Teach Your Kids to Find Work They Love

There was an interesting article in the August 2, 2007 issue of The Wall Street Journal on “Ways to Teach Your Children To Find the Work They Love.” From the age of six, my parents expected me to become a doctor just like my mother because I enjoyed learning about science. Unfortunately, I received a rude wake-up call when I took my first chemistry course in college. It was the first time I earned a “C+” in my life even though I studied harder for that class than any other class I have ever had. Although I did well in my college biology class, I realized that unless I was able to conquer chemistry, there was no way I could hope to gain admission into medical school.

So I thought about switching my major from biology to psychology, but my parents were dead set against that major because they thought it was frivolous and impractical. That is how I ended up majoring in English instead because I have always loved to read and write.

My parents played a heavy hand in deciding which college I should attend. Even though I gained admission to the University of Michigan (my first choice college), my parents talked me into attending Indiana University instead so I would be closer to home. Now, that I have an 11-year-old son, I will let him make his own decisions on which college to attend and what to major in.

Sue Shellenbarger, the author of the article in today’s Wall Street Journal, described her career path as an Etch-A-Sketch doodle which I could also use to describe my rather circuitous career paths. I moved from financial services to the travel industry to early childhood education, then back to financial services again.

Would I have done things differently knowing what I know now? Definitely! I would have attended the University of Michigan instead of Indiana University (although I received a great education at IU) and I would have probably doubled majored in psychology and English. I also would not have flip flopped as much as I have, but instead settled on one career path and remained there. Having said that, all the flip flops I made have enriched my life and given me valuable learning experiences that I probably would not have gained otherwise.

Dr. Jaye Roseborough, executive director of career services for Middlebury College in Vermont, described the “doctor-lawyer-teacher-banker syndrome” where students try to fit themselves into one of a series of career choices as defined by others, rather than using their interests to guide them in exploring the outside world. Clearly, when I was in college and even after I graduated, I fell into that syndrome.

The advice Dr. Roseborough gives to parents who are advising their children on career choices is to “talk about what’s of interest to them, and how important it is to be happy in what you do. Ask how they envision spending their time. The activities required by a job must be a way you really like to behave. What kind of problems do they like to solve? Explain that many people change careers multiple times. And tell stories about how you fell in love with your own work.”

My son is very good at drawing and announced to me one day that he would like to become an artist. My husband was aghast at the thought, but I don’t want to discourage his dreams. We’ll see what happens!