Category Archives: careers

careers, parenting

Helping Your Child Choose the Right Degree

 

degree
Image by Kevin Dooley,

It’s an important time when your child is just about to finish high school and is working out where he or she would like to go next. You want to let him or her make their own decisions and follow their heart, but you also want to ensure he or she is making the best decisions for future life and career. For example, when looking at degrees to study, maybe you want her to choose the chemical engineering degree, but she wants to complete an arts degree. It’s a real minefield: deciding whether to interfere or to let her make her own decisions unaided to choose the right degree.

You Know Your Child

You’ve seen him or her grow up, you’ve watched them play with other children and develop into the young adult they are today. You know them inside out, probably better than they know themselves. Children do value their parents’ opinions, even if they won’t show it. You’re allowed to help.

 Find Resources

You can give your child the resources they need to think through their own decision making. Send them links to quizzes online which ask them about their interests and suggests routes for them based on their answers. Find websites aimed at school leavers which outline career paths and which courses are needed to get to where they want to go. And then let them soak up the information themselves.

Go With Them

Take your child to university open days, trial study days, and guided tours. You can walk around with them, let them soak up the atmosphere and imagine what attending these places might be like. There will be talks about courses so your child can learn what their chosen course will be like, along with taster sessions.

Help Them Find Opportunities

If your child still isn’t certain, take a top-down approach: find out what career areas interest them, and then work out how they can get there. There are many work experience and internship opportunities available: even a couple of weeks in a role will give them a taste for whether they would enjoy a career in a certain sector. Do you have any friends who could offer them work experience or shadowing opportunities for a couple of weeks over the summer?

Ask Them Questions

Sometimes it’s helpful just to sit down with your child and talk. Ask them what makes them tick, what gets them excited about life, and where they see themselves in ten or twenty years? Bring along a pen and paper and make notes or draw a mind map: this is a great opportunity to be supportive and help them find a direction without forcing them where you think they shouldgo.

Support Them

It might be that your child wants to study a subject, and you don’t agree that this is the best decision for them. It’s okay to tell them how you feel, but ensure you’re thinking of their best interests: it is as important for them to study a subject about which they feel passionate, as it is important for them to study a subject with excellent career prospects.

Most of all: good luck to your child on their future career. With some guidance, they will make a decision which suits them and brings them to the place they want to go, wherever that is.

 

 

careers

Choosing the Right Career Path

 

Finding a job right after college can be particularly challenging for many individuals. After all, they have a degree but very little professional experience. In fact, the search for employment itself might seem like a full-time job thanks to the enormous amount of time and energy that it requires.

In today’s day and age, it is particularly important for recent graduates to choose the right career upon finishing college. But, how does one go about this effectively? Here are some strategies every recent grad should have on hand:

Choosing a field

eye doctorMany people start college without any idea of what they want to do when they graduate, but having some sort of idea before the job hunt begins is essential. While it may not be possible to have every moment of one’s personal and professional life mapped out, selecting a field in which to work is a good idea. Having a specific career in mind isn’t always necessary right away.

Often, it is the road less frequently traveled that reaps the most rewards, especially when it comes to one’s career. Being open to a number of different jobs within the preferred field also increases the chances of getting hired. This is particularly true when one wants to work within the healthcare industry. For example, working as an optician is a rewarding and respectable option. Check out Stanton Optical careers for some more information on this exciting sector.

 Do plenty of research

Just because college is over doesn’t mean the research and learning stops. Planning ahead and setting some concrete career goals are the essential first steps to landing the perfect job. One must understand his or her personal and professional strengths, weaknesses, interests, values, and personality. A self-assessment is critical in selecting the right professional path.

Network with others already in the preferred field

Networking plays an important role in the job search – it is actually the top job search strategy in every industry. Recent graduates should take advantage of every connection they have available, which means reaching out to friends, family, previous teachers, faculty, and employers in addition to utilizing their university’s Career Development Office. Connecting with professionals in the preferred field is also helpful, so attending job fairs, career seminars, and industry-specific events is a good idea.

Create an effective resume and cover letter

A good resume and an effective cover letter play an integral role in helping recruiters decide whom they will interview. Remember, these documents are the first impression most job hunters will get to make, so it had better be a good one! Cover letters must compliment the resume and highlight one’s talents and experience, but they should also be written with the specific employer and position in mind.

Look for job leads and start applying

There are a number of ways to look for a job. The traditional route of the newspaper’s classified ads works from time to time, but many college grads find work via online job postings, networking, and prospecting. It is important to widen the playing field and allow for as many opportunities for an interview as possible. Seeking jobs with large organizations and big corporations is acceptable, but applying with smaller employers may make getting started a lot easier.

On top of the above points, the key things to remember are, be persistent and don’t give up – with these thoughts in mind, a dream job will be gained in no time.