Choosing a Career Path for Teens: How to Guide Your Child
Choosing the right career path for teens is easier said than done! The youth of today must navigate fierce expectations and more options than ever before. As parents, it simply isn’t possible to hand them a map with a single route marked in red. Rather, we need to empower them to build a toolkit so they can chart their own course leading up to and through the working world. Here’s how to go about it.
Why the Old Career Planning Playbook No Longer Works
Once, the formula seemed simple: matriculate and go to university so you could maximise your employability and get a steady job. But the tides have turned, and sticking blindly to that script ignores a heap of modern realities. Globally, and in South Africa, a career path for teens now means thinking more broadly and exploring alternatives to university, considering vocational training, gap year options, and, most importantly, embracing experimentation.
Rethinking the Parent’s Role
Your job as a parent is to trade in the role of ‘commander-in-chief’ for ‘coach and fellow explorer’. The best teen career planning tips have to do with opening doors. Start with honest, pressure-free conversations about their interests and aspirations. Listen more than you talk, encouraging them to articulate their own ambitions, even if their ideas change.
Professional Guidance and South African Context
School career guidance is extremely valuable if it’s imparted early and wisely. Guidance counsellors and structured career readiness programmes offer teens in South Africa the tools to dig deeper, such as skills assessments and aptitude testing. These experts can connect your child to internships and real-world professionals, adding nuance to the simple question: “What do I want to be?”. Instead, they’ll wonder: “What do I want to try first?”
Alternatives to University, and Gap Year Choices
Contrary to popular belief, varsity isn’t the only ticket to a meaningful career path for teens. South Africa’s vocational training sector is booming, with formal learnerships and qualifications that open doors to skilled roles urgently needed in today’s economy.
Career readiness programmes introduce options in trades, technology, business, and creative arts outside of the academic route. Gap year options, once controversial, are now recognised for building maturity and confidence while providing clarity, especially if they involve volunteering or skill-building. Globally, career delays and detours are common. Nearly 40% of undergraduate university students are over 25, reflecting increased interest in gap years and demonstrating how normal it is to change majors.
Don’t Prescribe; Empower!
Your role is to help your teen develop the skills and self-knowledge to navigate whatever comes next, whether that’s university, vocational training in South Africa, a year of purposeful wandering, or something completely off the script. Facilitate exploration and seek expert support when needed. This is the recipe for a fulfilling career path for teens.
Newton House School specialises in assisting children with average or above-average intellectual ability. To prepare our pupils for their future careers, we provide individualised care and attention and ensure an inclusive educational experience by offering academic concessions. Our college presents a strong academic and extracurricular programme which facilitates career readiness and future-forward skill-building. Every pupil leaves our school with confidence and a truly individual plan for what lies ahead.