DD (Y8) wants something to aim for career wise, help me to give her some ideas.

[pickledsiblings]

She's a hardworking girl and enjoys school/homework/studying. Her strengths seem to be in those subjects that require extended writing although she is a pretty good all rounder. She has taken well to French and Latin too where I'm sure her good memory helps her along.

Anyway she has no idea what she would like to be when she grows up and would like to have something to aim for. All I've come up with so far is Law as I think it would be a good match for her skills but I'm not sure that's a good enough reason.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. What are your DC aiming for? When you were young, how/when did you decide on the career you wanted?

I would encourage technology. Engineeringscience as that is where the growth in jobs will be.

I would encourage technology. Engineeringscience as that is where the growth in jobs will be.

My daughter was an average Joe (although worked very hard). She came home one night from a concert, age 15, and declared that she was going to be a photographer. Since that day she has never wavered and throws herself completely into everything she does to get to her goal.

My son is less sure. I agree that an aim gives focus and that is a very, very good thing. However, I am not sure it can or ought to be manufactured. In his case, we have picked on his strengths and loves (Maths, Sciences, Computers) and his aim is to nail those at high grades at GCSE to move on to A level and, if he still does not know, aim for those at a high level too.

So, personally, I wouldn't pick a career out of thin air. But I would try and create a focus that works for the child.

I fell into my career when I was offered a training contract so good I just couldn't turn down and, I suspect, many people have followed careers because of something that happened.

At the moment I have one (Y11) would be marine Biologist. Good at science and scuba dives.

And a (Y8) would be Y1/2 teacher (who I see teaching Y5 and being the deputy head).

She is brilliant with little DCs and feels learning to read etc. in infants is very important. I suspect she will eventually find very small DCs limiting and want some variety in conversations and some sort of role involving adults too.

Not at all sure if she'll do at Uni. Anything essay based, English, history, but psychology wouldn't surprise me.

I can't remember what it is called, but will try to find out. DD (Y9) was shown a brilliant website career planner thing in school this week. It has endless permutations, and really accurate (for the industry DH & I work in anyway) careers info. It can deal with anything from suggestions based on your favourite subjects at school, so hobbies, or the vaguest of suggestions, and comes up with a massive range of suggestions - perfect for if like DD, and your DD, they really don't have a clue.

I'm report back when she gets home from school and tells me what it was called!

givemeaclue the problem with jobs in science and engineering is that they are not very well paid (DH is a scientist).

Kes100 I've taken the approach that good grades will keep her options open so she has a reason to aim high already. It's great that your daughter has a goal to aim for after being inspired. Maybe something like that will happen to DD.

I think maybe she just wants some narrative to get her through, you know, a story to tell herself about why she is doing all this work. Some of her friends are very clear about what they want to do so there is an element of wanting to be on the same page as them.

Thanks for the comments.

offblack that website sounds great, I look forward to having a play on it when you get back to me.

Nocomet it's lovely that your DC have found something that they can see themselves doing. Marine biology sounds fun but again, I'm not sure it's particularly well paid. It's difficult to know how much that should matter, isn't it? I was a teacher pre DC and I'm not sure I would encourage DD down that route especially when you read the various threads on here about teachers being disenchanted with the profession. Perhaps it's different at primary level (I was secondary), the DC's teachers seem happy enough in their jobs if not a little overworked.

Engineering is well paid

Found it, it is called u-explore.com and though to use regularly I think you need to get a sign in from school. It offers a 48 hour free access, if you use that linky.

DD only got her login this week (just starting the whole "options" process) but we were really impressed. She came home from school absolutely buzzing about it. Mainly I think because she doesn't have a clue, and this just had sooo much information!

The problem with manufacturing a goal - I am not sure there will be that raw passion which is what you are wanting - because that is what drives the focus.

If she focuses on what she loves and is good at then, although broad rather than specific, there is a sort of raw passion already there and it might work as you hope.

Also some children who are very good all-rounders aspire to a certain University, for example, rather than a career.

We used the ucas website that has a questionnaire to help you decide course preferences and out of that possible jobs. It was v useful for son

givemeaclue my DS will most likely go down the engineering route as he loves to build things and fancies himself as an inventor. Which areas of engineering would you say are the most financially rewarding?

Kes100 the passion thing is interesting. She loves music, plays and has some aptitude but she has spoken to female friends of ours that are professional musicians (and mothers) and they wouldn't recommend pursuing it as a career.

overthemill I'll have a look at the UCAS website thanks and the u-explore one that offblack linked to, thanks off.

