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How Can I help my kids decide their future?

I am a study skills teacher from grades 9 - 12 and my kids are not all going to college. I would like to know that they will be ready for the employment world after leaving high school.
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Thank you comment icon Talk to you kids about Job Corps! Kimberly
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Simeon’s Answer

Sometimes presenting some ideas can get the creative juices going. I would recommend taking a look at the department of labor's website (https://www.dol.gov/) and showing the students some of the potential options they have to choose from. Let them know that trade jobs such as welding, plumbing, electrician, and HVAC are also viable options. There are plenty of certifications they can get and build a successful career out of.
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Michelle’s Answer

Hello Sylvia!

This is a great question, with a possible solution. Right now, young adults wanting to find a career would have better luck at a Trade School. The FAFSA form does include trade schools for financial aid. More importantly (I know this because my husband works with companies that have shortages in staff, especially on machinery), there is a desperate need for trade school graduates to enter the work force and contribute to the shortages.

I hope this information helps you and your soon to be graduates. My last bit of advice is to suggest and not demand. My parent chose my major for me, and was very upset when I decided I wanted to navigate my own life. I turned out just fine.

Michelle recommends the following next steps:

Suggest. Please don’t push.
Research trade schools in the area (possibly at community college or another specialty type of trade school).
Be their advocate. Some kids do not have parents that encourage them to do their best. You can possibly fill that void.
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Loriel’s Answer

The best way that I feel that you can help your kids decide their future is by listening to them and saying what they like. Sometimes we have to ask questions to get answers because in most cases students won’t talk to you outwardly you kind of have to pull teeth to get answers in some cases.

College is not for everybody, college was not for my brother, college was not from my sister, but I could’ve stayed in there forever!! Knowing that it’s not for everybody is important but there are also tons of other things to consider like trade schools, or other professions that don’t require college such as truck driving or a banker just to name a few.

Help them realize the avenues like trade schools are not bad ( they sometimes can have a negative connotation to them) and you could make a really good living off of a trade career. On top of having a really good job you don’t have any student loans that you have to pay back so that’s like an added bonus!

I would for sure ask them what is they like to do, what they could see themselves doing in the next 10-15 years, what they’re passionate about, and what they’re excited about.

Some people genuinely don’t know and that’s OK, everybody that goes to college doesn’t know exactly what they’re going to do, I certainly didn’t! Overtime they will figure it out.

If they don’t have an idea right then and there, all you can do is be there for them as a sounding board or resource, they may come back after they’ve graduated or after they’ve moved on to another grade be there for them to help them talk through those things.

I have cousins that have made a living out of being in the military and they haven’t been overseas fighting in wars! Some are in Air Force! This is always a great option and depending on what you do you’ll never have to fight in the war, and you may even get to travel the world!

Loriel recommends the following next steps:

I will start by just asked him questions fillers there are also assessments and aptitude tests that can point a student in the right direction career wise. I would start with that as well!
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Laura’s Answer

I would use tools that are available online; the department of labor has video libraries and profiles on tons of careers. Mynextmove.org offers a free online interest assessment based in the RAISEC that can provide both a list of jobs and labor market data.

Incorporate occupational research into your lesson planning. Have students do projects around a day in life of a _____. Include interviews, job shadowing, etc.

Also incorporate Job readiness skills into your curriculum, such as resume writing and interview skills. Your local American Job Center May be able to coordinate with you to provide instruction and/or lesson plans.

Check with your local American Job Center; these are found all across the country and are sponsored by the US Department of Labor. They may be able to help you set up internships and volunteer opportunities. They may also have a lot of resources and suggestions for you. Workforce development and education go hand in hand, so look for area organizations like Job Corps and other youth programs that are career and work oriented.

If your students aren’t college bound, seek out other types of programs that may be more suitable. You may consider touching base with vocational rehabilitation if you’re working with students with disabilities.

You can also try connecting with area businesses and your local chamber of commerce to see if they have a youth program, or if they’re willing to establish one. I have a child with mild autism and was able to set him up with a couple of local businesses as an intern over the summer.

Laura recommends the following next steps:

Reach out to youth programs, such as a job Corps
Reach out to your area American Job Center
Use Interest Profile Assessments like MyNextMove.org
Integrate career exploration and job readiness into your curriculum
Reach out to your local Chamber of Commerce or area small business networks
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Monica’s Answer

This is so true about our kids…. Every child is not college bound and that is absolutely okay because they can still be successful in life using their talents. I would do the following things to help assist the kids to find their true talent.

- Have students to write down things of interest
- Have students to research different professions that have nothing to do with having college as a requirement
-Have different speakers to come in the class to discuss opportunities that didn’t require a college education.
-or take them on a field trip to these places, such as a plumber.
-There is also a site that students can fill out and at the end it will narrow down possible fields for them.
-Bring in different projects for student to complete like making a birdhouse, styling someone’s hair, or fixing electronic item and etc.


Hopefully, this will help you and the students with their decisions.
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Karen’s Answer

Encourage them to explore a lot of different careers by searching online or talking to adults who enjoy what they are doing. Volunteering at various organizations is another way to gain exposure to a variety of organizations and positions.


As others have said, kids don't need to plan their future in detail, but the more they can be open to possibilities, the greater their chance of being successful and happy.


With every good wish!
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Gregory’s Answer

Hi Sylvia, to help your children decide their future first requires that you are active and present. In my experience, it begins by being available when they are ready to listen to your guidance. For instance, encourage your children to read and study in a common area of your house or apartment. Make sure that the TV is turned off and the area is conducive for study. Next, sit down nearby, but not too close that you are seen as hovering. Proximity is important. Next, occupy yourself with reading or sewing, or puzzles. Almost anything will do; but it must be something you enjoy doing because the wait may be long. If you set up a safe environment for your children to speak to you, you have won the first battle. They must first find you available when they want to talk. After they ask your opinion, then everyone else’s guidance comes into effect. Good luck!
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Lissette’s Answer

Hi there! Honestly, just ask. Your kids may or may not already know what they want to do. Listening to their wants and needs Vs. telling them they need to go to school just because will make a whole lot of difference in their lives. I have many family members who are doing alright out there in the world without college experience.

Lissette recommends the following next steps:

Sit down with children and have the discussion about future. If they don’t know, that’s okay!!!. Try putting yourself in their shoes.
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E. C’s Answer

Sylvia H,

Address the elephant in the room early who wants to go to college, who does not and why?

E. C recommends the following next steps:

Nurture them.
Communicate to their parents.
Explain the pros of pursuing higher education.
Promote trades of beneficial factors to them.
Advise & counsel them with precise discretion when necessary.
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G. Mark’s Answer

Encourage them to eventually take a career personality profile, like RIASE. The idea is to not test a kid on what specific skills they've acquired or test preparation they've done. The idea is to assess the kid's personality to see how closely it maps to folks who are successful in various careers. Some of the questions may even seem out of left field. But these tests are remarkably successful in not only predicting what a kid will be good at, but how much they will enjoy it. The results may be surprising. I, for example, apparently matched physicist, engineer, psychiatrist, entertainer and park ranger. I never did end up working alongside Yogi and BooBoo, but I did end up very happy. These types of tests will make you more confident that your kids will be happy as well as successful. And happy is big in my book.
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