What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Helping Your Kids Find Their Answer!

As a parent, your number one priority — at all times — is to keep your children as safe as humanly possible. This means not only keeping them as healthy as can be by providing them with nutritious meals, tending to any injuries or ailments that come their way, and protecting them at all times. Additionally, it’s your responsibility to instill in them a lifelong appreciation for staying healthy — both physically and mentally.

When your kids are toddlers, all you have to do is make sure they don’t run into the road, climb too high on the trees in the backyard, and watch what they’re eating (among a few other necessities). But once they start reaching their teenage years, it’s up to you to help them figure out what they want to do with the rest of their life.

No one has to know what they’re going to do for a career when they’re 13,14,15 or even past 18. But it’s imperative that you at least start talking about these decisions with them so they can start thinking about what they would like to do. If your kids have no idea when they reach their 20s and 30s, they’re going to be unhappy, which will directly impact their livelihood and overall happiness. So it starts with YOU!

Helping Your Kids Decide On a Career

There are plenty of career-based events that you can bring children of all ages to learn more about specific industries. Obviously, a toddler is only going to look around, ask some questions, and probably not pay very much attention to what’s going on. And that’s okay. But a teenager, high school senior, or even a college kid can benefit tremendously from attending a career fair or networking event. Keep in mind, you can work with some of the best staffing agencies in order to help your children find great jobs once they are old enough.

Here are some great career fields that your kids might and enjoy and some excellent tips for you to peak their interest:

The Food and Beverage Industry

From volunteering to help prep kitchen rentals to become a supervisor in the food and beverage industry, this essential sector can lead to a rewarding career.

There are plenty of amazing career opportunities when it comes to the food and beverage industry. And at virtually all levels of experience. One of the most popular fields for high school and college students is food service. Waitressing, bartending, and even bussing can be exhausting, but they can give your children an excellent view of the food service industry as a whole. And if they work hard and do what they’re supposed to, their managers will notice and they’ll be building a professional network of people they can reach out to when they are searching for more financially rewarding careers later on.

If your children are young, start by teaching them how to cook, bake, and do cool things in the kitchen. They are going to make a mess. That is part of it — don’t panic. Just because there is cake batter all over the kitchen walls doesn’t mean they won’t want a career in the food and beverage industry later on in life… it just means they are kids. Kids make messes. You know this.

Dental and Health Care

It might seem like it’s too difficult to gauge if a child wants to work in health care from an early age. But if you think about it… it’s really not. You’re not going to figure out they want to work in the orthodontics field or become a specific kind of doctor, but you’ll get a sense that they enjoy helping people. Not every child does (and that’s okay, too).

On the flip side, if your kid loves brushing his or her teeth, that could be a sign that they’ll enjoy a career in general dentistry. Also, since most children are terrified of going to the dentist, doctor, or even an urgent care center, if you’ve been blessed with a child who is actually excited to visit these places, you might have a future doctor or dentist on your hands! From general dentistry and orthodontics to ER doctor or elderly care nurses, this is an extremely rewarding and essential field!

Cosmetics and Style

This is a fun one!

Just about every kid loves to wear costumes and funny hats, but not all of them actually like to play dress up or even care at all about their style. For many children, however, especially those who end up growing up and thriving in the cosmetics and fashion industry, they LOVE it.

If your children are young enough to not directly express their interest in this kind of career, simply let them get creative. Head to thrift shops and let them pick out the funkiest outfits they can find, layout all those whacky clothes on their bed, and let them go wild!

If your kids are a little bit older and are still interested in this industry, start heading to fashion shows, beauty schools, and even a hair salon can showcase all the benefits of this wonderful field!

Landscaping and Construction

This industry is actually pretty easy to gauge interest from an early age, as well. Take, for instance, mowing the lawn. If your child gets over the moon excited every time you start up the lawnmower, you might have a future lawn care professional on your hands. That’s great! That only means you’re going to be doing A LOT of washing dirty jeans and clothes because they’ll be covered in grass, dirt, and mud until they’re… well, forever.

Similarly, if your kids love building things, fixing things, or just learning about how things work — they could surely end up working in the construction sector. A surprising 35% of remodeling jobs involved the whole home (i.e., whole home renovations). There are plenty of programs to check out once they are a little bit older (like 16 or 18 years old) but if your kid really shows an interest in some of these things, get them their very own tool set! They might just like playing with a hammer, sure, but they also might be on their way to becoming a successful HVAC repair technician!

Also, it’s crucial to show kids the importance of finding a hobby. But usually, aside from some very rare circumstances, hobbies aren’t viable career options. Take sailing, for instance, it’s a great activity and can be extremely rewarding… but your child probably won’t be able to make a legitimate living without years and years of sailing practice. However, if they truly love the water, they can make a career — and a very lucrative one — working at a powersports dealership!

It’s never too early to start talking to your kids about their future. Every child loves hearing the time-tested and popular question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

It’s time you start asking your kids this question much more often. And don’t just giggle at their answers. Really break them down and try and think what you, as their parent, can start doing to make even their wildest dreams a reality!