Career Maturity from Birth to Adult
I have written this article using a visual display of the system we all experience to develop our career maturity throughout life. We are familiar with the use of a roadmap or GPS to find our way as we travel unfamiliar roads. I've used that concept to visualize a parent co-piloting their child from birth through adulthood.
Because the trip takes time, it is important that we use the pathway most acceptable to your child at each age along the way. This virtual career-planning road (shown below) has three parallel (but unequal) pavements to select from during the journey. At each age level, one will be a super highway while the others are country roads. I've named the 3 pavements; so moving correctly on one or another can be prepared for easily. The pavement names are: Self/Others (light background), Occupation/Education (light background) and Planning/Choosing (dark background).
Each of these three career-planning elements is important for parents to focus on, but children are developmentally ready to engage in one, more than the other two, at various life stages. When your child reaches each of these ages, you should shift lanes with your guidance mentoring efforts.
Your parent duty is to co-pilot along the route on the widest pavement at each age level:
1. Self/Others; recognizing the characteristics that others notice about you, and gaining confidence in positive interaction with others.
2. Occupation/Education; gaining an understanding of the broad range of requirements of selected work environments, and the formal education preparation necessary to perform them.
3. Planning/Choosing; Acquiring experience through defining of available options and assuming responsibility for both successful and failed outcomes with each choice.
This current article is part of a series to outline parent duties that will enhance your child's career maturation, when applied throughout their formal education years, and beyond. All of them are supported by: http://www.careerfit-test.com. Your comments are always appreciated.
Because the trip takes time, it is important that we use the pathway most acceptable to your child at each age along the way. This virtual career-planning road (shown below) has three parallel (but unequal) pavements to select from during the journey. At each age level, one will be a super highway while the others are country roads. I've named the 3 pavements; so moving correctly on one or another can be prepared for easily. The pavement names are: Self/Others (light background), Occupation/Education (light background) and Planning/Choosing (dark background).
Each of these three career-planning elements is important for parents to focus on, but children are developmentally ready to engage in one, more than the other two, at various life stages. When your child reaches each of these ages, you should shift lanes with your guidance mentoring efforts.
Your parent duty is to co-pilot along the route on the widest pavement at each age level:
1. Self/Others; recognizing the characteristics that others notice about you, and gaining confidence in positive interaction with others.
2. Occupation/Education; gaining an understanding of the broad range of requirements of selected work environments, and the formal education preparation necessary to perform them.
3. Planning/Choosing; Acquiring experience through defining of available options and assuming responsibility for both successful and failed outcomes with each choice.
This current article is part of a series to outline parent duties that will enhance your child's career maturation, when applied throughout their formal education years, and beyond. All of them are supported by: http://www.careerfit-test.com. Your comments are always appreciated.