Get the Most
Education Possible
"What is the single most important way
parents can contribute to their daughters' and sons'
long-term careers? By providing them with good education
and training - because the better their education and
training, the better their employment prospects; and
the better their jobs, the better the income. That's
the way the social system works." These are the words
of Professor Luther Otto in his award winning book, Helping
Your Child Choose a Career (1996, JIST Works). He is
a well known and respected expert on youth and careers.
Following this strategy, you will want to do everything you can to support and encourage your children's success in school. This will include taking
the time to listen and help, to encourage, to hold reasonably
high expectations, to work with teachers, and to set
aside funds for further education.
Encourage your child
to take the highest level math, science, and technology
courses they are able to master -- so that the doors
to higher level educational programs are not closed to
them later on.
Does your child's school place students in "career pathways"? Or, "career clusters" or "career fields"? The schools in most states now do this. This is a critical decision. It will have a major impact on your child's future -- his or her success and satisfaction in school and future career. Questions to keep in mind:
To learn about career clusters and pathways, read our interactive article "Choose a Career Cluster or Career Pathway".
We also offer a comprehensive "ebook" 5 Steps to Choosing the Right Career Cluster, Field or Pathway. You can purchase it from our eBookStore and download as a PDF to your computer. It gives the pathways for hundreds of occupations based on career interests.
All of these will involve some personal
sacrifice and parent-child conflicts, but as parents
it is our responsibility. And speaking from experience,
the satisfaction of seeing your children get off to a
good start is a wonderful feeling.
|
