When your child was in kindergarten, the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” brought such varied answers as rock star, astronaut, ballerina, firefighter, and baby doctor—and sometimes all of the above!  Though career job training may still be years away, the earlier kids start thinking about their future careers, the more time they'll have to explore their options. Help your child do some smart goal setting for the future by talking through her interests and options now.

When You Have Ten minutes to Chat:

  • Ask your child to pick an ideal career. Don’t judge her answer. Having a goal, even if you don’t understand it, will give your child something to work toward.
  • Talk to your child about her interests, abilities, character traits, work styles, and skills and how those might translate into a job in which she would do well.  Here are some conversation starters:
    1. What do you love to do?  Why do you enjoy it?
    2. What is your best school subject? What do you like best about it?
    3. What’s important to you? What do you believe in?
    4. If you had a day free to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?
  • Brainstorm possible careers that might be good matches for your child based on his answers to the above questions. Young people may only know about a few occupations—doctor, teacher, chef, police officer—you can point out possibilities they may not even know exist.

When You Have Twenty Minutes to Chat:

  • Tell your child about friends, neighbors, or family members who have jobs similar to the ones he is interested in. Encourage him to contact them to talk about their job, and come up with a list of questions to ask. Some good ones:
    1. What did you study to prepare for your job?
    2. What is a typical day like for you?
    3. What is your favorite part of your job? What is your least favorite part?
    4. Is this the job you thought you would have when you were a teenager?
    5. What kind of personality is needed to succeed at your job?
  • Research future need, average salary, and working conditions of a job she's thinking about. She can do it in on the Internet using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ kid-friendly career web site.  Another easy-to-navigate site is Career Kids.

When You Have Thirty Minutes to Chat:

  • Talk to your child about actions she can take to gain skills and knowledge about the careers she is interested in.
    1. Suggest a course of high school academics that will prepare her for her dream job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics web site includes information on the educational background needed for most jobs.
    2. Explore community service opportunities and after school jobs that will give him a chance to try on a job for size and discover if it’s what he really wants to do. Volunteering at a day care center or working a summer job at the zoo can help your aspiring teacher or veterinarian to focus their goals further (or find out that a job is not what they thought it would be).  Offer family home activities that help your child practice professional skills. If he wants to be a chef, let him plan a meal, shop for groceries, and prepare dinner for the family.
  • Share your own career stories with your child. Most kids know that their parents go to work, but have no idea what they do all day.  Explain how you handled a workplace challenge or celebrate a successful project completion. Talk about the life skills and academic skills you use at work.

Tip: Don’t make these chats a one-time event. Even if you have a pretty good idea of what your child wants to be when he grows up, be sure to check in for an update. It's normal, and good, for kids to change their minds.