What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?
I love asking this question! It can be the start to an easy and fun conversation. Or it can fall flat. I admit, it’s usually more lighthearted when asking little kids because they almost always pop off quick responses- either several totally unrelated ideas like firefighter and actor, sometimes very definite single ideas like Panda Doctor. Kids aren’t worried about the details of the college degree required, the expected job market or salary, or even if they are suited to the work.
Asking a teenager or college bound student this question can have a very different feel. The fun and lightness is much more tempered, if there at all. Apathy is a common response, which could be in response to just not knowing how to make such a lasting decision. This is why career exploration can be so helpful. This can begin in small ways at a very young age. As kids get older, they can start thinking of the things that interest them, the natural strengths they posses and how these might play out into career and college study. A focused study of a student’s interests and strengths (and their dislikes and areas of struggle) can help materialize vague notions into specifics. And this can be the missing link that leads to enthusiasm and brightness when asked about their career and college goals.
I can’t overstate the benefit of grounding a student’s ideas of career and college study before they start college. It’s true that the first two years of college are dedicated to general ed. And I embrace the exploration that occurs with class choices. This is what allowed me to take Jazz Appreciation, and British Life and Culture. But, within the general ed exists details that can influence the amount of time for degree completion. Many majors have pre-requisites that are taken as part of the general ed coursework. For students who have given serious thought to potential majors, they can take related classes to test it out before completely committing.
Going into college with a few ideas doesn’t mean the decision has been made. Instead, it serves as part of the process of making informed decisions. It provides more structure to the student who works better when there’s a system to follow. It develops in the student a perspective to career choice that is specific to them. And in this process, a natural motivation permeates a process that may have previously felt cloudy.