How to Show a Teenager That Her Hobby Can Turn into Her Job?
It is from parents or teachers that a teenager should learn the fact that her favorite occupation can turn into a career. Still, you can rarely meet a teacher who goes to school eagerly or parents who talk about their job with pleasure even on weekends. How can parents help the child choose the dream job of his/her life?
“Alex, have you thought about what you want to become?”
“Well, maybe a lawyer or a manager…”
– What do you like to do most of all?
– I like airplanes: collecting model aircraft and playing with them…
“So why don’t you choose a future profession connected with this field?”– Can I really do this?..
It seems to be a simple thought. But for Alex it is a real discovery that a favorite pastime can turn into a profession. Alex’s situation is not an exception, it is a rule. Most teenagers have the same mindset. Let’s try to analyze why this happens.
Lack of a positive image to follow
That is, a person who would practice their favorite occupation and earn money this way. It seems to Alex that having a job is an endless burden of life and the only source of income. Therefore one has to be engaged in it. Everyone does that, and you are not an exception. You’ve got no choice. If you want something to comfort your soul – you can do that during your free time. You work during the day and live your own life in the evening. Does this mean that Alex’s parents live this way and do the things they hate? It is quite possible, though there are families where parents are really interested in their career, and teenagers just fail to see it. They see their tired parents at home, but they do not know what happened at their working place during the day, what kept them busy and inspired them.
There is a negative image, which is taken as an example
It remains a mystery for Alex what parents are busy with, but every day he sees another group of people at work – his teachers. Being a teacher is difficult: the load is huge, the salaries are relatively small, so it is not an easy task to meet an inspired teacher going to school with happy eyes. There can be exceptions: the teaching staff of separate schools, where there is a special team spirit and the traditions, rooted deeply in the very idea of the school. In such schools, there are many more teachers who sincerely love their occupation, and school is more than simple work for them. They like the sense of belonging to a certain idea and to their staff. However, such places are seldom found.
To be engaged in one’s favorite occupation is still considered a benefit
You must do what you have to do rather than what you want to do. At the same time, it is difficult to say what exactly is needed. In order to do what you love, you need to be bold, confident, and purposeful. Otherwise, you will be persuaded, intimidated, and redirected. In general, you will not be allowed to do what you like. Does our society love courageous adolescents? As a rule, it does not like them very much and is afraid of them because courage always rubs shoulders with danger.
The school system finds a boy sitting at a school desk much nicer than the one sitting on a tree. Confident and purposeful people are not very comfortable to work with because they are more difficult to manage. This requires from the teacher a different type of interaction with the student: it is necessary to motivate him, taking into consideration values and goals and exercising a realistic individual approach. Talented teachers are happy with such situations and welcome them in every possible way, but the system, in general, is not ready for such students. Where else can you develop these qualities except for school? There are a lot of options.
At this point, let us stop and think: is there still a chance for Alex to believe in himself and his ability to do what he likes and turn it into a profession? The answer is unconditional: yes.
What can parents do?
Parents can tell the child more often about their job and its positive aspects. What values and meanings do you realize at your work; why is your occupation important for you; can you make the world a little better; what pleases you at your job except for the days of salary? If you do not enjoy anything and do not see any point in it, change this job. At least, for the child’s sake. Parents are a prime example for a teenager, and as long as the child sees exhausted adults who are involved in a senseless activity every single day, the teenager is unlikely to believe that one can live somehow differently.
Make sure that the child has an example of adult people who are engaged in their favorite occupation and can be a good role model for him. Discover what she thinks about her school teachers – if the child is not surrounded by such people, change the school for the one where such personalities can be found. After all, the environment shapes the personality in many ways.
Find areas, companies, and sections open to teenagers, where they can meet adults who love their career and where the adolescent’s purposefulness, courage, and proactivity will be supported and encouraged.
Discuss the teenager’s goals and interests with him and help him find opportunities for their implementation in everyday life. Share the ways you manage time and get involved in everything that really matters to you.
