Daughter's interests & career options

[MizTink]

hello all! i need a little help in guiding my daughter in her career choices. she is 14 and in 8th grade this year. she has spoken to her guidance counselor a few times, but hasn't really gotten much more than being told to do some research and see what choices are available with her interests........
DD used to want to be an architect or engineer. not so much now. i think all the math kind of scared her away!!
now she says she is really interested in body language and what makes people tick. like a profiler maybe? i'm not really sure. which makes it REALLY hard to help her find the field she might be interested in. she said possibly psychiatry, but not actually working with patients. she's just interested in the whole IDEA of how the mind works, what makes people do the things they do, be the way they are, etc. but doesn't want to be a counselor. she's the one that mentioned maybe a profiler (FBI, police).
so, any suggestions?????
tia

what about sociology? what could she do in that field other be a professor?

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

hello all! i need a little help in guiding my daughter in her career choices. she is 14 and in 8th grade this year. she has spoken to her guidance counselor a few times, but hasn't really gotten much more than being told to do some research and see what choices are available with her interests........
DD used to want to be an architect or engineer. not so much now. i think all the math kind of scared her away!!
now she says she is really interested in body language and what makes people tick. like a profiler maybe? i'm not really sure. which makes it REALLY hard to help her find the field she might be interested in. she said possibly psychiatry, but not actually working with patients. she's just interested in the whole IDEA of how the mind works, what makes people do the things they do, be the way they are, etc. but doesn't want to be a counselor. she's the one that mentioned maybe a profiler (FBI, police).
so, any suggestions?????
tia

what about sociology? what could she do in that field other be a professor?

Your daughter is really young. She should be taking classes in many different areas. It really is not uncommon for them to still be undecided when they enter college. Go to a local university and pick up a class listing book. Let her look through it. It will also tell you what classes are needed for each major. Have fun looking. Also try www.collegeboard.com. EDITED: Sorry I accidently put a "s" on the end, it was an honest mistake. The corrected site it a wonderful site.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

My focus with my boys is on doing your best in school and keeping an open mind. I had many different ideas about what I wanted to do with my life, but it took me 28 years to find my real passion (IT). A well rounded education made the transitions between different fields easier until I found something that I loved.

The key point is my discussions with them is to do their best. Since only 15% of Americans work in the field in which they have received their degree, some of the other stuff just doesn't seem that important right now.

 

[Angelhalo]

Your daughter is really young. She should be taking classes in many different areas. It really is not uncommon for them to still be undecided when they enter college. Go to a local university and pick up a class listing book. Let her look through it. It will also tell you what classes are needed for each major. Have fun looking. Also try www.collegeboards.com

Ditto. I didn't even know what I wanted to do by the end of my sophmore year of college. I finally settled on something about midway into the first semester of my junior year. And now, at 31 years old, my career has nothing to do with my major or minor LOL!

 

[NMAmy]

She's still really young. Let her try all sorts of different things now and figure out a career path when she's older. Check out different options in your area--sometimes community colleges or universities will have interesting summer programs for kids that include trying out career options involving science, math, art, or police work.

DD was sure she wanted to go into CSI so for her senior project in high school, she did a job shadow with them. That's when she discovered that while she found it interesting and learned a lot, it wasn't QUITE as exciting as it is on tv.

Your dd will probably change her mind many times before college and may even change her mind while she's in college.

 

[shortbun]

My son is already thinking he wants to do something in the paleontology field. He knows he needs lots of science and math but he's also an athlete and loves the theatre. I think it's ok for children this age to have interests. My friend who wanted to be a Broadway actress in high school actually went on to win a Tony THEN completed a masters and PHD in science and went into laboratory research. Seriously.

 

[Pigeon]

I'd bet that 98% of people don't know what they want to be at your child's age. Heck, lots of people in their 30s don't know what they want to do when they grow up!

Keep an eye out for different types of career fairs. If she's interested in certain jobs, the Occupational Outlook Handbook is good for getting an overview of the education required, the expected salaries, the job prospects, etc.

