Teach kids to keep career doors open

Young people are spoilt for choice with regard to selecting a prospective career pathway in the 21st century.

For their parents - baby boomers schooled in the 60s and 70s - there were relatively few options. New Zealand secondary schools funnelled the top 10 per cent into the academic stream and into studying French and Latin, thus identifying the so-called high achievers who would go on to tertiary study and end up mostly in the traditional professions.

In 1990, a mere 8 per cent of all school leavers graduated from university with a tertiary qualification. Recent statistics show that 21 per cent of all school leavers will graduate with a bachelor's degree.

But what to study at tertiary level and where to from there remains the question in young people's minds and certainly foremost in the minds of their parents, who may be facing the prospect of years supporting them through their tertiary studies.

Catherine Stephens, director of career development services at Diocesan School for Girls, and a recent graduate of AUT's Master of Career Development, suggests a flexible approach based on individual needs.

Stephens says choosing a study and career pathway isn't formulaic: "A real concern is that parents are looking for a specific answer and don't understand the career development process.

"Getting too precise an answer can be counter-productive," says Stephens.

"Adolescents are growing and changing people. Getting a very specific answer narrows their options rather than broadening them; it stops them from exploring future possibilities."

Stephens facilitates parent career workshops and believes that parents, after all, are the first career educators and that by educating parents everyone is "on the same page". "This kind of approach means parents can help young people in developing self awareness ... Then they can make informed choices about what is best for them," Stephens says.

New Zealand writer and career specialist Dr Heather Carpenter's book The Career Maze was written specifically for parents of teenagers faced with the myriad of choices available.

Carpenter says: "Parents need to take the time to work with their child. "That's really important, to help them connect themselves with the options that inspire them."

Understanding the 21st century world of careers is a real challenge, says Carpenter, and parents of young people often lament the lack of direction they have, with comments such as, "he doesn't have a clue _ I would just like him to have some direction" and "she wants to do a gap year _ but I'm afraid that if she takes a break from learning, she won't go back".

Carpenter recommends having conversations about careers with young people, to help them to grow in self-knowledge and self-belief: "Good career conversations help young people build foundations for early career choices, and for lifelong career progress."

Kerr Inkson, adjunct professor of Management at Waikato University, whose research and writing has focused on careers for the past 20 years, suggests 10 new career principles for young people and their parents.

Be open to discontinuity: your career is likely to take you in unexpected directions, which may prove worthwhile later.

Design your own apprenticeship: sacrifice early earning for early learning, create your own learning opportunities, choose your own teachers.

Travel for self-reliance: the "Big OE" is great preparation for the uncertain, international future world of work.

Conduct experiments: try a range of experience such as hobbies and voluntary work; give yourself a chance to find your niche.

Treat your employer as a temporary partner, not a permanent boss: letting one company determine your career may reduce your long-term employability.

Learn: in a knowledge economy, learning is vital. Pursue further education, seek out projects with built-in learning opportunities.

Build your network and your reputation: find good career communities, don't be shy in self-promotion.

Consider self-employment: running your own business - even as a sideline to your main job - you can learn fast how business works.

Leverage your experience: keep a tally of your strengths and use them to secure further opportunities.

Keep your options open: cultivate versatility, always have a Plan B for your career in case Plan A fails.

Recent graduate Jamie Young agrees that Inkson's suggestions have real currency and says: "The best thing I did was to start my post-secondary education with a stint of full-time work in the service industry followed by a gap experience.

"That really broadened my understanding of the world, and travel gave me confidence in my ability to try new things."

Young then felt ready to start a degree in arts with a major in geography and later decided to complete a Masters in Planning.

"When I left school, I didn't have much knowledge of the world of work and the options out there. By taking my time, working and travelling and getting a good base degree, I was ... gaining a better understanding of where I wanted to go longer term."

Carpenter adds: "There's not a magic answer. There's a tendency, under pressure, for the young person to leap to an answer - any answer."

"In fact, making specific choices too early can close the mind to more suitable options that may emerge later. For the moment, just a broad sense of direction is enough." "We need to recognise that young people do need an answer, they need a direction to gain purpose, motivation and achievement.

"Our job as career practitioners and indeed as parents is to ensure that the answer they find is one from within - it suits them, it matches their interests, talents, abilities and strengths and provides the springboard for growth in their post school years.