Job Tips for Teens: How to Expose Them to Jobs

Ever heard a child state, “I could never do that” when discussing jobs. Helping your teenage children see beyond the first impressions of an occupation can help them change their perspective.  Today, we have parenting tips on exposing teens to jobs.  They don’t understand the intricacies of various occupations, they form an opinion without really understanding what it entails.

First, helping your child create an appreciation of the work options available is not complicated.  The solution is to expose your children to occupations.  Here are some job tips for teens that will help them appreciate the wide-range of occupations and work options in the world.

job tips for teens

 

 


Expose your children to different occupations 

Next, whenever a person with an unusual profession is mentioned have you children look the profession up.  They can learn about social workers to baristas to medical procedures that involve endovascular training.

Additionally, the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics has a great section on job industries. Each category or job type includes a description of the type of work that is performed in that career, the education needed for the occupation, and the average salary per year.  Additionally, they have a great game section for kids too.

Furthermore, check out books at the library on careers that catch your eye.  A Google search can reveal age-appropriate books with the career you wish to highlight.  Similarly, TV shows that feature a certain profession can be a great way to catch a glimpse of the inner workings of those in that career.  For example, Food Channel for chefs, Home and Garden for landscaping or  flipping homes, and Fashion Runway for fashion design.

Learning the details of a job and the people doing the job will help your child better under the roles.

Play a what-if game with your children

What would happen if sanitation workers stopped collecting garbage?  It is likely many parents would prefer their children chose a different profession. However, discussing what could happen if collection stopped can lead to appreciating these workers.

So, take a career that you or your children might have preconceived ideas about and play the game. Discuss what would happen if nobody chose a certain career.  For example, what if teachers stopped teaching?  Or lawyers stopped practicing law?

This can lead to a great conversation around the dinner table.  Listening to your child and their perceptions on a topic is important.  The benefits of bonding with your child over dinner are numerous.  The conversation can be beneficial for younger children too.  Young children learn words from dinner conversation.


Take your children onsite to see a career firsthand

Other job tips for teens is reading and talking about various careers.  Some children learn best through hands-on experience.   As a result, consider taking them onsite to your workplace.

Next, many companies have a Take Your Child to Work Day.  Parents are allowed to bring their children to work for the day.   Furthermore, many companies have job shadowing as well.  Employees, high school or universities partner with a business and allow students or employees to sit with a person already in the position.  It’s short-term, but a great way to see what is expected.  Most importantly, it allows employees or students to assess their current skills and improve them if needed.

Our job tips for teens include asking family or friends if they will allow your child to visit them on the job.  Some ideas of people to approach include…

 

  • farmers of a livestock farm
  • dog trainers
  • horse breeders
  • veterinarians
  • pilots
  • firemen
  • policy maker
  • wedding planner
  • financial planner
  • cake decorator
  • florist
  • baker

 

Furthermore, one of the best job tips for teens is to have them prepare questions in advance regarding their job.  For example, what is the best part and the least favorite part of your job?  How did you decide on your career, and what is something most people do not know about your line of work or career?

Last, your child will likely walk away from the experience with a deeper appreciation of the profession.  Most importantly, this deeper appreciation can lead to more respect and fewer judgments of various job and those who occupy.

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