Learning Innovation Academy Insights

How to Prepare Your Teenager for Success in Life – Parents Series No.1

As one of the goals of the Learning Innovation Academy is to share information, we are launching our Insights Series for parents and young people. This one is for parents and provides some initial insights into the complex area of career exploration, career development and career decision-making.

Parents are not only the primary source of influence in their children's career decision-making, but they also provide the environmentthat nurtures their children's;

· Self-belief,

· Self-sufficiency

· and Adaptability

All of which are essential ingredients for young people navigating the uncertaintyand rapidly changing world of work.

The ideal situation is that teenagers make up their own mind about their future, based on experience, research, lots of discussions, and intuition.The real question is, How can I be who I want to be? Its not just about work. Questions include;

· "Who am I and who do I want to be?"

· "What matters to me?"

· "How do the bits of my life fit together?"

· "How could I fit in?"

It is about finding our place in the world. Children start to develop their career identities early in childhood, based on their experience of the world around them.

Career indecision is often the result of individuals not receiving much support for the choices they made during earlier development.

A history of criticism can lead to extraordinary anxiety in developing a life purpose.

Students who choose careers in conflict with their parents’ expectations often report how emotionally demanding it is, and this can be linked to depression in adulthood.

It is surprising how often young people feel an obligation to pursue the career path of their parents or family members.

High levels of optimism are strongly linked to high levels of career planning and exploration, greater confidence about career decisions, high level of school achievement, and high self-esteem.

Careers are not forged by individuals in isolation but are influenced by the important people in their lives, such as siblings, extended family, friends, neighbours, and teachers.

At The Parenting Summit, on March 7th, our experts will be delving into this subject further. Tickets are available to purchase here.