Career Chats, Minus the Eye Rolls

You’d like to help your teenager work out what they might want to do. They’d quite like you to stop asking.

Or perhaps they’re happy to have your help, but you’re quietly wondering where on earth to start.

I’ve had quite a few conversations with parents in both situations lately. They care, they’re interested, they want to be useful. But the conversation keeps arriving at “I don’t know” and getting parked there.

Some teenagers would welcome a few ideas. Others seem fairly certain their parents’ knowledge of the world expired sometime before they were born. A suggestion can sound suspiciously like a plan you’ve already made for them, especially if it involves anything remotely like the work Mum or Dad does.

Meanwhile, you’re just trying to help them find something they might enjoy in the world of work.

And I do feel for the teenagers too. We’re asking them to think about a world they’ve barely encountered. They know what a few people around them do, have some favourite subjects and perhaps some definite dislikes. Turning that into a future direction is a fairly big ask. And let’s face it, being asked again doesn’t necessarily make the answer any clearer (they already told you that, right?).

This is where I wanted Work Sync to make things easier for both of you.

This is where I wanted Work Sync to make things easier for both of you. Sometimes a bit of space to look around and see what catches their interest can give a young person more to say.

They watch short videos of different work activities and respond to what appeals, what doesn’t and what they’re unsure about. They don’t need a career plan ready to go, or an explanation for every answer.

Their responses become a Work Interest Summary, and Wayfinder helps them explore occupations connected with those interests - including jobs they may never have heard of.

When they’re ready to talk, they’ve got something of their own to bring to the conversation. Something that surprised them, an activity they liked the look of, a job they want to know more about.

You’ve helped them get started, and they’ve had room to think for themselves.

You might even get to finish the conversation without an eye roll. Win!