Parents play a pivotal role in career choices of children. This is something I have told students for the umpteenth time in my peripatetic speaking programmes. Sometimes, some parents trivilise this royal role. Yet, whether they are literate or illiterate, they have a puissant influence on career choices of their children.
Firstly, parents help their children make informed career choices by scouting for mentors and career counsellors, whose ken of knowledge in that sphere can help. Hope and help springs from such people in different settings; physical or online. Likewise, parents can expose their children to professionals or different places of work through job shadowing. This is how children learn about career choices. Parents who are professionals can create ample time, confer with their children over career choices.
Secondly, it is advisable, parents get involved before their children select subjects in the lower forms in high school. Or as they select courses in the KUCCPS portal after release of KCSE. Such arrangements can only work when parents are ready to play their part without dereliction of duty or abdication of responsibility.
Thirdly, parents should have open discussions with their children pertaining career choices. Parents should help children make career choices based on passion. Compelling children to be what they do not want to be is a ticking time bomb. Some parents try to influence their children to be what themselves thought of becoming but twist of fate made them not to become. Some parents think, career choices flow in the blood. Or if the first born was an Engineer, then the second, third and fourth born can follow suit. Yet, parenting with purpose means that we appreciate the uniqueness and diversity of children. The strength of the family, is its diversity, not similarity.
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In addition, the best thing parents can do to their children in relation to career choices, is to install in them pious principles, values and attitudes. Parents should help their children discover their innate talents, lift their gifts and hone useful skills. This is important because success in life is not just about being book-smart. Success is a dovetail and cocktail of several factors. Being a one-liner, or approaching life from unilateral perspective, is a perfect recipe for dismal failure.
Furthermore, parents help children make informed career choices when they provide resourceful materials. For better career choices, children access books such as The Essential Career Guide by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS). Alongside treasure-troves that talk about careers, a child will not go wrong in case s/he complements the reading of the core-course books with self-help ones, for the sake of upskilling: Personal discovery and recovery, development and enhancement. While children are holed up at home, parents should guide them to watch useful programmes on TV, and make wise use of social media such as YouTube and TikTok.
Lastly, parents help their children make better career choices when they get concerned about their academic performance in school. They should invest for and invest in their children. They should pay school fees at the right time and provide necessary academic tools or materials. They should be concerned about morality, spirituality, discipline and character-formation of their children.
By Victor Ochieng’
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