 

[Magic Mom]

Your daughter is really young. She should be taking classes in many different areas. It really is not uncommon for them to still be undecided when they enter college. Go to a local university and pick up a class listing book. Let her look through it. It will also tell you what classes are needed for each major. Have fun looking. Also try www.collegeboards

I just went to the site you linked, and it is a college discussion site, but almost all of the messages are pharmacy, dating, or sex spam. So OP if you decide to research there, do it without your DD looking over your shoulder until you check it out. Maybe collegeboard.org , princetonreview.com , or collegebound.net would be helpful.

 

[Feralpeg]

Unfortunately, many schools are now asking kids to pick a major before entering high school. This is happening in the Orlando area. My daughter is student teaching at a middle school in the Orlando area. About a week ago, the guidance staff, from the high school which the middle school 8th graders will attend next year, came to the middle school to speak to the kids. They told them they will be scheduling sessions with them to help them pick their major for high school.

I think this is crazy. My daughter is about to graduate from college and she isn't really sure she likes the career she picked. I know that I ended up doing something totally different from my degree. There is no way that most 8th grade students know what they want to do as adults.

 

[claudia]

hello all! i need a little help in guiding my daughter in her career choices. she is 14 and in 8th grade this year. she has spoken to her guidance counselor a few times, but hasn't really gotten much more than being told to do some research and see what choices are available with her interests........
DD used to want to be an architect or engineer. not so much now. i think all the math kind of scared her away!!
now she says she is really interested in body language and what makes people tick. like a profiler maybe? i'm not really sure. which makes it REALLY hard to help her find the field she might be interested in. she said possibly psychiatry, but not actually working with patients. she's just interested in the whole IDEA of how the mind works, what makes people do the things they do, be the way they are, etc. but doesn't want to be a counselor. she's the one that mentioned maybe a profiler (FBI, police).
so, any suggestions?????
tia

what about sociology? what could she do in that field other be a professor?

Here's a link that she might have fun using: http://www.careerpath.com/career-tests/colorcareercounselor.aspx
Also, if she hasn't done so yet, go to www.collegeboard.com and sign up....I believe once you do that they have a questionaire that can help by choosing her likes and dislikes.

 

[MizTink]

oh i know she's young to try to decide her definite choice! i wish it were that easy!!!! but going to high school next year, it could benefit her to have some sort of idea....and if by chance she did stick with something that she's interested in now, she'll be a little ahead of the game. the schools do require that all high school students chose an academic major, so her courses will vary, depending on the major chosen. plus, there's the option of dual-enrollment with the local college in 11th and 12th grades.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

At 8 I wanted to join the FBI (check out there website) as a profiler. Then at 9 I wanted to be a doctor, then at 11, a police officer, 13- The FBI again, THen education (a teacher), then a therpist, Now at 25 I have settled into education and am in college (for criminal jusitce, I want to do crime scence photography). I guess what Im trying to say is at her age most kids have no clue what they want to be (and she'll probally change her mind)

 

[Hedy]

oh i know she's young to try to decide her definite choice! i wish it were that easy!!!! but going to high school next year, it could benefit her to have some sort of idea....and if by chance she did stick with something that she's interested in now, she'll be a little ahead of the game. the schools do require that all high school students chose an academic major, so her courses will vary, depending on the major chosen. plus, there's the option of dual-enrollment with the local college in 11th and 12th grades.

In 8th grade I wanted to work in directing theatre, so I took Acting I as my elective in 9th grade. I thought the same in 9th grde, so I took acting II as my elective, and was fully planning on attending theatre school. By 10th grade, I knew I didn't want to go into theatre, so I took Psychology. I also decided I wanted to go to a liberal arts school. I ended up loving psychology, but found that I really liked the discussion of gender. I took an extra history in 12th grade. I ended up at a liberal arts school (the same one I decided I was going to at age 15), I have my BA in Women's Studies, my minor in Spanish (if you told me in high school I'd have a degree in Spanish, I'd have thought you were joking), and work in the mental health field.
I have Soc major friends who work as editors, are med students, and artists.

