach her career goals.

30 minute brainstorming session as I ask myself the question What has to happen in order for the goal to be reached? begins now:

This is an action-based goal focusing on providing career-related assistance to you in support of your goals.  It will require me to be flexible given the likelihood that you will change your mind.  (Stats on changing programs?)  But it seems the first thing that has to happen is for you to get a clearer idea in your head of what you want to do.  I am a bit concerned that selecting a specific focus too early in the process will limit your opportunities for the perspective-stretching experiences that university study can provoke (a focus too much on the end at the expense of the journey).

Anyway, to help you clarify your own career goals, I think we need to look at several online career tests, followed by research into the top 10-20 suggested by the results.  Talk to people who do these jobs.  Think about what they require and how that fits with your idea of yourself.  [10 mins] Where there are differences, what are you willing to do to change that idea of yourself to pursue a particular career.  Volunteer work or short internships are helpful, especially to help you evaluate the work environment.  As an adult, you will spend at least as much time working as you do sleeping.   How would it feel to spend that much time with the people in these work environments?

So, identify and research.  Then it's decision making time.  I have an earlier blog post on this.

It's obvious that this is a process, a series of steps that could take several years.  It may be 4 years before you make a final, specific, career decision. 

But before then, you do have to decide on a degree program at university.  I am going to recommend the most flexible and wide-reaching course of study possible in the two areas that interest you most.  Everything is connected.

Then you have to pick a school that offers the papers that most interest you.  More research.  Possibly entrance essays to be written, certainly applications to be submitted, identify teachers and others for references.  .

All of these are points at which I know how to find the information and can act as a guide because I have been there before so many times.

I have to maintain a relationship with you that makes it easy, in fact seems natural, for you to trust me as a resource.

There has to be research on how much it will cost you to live away from home.  How much financial support you will need and how much of it we can provide?  How many hours will you be able to work and keep up your studies?  We will want to identify scholarships and submit those applications.  Here we are looking at really short-term (over the next year) actions that must be completed. [20 mins]

And while all of this is going on, you have your last year at college.  Then we have to get you moved.  What will you need?  What help will you want as you look for a job?  Can you fit in volunteer work for experience that can help narrow your career focus and provide references for possible future internships?

Now I'm focusing too much on you and not on what I can do.  What do I want to accomplish?  I want to help you understand that interdependence is useful, and that you can count on me to do what is reasonable and within my skill set to help you in your career goals (and anything else).  Who will I need to involve?  If you don't want or respect or give consideration to my input, I can't support you at all.  So we have to have a certain relationship for this to be possible.  I also have to involve your dad since he is the money man.  Where?  Don't know yet.  What is essential?  Selecting a course of study, applications, continued good efforts at college next year.  For me, supporting our evolving relationship as you mature.

How will I know we get there?  Well, in five years you would have an undergraduate degree and be finishing an honours degree or a professional certificate or halfway through a masters degree. [30 mins]