How to Choose the Right Career for your Child with Mentoria

As parents, it is natural to feel protective of your child. After all, they are about to step into the big, bad world, they have hardly any idea how brutal it can be out there and have almost zero real-life experience! You want to use your experiences to help them navigate life and avoid the mistakes you made.

All of this is completely natural, but at the same time, we all know that every child comes with a unique personality and a distinct set of likes and dislikes. In a country with a heavy bias towards certain careers like engineering and medicine, it’s important to realise that. A survey conducted among first-year medical students in India revealed that 40% regretted taking medicine because of the amount of studying it involves. 27% had opted for the field under parental pressure.

Children look up to you and trust you to help them make the right decision. But as parents, it is your responsibility to only guide, not decide or even influence their career choices based on your likes and dislikes. Fortunately, Indian parents are gradually warming up to the idea of letting the child independently make one of their biggest life decisions. You can do it too, starting here!

1. No bias, please!

With your child on the threshold of choosing a career, it is natural to feel nervous. As a parent, who wishes best for the child, you are attracted to certain career options that you’re sure you know enough about. But have you ever wondered why you want your child to choose that particular career? At this point, think if it fits the personality of your child or is it your personal love for the field driving you in that direction. Be objective and be aware of your stand.

2. Stop obsessing over marks

As cliche as it may sound, it is critical to reiterate that marks should not be the deciding point for a career. Not all students who are toppers want to opt for science while not all low scorers are meant for arts. So, just because you have a child who scores high marks in exams does not mean the child should take up medicine or engineering. Also, marks do not predict a career graph in any way. Marks are just a part of education. So, instead of marks, focus on your child’s interests, personality and abilities to help them make this decision.

At Mentoria, we discover the ideal career for your child, focusing beyond marks. Take the Mentoria career assessment test – India’s most reliable & comprehensive psychometric assessment, based on interest, personality, strengths and ability.

3. Talk about it

It is also important to not build up discussions in your head. Talk to your child. Find out about their likes and dislikes and what careers they are drawn to. Present options to your child, without being biased. Observe if any options spark your child’s interest. Try to understand why. While having this chat, keep an open mind.

4. Don’t go the ‘when I was your age’ way

Yes, you have a treasure cove of experiences and anecdotes and you want your child to benefit from them. But hey, you lived in a different time. The world around you was different. The options you had were different. You can recount your experiences to keep them informed, but try to not compare. You do not want your child to make jaded decisions in times when he/she should be looking at contemporary options. Only when you move on from the ‘when I was your age’ perspective will you be able to embrace and use new-age tools to help your child.

5. Build your child’s confidence

Choosing a career is a big decision. One that your child has to be well informed to be able to make. If you have been deciding everything for your child till now, chances are the child hasn’t developed the decision-making ability to do it independently. Taking a decision involves taking responsibility for the result.

Let them begin small. Let them make smaller decisions for themselves. Use words of encouragement to nudge your child towards taking responsibility for the choices. This will encourage them to finally make even the bigger decisions for themselves confidently.

At Mentoria, we help boost your child’s confidence, by guiding them towards the right path. Our career counsellors help you throughout your child’s career discovery journey so they can excel in their future endeavours.

6. Trust your child

Trust also builds confidence. When you trust your child, the child also starts trusting their decisions. Your child may not have as much experience as you do, but the child sure knows their likes and dislikes better than you do. So, let go of judgements for once and trust your child here.

7. Seek guidance

Sometimes, it is difficult to keep your emotions separate. After all, it is on the job profile of a parent to be protective, right? If you find yourself struggling to keep your emotions in check, it’s time to reach out for guidance.

Seek out a counsellor who can objectively help in determining your child’s areas of interest. It won’t be based on personal biases or perspectives. For instance, at Mentoria, your child’s career decision-making process involves a thoroughly scientific approach that brings forth the available career options based on your child’s personality.

Making a career choice can get confusing. Forcing or influencing your child to go along with your choice might not be in the best interest. At the same time, your child needs guidance to know what options are available. So, think about it and help your child make the right choice.

Through Mentoria, students can develop their confidence, self-awareness, and communication skills. Our psychometric assessments can help students to learn more about their personality traits, interests, and values, which can help in career choices. And through our workshops for employees and career guidance and counselling for their children, we’re on a mission to transfrom lives of our future leaders from clutter to clarity, one aspirant at a time.