These days it is expected of a 17 or 18-year-old to pick a career. They might be scared of choosing the wrong course or being stuck in a career that makes them unhappy. These fears are expected, thus, prioritising time to think about and allow your child to explore various fields is important for their future career happiness. Some good news is that moving between career fields has become easier. An undergraduate degree could be seen as a starting point instead of a final career destination. In various fields, it is quite easy to jump from one field to another by doing a one-year bridging postgraduate certificate or diploma. Doing a postgraduate certificate in education after completing any NQF 7-level qualification is mostly possible, available for instance at Stadio or Pretoria University. Another example would be going into business and doing a postgraduate diploma in business administration at Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBBS) or Wits Business School (WBS). My story involved undergoing my Postgraduate studies in Psychology after completing a degree in Theology while my wife's path entailed her moving from Accounting to Education to Psychology after she completed a BCom(Law) degree. We are living proof that it is possible to move from one field to another, but we are also perhaps an illustration of individuals who had a lack of exposure to different careers early in our lives. Here are some tips to help your teenager explore various career fields; 1) Talk to people Encourage your child to have conversations with people about possible careers. Covid-19 has made it difficult to shadow people or talk to them face-to-face. However, doing this helps to get a feel for the career that your child is considering. Also inspire them to talk to people outside of your circle of influence as your child might get stuck in what family and friends know, instead of exploring the unknown. On the other hand, Covid-19 has forced all generations, young and old, to use more technologically advanced platforms, like Google Teams, Zoom, and Skype. So make use of the acceleration in technology and accessibility that has come with the pandemic. Also, try to connect with people in other countries whose experiences might broaden your view of career fields on another level. 2) Explore career options for free 2.1) Gostudy On gostudy.net your child might be able to further their understanding of different careers available at the moment. For instance, we all are familiar with a Physiotherapist; navigating through the website might introduce related careers like a Biokineticist, Chiropractor, or Osteopath (a medical specialisation not available in SA at the moment). This website describes various careers, what personal requirements you should have for the field, and tertiary institutions where you can go and study them. Not all careers are included, and the information is not always 100% accurate, but it is a great opening move for your child to explore different future careers. 2.2) Onetonline Another useful website is Onetonline.org. The website is American based and might be a bit complicated to use at times. One of the exciting aspects is the "bright outlook" categorisation, which includes careers that; are expected to grow rapidly, will provide you with job opportunities, or are emerging career fields. The website also includes requirements for the occupation, experience needed, and employee characteristics. 2.3) Youtube Motivate your child to watch Youtube clips on the careers they find interesting to identify the various contexts of how the qualification plays out in real life. For instance, here is a video on the basics of Engineering; Alternatively, your child can consider going to an Engineering week that provides exposure to the various Engineering fields. Like the University of Pretoria's Engineering Week (EBIT Week). Alternatively, allow your child to go to their local University's open days. Due to Covid-19, these might only be available online, like Stellenbosch University having an online open day earlier this year in April.
You are welcome to make an appointment today if you prefer a professional to guide you through the process of a career choice for your teenager.
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