Your Kids' Career Choices: It's Not Just About the Money, Money,

Money
As a parent, you want the best for your children. You want their lives to be better than yours and you want
them to be able to have things and experiences that you didnt when you were their age. As a parent, you
tend to believe this is the natural order of things; each
generation has it better than the one before.
Because of this deeply held belief, you might push your
kids when it comes to making their career choices. This is
done with loving intentions as you think you know them
better than they know themselves.
You may even believe you know what will make them
happy. You also know that life can be a challenge if you
dont have enough money, so you may steer them towards
careers that will provide them with a decent income.
But for your kids sakes as well as your own, its important
that you recognize their career choices arent just about
money. Money isnt the only consideration when making a
career choice.
Many kids aspire to be firemen one minute, veterinarians the next, then teachers, or even the President
after.
When your son or daughter isnt sure what career path to follow, the best thing you can do is support
them in following their hearts. Encourage them to listen to their Internal Guidance System (IGS). Let them
talk about their feelings as they explore their options. Your role is to be a facilitator -- to listen and reflect
back to them. It isnt your role to make the choices for them, nor is it to second guess or judge their
decisions.
Be patient. This is probably not going to happen in one conversation or even one year. This is about their
lives, which is an ongoing process.
The career path your children take may not be a straight line. Each decision leads down a path with each
subsequent decision taking another path. At moments, the pathway may be straight up, like a sky rocket.
Other times itll be a rocky, winding road. If youve taught them early on to trust their IGS, then this will be
easier emotionally, even if the path itself seems complicated.
Some kids have a clear sense of their career path at a very early age. Their IGS easily directs them to the
classes they need to take and the experiences they want in order to achieve this career goal.
For these children, their first career decision may involve choosing between multiple job offers in their
field of choice. This is an exciting situation to experience as it puts them firmly into the drivers seat. At the
same time, it can be a challenge to know which offer is the right one to accept. This is where their IGS
comes into play.
This is also when money enters the equation. Its easy to be swayed by a larger paycheck. Rarely are
offers truly the same with the only difference being the offered salary, but dollar signs can be blinding.

In this scenario, remind your children to listen to their IGS. Its served them well to this point and will
continue to help them make this decision. Help them tap into their IGS to explore how it felt when talking
to their potential co-workers.
Encourage them to ask themselves a few questions. What was the energy in the building like? How does
it feel to consider taking this job?
By making a decision based on how it feels rather than solely on income, your children will be lead to the
best path for them at the time. Does it mean they will stay with that choice their entire working lives? It
only means that theyll be gaining something they need for the future no matter where it takes them. It
may be they gain specific skills or meet people wholl be important in their careers or personal lives.
The decisions your children make may not even seem logical to you or to others. Outsiders may shake
their heads at the choice, especially if they see your children turning down money for a so-called lesser
opportunity, but dont worry about logical choices.
Be confident in your childrens abilities to listen to their IGS. At some point in the future, there will a
revelation as to how the puzzle pieces of career choices fit together.
For more, please visit www.SharonBallantine.com.