Career Guidance for the Next Generation

My 14-year-old daughter has a male friend who she has known since she was a toddler.  He is her same age and they speak regularly about what they want to do when they grow up.  Her friend says he wants to be drafted into the NBA straight from high school and, if he doesn't get drafted, he wants to be a fashion model.  Therein lies the problem:  Too many of today's youth have aspirations they have almost no chance of reaching because the career options are completely out of their control.  These are more like pipe dreams than career goals.

Let me explain.  If someone wants to aspire to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, event planner, nurse, stock broker, etc., he/she can study hard, get good grades, go to college and actually enter that profession.  They may have bumps in the road along the way and some may not reach the goal.  But the pursuit is almost entirely in their control.

On the other hand, if someone aspires to be a professional athlete, model, rapper or other entertainer, these careers are completely out of their control.  They have to be drafted, "discovered," or hand picked by insiders -- the powers that be -- who usually have a financial interest in the decision and make their selections accordingly.  Pursuing these dreams is a one-in-a-million shot, similar to hitting the lotto, very unlikely to happen.

In the meantime, most of the young people who pursue these pipe dreams do not apply themselves in school.  They skip classes, don't study, do just enough to get by.  When they graduate and discover that their pipe dream was indeed an illusion, they don't have anything to fall back on because they missed out on the free education they could have had.

A report was released this week pointing to the abysmal academic achievement of black male students, with only 12% of black males in the fourth grade showing proficiency in reading, and an equal percentage of black boys in the eight grade with adequate math skills.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/education/09gap.html

Unfortunately, too many parents (even ones with college degrees themselves) encourage these pipe dreams, hoping that if their son or daughter hits the big time, they'll live large too.  This is shameful and parents need to do better.  There are too many washed out individuals who end up using drugs or alcohol because of the dream that got away.

If these young people get a million-dollar contract as a result of their talents, that is wonderful.  But, if they do not, which is much more likely, and they apply themselves in school, they can still go on to be successful professionals in other careers.  They can take care of themselves and their families and be responsible human beings.

Parents need to get more involved with helping to steer their children toward the proper career choices.  These life-altering decisions cannot be left completely up to the child, who does not have the maturity or the foresight to see down the road of their life.  That's why God gave children their parents.