You could try the daydream approach: you ask what an ideal day would be, then deduce what you can about the motivations of the person. So if it's all about spending money and living luxuriously you know you shouldn't be recommending that they join the church.. I believe Bobbi Brown told her Mum that her day would be spent playing with make-up in a store.

My teen needs a high-earning career to fund his ideal day skiing! (He doesn't want to work in a resort..) To this end he knows he better work hard to get the grades for whatever lucrative career may beckon , for him maths and science seems be the route for the moment. I fully expect everything will turn on it's head in the next few years but if they are looking for motivation it helps to show possible scenarios.

OP, my DD often worries about having no clear career goal (she's year 10), especially as some of her friends are quite set.

Most people assume that she wants to go into the performing arts, but she's not necessarily settled on that and often talks about taking an academic subject at university.

I just keep telling her not to worry. That not knowing is natural. Better that her goal is to keep all doors firmly open.

Petroleum is lucrative.

My ds wants to go to Cambridge and read Law. This is largely because he thinks (not without reason!) that it's the best way into stand up comedy.

My yr9 dd wants to be an architect. I'm not sure how likely this is, that's a competitive subject and she's an arty dreamer, but she also considers a variety of arty/technology subjects.

yr8 dd is very focused and wants to be Prime Minister. Or perhaps a word dictator. She's checked out entry routes into the cabinet and decided that PPE at Oxford is the best route in. I've warned her that this is a bit of a competitive course (and career aim), and she should consider alternatives, so she currently has computing and philosophy as an alternative degree.

But I do keep telling them they are too young to have a fixed career idea. I was set on medicine at that age, most young teens won't really know the range of jobs out there, nor the range of university options. I switched my ideas from medicine to philosophy and psychology at 16, and went into the social sciences. Which is a far better fit for me. Not many 12 year olds would consider social science degrees or careers. It can be quite limiting choosing a career based on what the average 12 year old has knowledge of.

If she likes languages what about living somewhere overseas or going to university overseas?
I have a son in y8 who is really enjoying Geography and the sciences. He thinks he might study sciences at A level at the moment.

Our school has a careers library where they use a program called Fast Tomato

Our school had a GCSE options talk for y8 yesterday and it was suggested that most y8 don't know what they want to be and it could be a job that's not been even invented yet.

Honestly? Careers and jobs alter and change so quickly these days. Half the jobs that people do today didnt even exist 20 years ago. And young people tend to aim for a career portfolio rather than just one job.

But there's a shortage of enginners.

x-posted a bit there with enderwoman, in case you think I was disagreeing....

funny I love the daydream approach. I reckon she would say 'something to do with gymnastics'. She has only just started doing it over the past few months and she spends lots of time fact-finding, looking up gymnasts on YouTube, watching old competitions etc. I encouraged her to do ballet rather than gymnastics when she was little as I didn't like the extreme competitive nature of gymnastics in our area. I sometimes feel a little guilty as if I'd let her do it she would probably be quite good at it now. Still, I don't think there is much of a career in gym and I've encouraged her to keep it as a hobby (likewise her writing) and to try to aim for a career with longevity. She likes expensive holidays and private schools so she will need to earn £££.

word is your DD good at performing arts? I think I remember reading that she had a chance at a West End show. One of my DC has an interest and it seems, like music, it's not a 'safe' career option. I read somewhere recently that aspiring actors are amongst the most unhappy of adults as so few are able to reach their goal which of course is stardom and only for a select few. Perhaps something will inspire your DD and she'll come home one day with an 'aim'. But in the meantime, aiming for good academics is the smart move I think. The performing arts can always be a hobby.

You seem very focused on how much money she would make - if you are excluding things like science, engineering and marine biology because they don't pay well enough she is going to be very limited. I'd have thought you will need to look up the best paying jobs and take it from there. NB the legal profession is in a terrible state at the moment and it is getting worse - and most lawyers are quite badly paid already, much less than an engineer. Doctors and dentists earn loads of money. Likewise bankers of course.

My DC are both at or just finished Uni. Both of them struggled during school. DS wanted to be a pilot, possibly the air force. But found his way via a love of music into theatre tech, and joined the army to teach him how to drive (he always goes a strange way about things). He still dreams of being a roadie with a rock band, and that could still happen.

DD was always a brilliant dancer, but was wary of choosing it as a career. Toyed with teaching, but it's fiercely competitive and very stressful these days, so she decided to gave dancing a fair go first, and is half way through a degree course in that. It's a brutally short career, but she's aware of that. Her street smarts and enthusiasim will guide her after that.

Back in the mists of time I wanted to be an astronaut. That led to my university studies, but my career took a slightly different trajectory afterwards.