Parents as Teen Career Explorer Guides

As parents, you help teen explore careers.

• You aid your teens as they search for meaning, purpose, and direction.
• You see their talents.
• You know their interests, abilities, and skills.
• You help teens plan for the future.

You understand teen. You know that teens -

• Are curious
• Love colorful, multimedia presentations
• Use their senses and imaginations in career exploration

You search for tools that will unlock their potentials.

Tips for Finding the Right Career Tool

Career tools help your teens explore who they really are.

Career tools include career tests, assessments, games, and web sites.

Career tests answer the question "Who am I?"

Career assessments point out your teen's likes, dislikes, or interests.

Search for the resource that meets your teen's needs. Look at the benefits. Find tests, assessments, games, and web sites that are -

• Eye appealing
• Easy to use
• Full of resources

With the right resource, teens are ready and willing to -

• Explore
• Investigate
• Learn
• Ask questions
• Enjoy discovering who they are
• Gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding

An effective career tool motivates your teen to explore careers. Creative career tools build a foundation for more detailed career exploration.

Step One: Select a Career Test

How do you choose the right career test? Look at 3 major areas -

• Format - Printed  or on-line
• Cost - $10, $12, $15, $20 or more
• Resources - Information on interests, skills, and careers

When you look at a career test, ask yourself the following questions -

• What does your teen prefer? Printed or on-line career test?
• What is your budget for the tests?
• What resources do you have?

Find career tests that your teens are interested in and that provide valuable information about careers and your teen's interests. Look at career tests that use well-known career models.

There are a variety of career tests available for youth, college students, and adults.

Use career tests to match your teen's interest clusters to career or job codes.

Help  your teen continue to use career models expand their knowledge of careers and college majors.

Step Two: Explore Career Web Sites

Career tests prepare teens to explore careers. Gather information about fun, informative, and attractive career exploration web sites. Look for web sites that provide career information about -

• Tasks
• Wages
• Career outlook
• Interests
• Education
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Similar careers

Career exploration is a process.

As parents, use resources that make your teen's journey enjoyable, educational, and effective.

Plan successful teen career exploration expeditions.

For more more about teen career tests...

Help your teens become a success.

For younger children, use newer picture-coded career tests that simply career models. The use of colors improves attention span, concentration, memory skills, and understanding.  Kid career tools should be fun, educational, and not boring.