 

[Magic Mom]

At 8 I wanted to join the FBI (check out there website) as a profiler. Then at 9 I wanted to be a doctor, then at 11, a police officer, 13- The FBI again, THen education (a teacher), then a therpist, Now at 25 I have settled into education and am in college (for criminal jusitce, I want to do crime scence photography). I guess what Im trying to say is at her age most kids have no clue what they want to be (and she'll probally change her mind)

But her daughter does have an idea of what she is interested in, so what's wrong with mom helping her research possible career fields? She not forcing her to commit to a decision, they are just researching. Plus having a general idea will help her choose classes in high school.

 

[MizTink]

But her daughter does have an idea of what she is interested in, so what's wrong with mom helping her research possible career fields? She not forcing her to commit to a decision, they are just researching. Plus having a general idea will help her choose classes in high school.

yeah, that's all we're trying to do right now. we both know it's early. but that doesn't mean we should ignore the interests that she does have now.....

 

[abdmom]

DS14's school uses careercruising.com. It has a good set of questionnaires to determine which careers might suit a given interest and aptitude. It's sold on a site license basis, but it's not that expensive compared to other software I've seen.

I know if I hadn't taken the appropriate prerequisites in high school for my college major, I wouldn't have been able to take my college major. It IS important to have SOME idea of what you're interested in as you enter high school. It doesn't mean that you have to decide WHAT career you want, just a general field - Humanities? Social Studies? Science? Computers?

 

[Magic Mom]

yeah, that's all we're trying to do right now. we both know it's early. but that doesn't mean we should ignore the interests that she does have now.....

I understand. DD has always known she wants to have a career with animals. She fluctuates between zoology and equine medicine and just a general veterinarian. One day she might change her mind, but for now I will help her research and provide opportunities for her to learn more about the subject. If she changes her mind, that's OK too.

 

[cabanafrau]

Our middle school administers aptitude tests yearly & has the kids do research into their top field or two, with the research requirements increasing each year.

My HS sophomore has taken an aptitude test every year, with this year's being the most strenuous. She also took a pre-ACT test which came back w/ a pie graph weighing the fields percentage-wise that she is most suited to according to her results. In her case it helps more w/ selecting which colleges to short-list because she already attends a math/science magnet program. For her peers who do not, it can help them plot out their coursework in jr. & sr. years to get ready for college. Generally speaking, it seems to work out that freshman & sophomores in HS are mainly focused on completing grad requirements. Jr. & Sr. years for the most part offer wider opportunities. YMMV

 

[dis-happy]

Neuroscience is an undergraduate degree that might interest her! My dd thought about majoring in it, but instead stuck with biology. The neuroscience major included many of the bio classes that interested her the most, along with psych and some other things. In the end her love of bacteria (!) and DNA research won out though. She plans to get a phd and do research.

I think it's great your dd has the interests that she does and as a parent I would do what you can to foster that love and help her learn more. Good luck!

 

[FireDancer]

I wanted to be 100 different things while I was in high school so there is no way I would have been able to determine my future in 8th grade. If your daughter knows that she is going to college I would make sure she does well in all of her classes that are on the college track (or whatever her school calls it).

I didn't decide what I wanted to get a degree in until 3 years after I graduated. I went out and got into the workforce and decided once I had done a few different jobs that I wanted a degree in Information Systems. I am glad I took the time because it wasn't even on my radar when I graduated and I would have most likely gone through college directionless.

It is great that she is thinking about the future but if her school is anything like mine was the college prep classes are mostly non-major specific. Once she is old enough for a work permit she can try to get a part time job in a field that she may be interested in. She won't be able to do any psychology obviously but maybe she can join a mentor program or get a part time job doing administrative work at a facility that would give her access to someone who's brain she can pick.