WAH One Moms Dream

There are a lot of excellent resources out there for teens to decide what career path to chose initially. First, teens can take a career-aptitude test to match their interests and talents to an actual career type. This can tell them what they are good at, what to focus on and where to get started as far as continued education.

I recommend a good one called Career Key and it can be found at http://www.careerkey.org/

The next step is to find an internship or volunteer program so that they can “try on” a job before committing to going to school for it. Many people think they want to do a particular job, but when they are actually there it may be totally different than what they expected, which can set them up for failure. Over the summer, there are tons of opportunities for teens to get work experience. Some schools even have this type of program incorporated into their regular curriculum. You can always ask around to local community organizations to see if there are opportunities to volunteer as well. Plus it looks great on their first resume!

Finally, once a favored career is chosen, look at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website to identify any trends in particular industries or fields of study. Teens need to know at least a good 5-10 years out if the money they spend on a degree program is going to help them land a good job after graduation. There is an actual section dedicated just to teenagers or young job seekers. Here is the website: http://www.bls.gov/k12/index.htm

I have seen a trend over the last 15 years of being a working person and that is careers that are geared towards the service and healthcare industries tend to fare the best overall. Jobs like engineering, customer service and sales are continually being outsourced in America.

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