The Stakeholders in Child Career Education

The Role Of Parents

Parents should be part of the whole process; some parents still think their children must take up what they studied. This is old-fashioned and parents should give their children a chance to explore any field as long as it promises a good future.

Parents can tell at a young age what a child’s interests are, and can contribute to the long-term career choices early by providing the right environment in form of play and reading materials. Children learn through playing, so it is better for them to discover their own interests through this means. Support them when they show concentration in a specific field and also make sure to advise them never to follow things blindly. Be tolerant and don´t forget that you possibly went through the same before choosing a career.

The Role of School

School-age children spend a significant amount of their day in school, so it is no surprise that most of the characters they form, either good or bad, are influenced by what they see and hear in school. Having emphasized the influencing ability of the school, it is important you know the roles a school can play in helping your child choose a befitting career. Parents are advised to enroll their kids in a high school with a functional and proactive guidance counseling department, bearing in mind that this department does the most work as regards providing career education to your child.

The Role Of Teachers

Teachers have the responsibility to guide students on what exactly is going on in real life. They do this by referring to the subjects where they perform better and what they like more. Teachers should advise students to settle for what they are good at, and not necessarily what their colleagues are studying at the university.

Role Of a School Counselor

School counselors are an important part of the school staff as they provide valuable assistance to students regardless of whether they work in an elementary school or middle school, high school or beyond. Here are a few things to know about school counselors:

1. It is important I state that as a parent you have a role to play in understanding your child’s interests, abilities, and limitations. The role of the school counselor does not diminish the duty you owe your child to discuss his future with him. A school guidance counselor is no doubt a key resource. Many times a student will open up and actually talk to someone other than their parent. So, as a parent, getting to know and work with your child’s school guidance counselor is in your best interest.

2. Counselors have quite a number of tools they can use to assist students in understanding their career interests, they use a self-assessment tool that helps to gauge the student’s likes and dislikes of a variety of activities, objects, and types of persons on the premise that people in the same career have very similar interests. Working through these self-assessment surveys is a good way to zone in on potential career paths so that your child doesn’t waste time and money jumping from one college major to another trying to figure out what they want to do for the better part of their working life.

3. Your child’s counselor should also have a pretty firm understanding of workforce trends; he or should be able to research and explain to a student what careers are good long-term choices as against those that are slowly falling out of favor.

4. A counselor can provide input into the academic planning and preparation that will connect career and college choices with academic performance; this should include discussions on the educational prerequisite for various career fields. Early in the academic process, a counselor alongside teachers can provide assistance in developing a career plan for students. This plan should be based on your child’s aspirations and have the flexibility to change as your child becomes more focused on a specific career.

5. The role of a guidance counselor cannot be overemphasized especially for children struggling academically, your child’s school counselor should provide assistance in getting the help he needs to overcome obstacles that may exist. This will allow him to stay on track with the plan.

6. Counselors can help expose your child to a wide range of extracurricular activities that build leadership qualities and nurture talents as well as interests. This includes not only participation in school sports but also other programs that require more critical thinking and organization skills.

7. School Counselors ensure families get early exposure to information necessary to make critical and informed decisions when selecting a college and career that connects with academic preparation and your child’s future aspirations. This means the college your child chooses should have a degree program that matches his career interest and is cost effective for you.

8. They also understand the educational requirements for various career fields which may include college degree as against technical school or advanced training. Parents need to understand that not all students need to go to college. Some may be able to meet their career goals through on-the-job training or attending technical schools.

9. Counselors should assist in the scheduling and coordination of career days, career fairs, and college information sessions, as students refine their career direction, working with the business community to conduct internships. This can include working with local businesses and community organizations to develop jobs, internships, service learning, apprenticeships and volunteer opportunities that will expose students to both traditional and non-traditional careers.

10. School counselors should assist in the preparation, participation, and performance in college and career assessments by all students. This is not the same as the self-assessment tools mentioned earlier. This is referring to the academic tests required by colleges and universities. Preparation should include helping schedule and coordinate workshops that assist students in understanding how the tests are carried out and how to prepare for them.

11. The school counselor should help the student’s families make sense of the various financial processes specifically the financial aid process. Colleges vary in how they apply financial aid rules and regulations. A school counselor should be able to help you sift through a particular college’s process so that you get it right the first time. Additionally, they should know what scholarships and grants are available and how they will affect your child’s financial aid.

Role of the Student

There are many factors to consider when choosing a career; it is by no means an impossible choice to make when you are equipped with the right tools and resources. Fortunately, there are many helpful ways of determining if a career is the right one for you. Factors such as attitudes, skills, interests, training, and availability of work are all important to consider when searching for a new career.

1. Identify Interests

Before choosing a career, it’s advisable to take an inventory of the things that interest you as regards work. Start by taking a look at the things you do very well and compare them to work you’ve done in the past to identify skills that can be used in a new career. If you have trouble deciding what you like to do, be sure to take an interest assessment offered by a career development resource. You may be surprised to find that some of the things you enjoy doing daily can actually be components of a future career.

2. Evaluate Your Skills

Everybody has unique talents that can be used in a career of some kind. For many people, these talents have been present since early childhood; for others, they are learned over time. Skills can be broken down by types and matched up with specific career paths.

3. Work Attitudes

Many people do not realize that how they feel about work can affect the kind of career that they eventually find themselves in. Having a positive attitude about work can result in being able to manage high levels of stress and responsibility. Attitudes such as those attracted to high earnings, wanting to work with specific groups of people or needing independence, can contribute to the factors that drive people to work in certain careers.

Education and Training

In order to fit into certain careers, an expected level of training and education is a general requirement. That means for each type of job, you will need to attain a certain degree or level of experience before you can begin work in that area.

Job Availability

When choosing a career, knowing how many jobs will be available at certain levels tends to be a big factor. After all, There is no point in choosing a career path if you don’t know how to find a job in your chosen Career.

All these should be considered when educating a child on his or her career.