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Many people use the terms work, job, career, and vocation interchangeably.
While it’s true that each involves working and a wage, having a career and vo-
cation means more than just a paycheck. They describe a type of work where
your passion, purpose, skills, and the marketplace collide. In the words of theologian
Frederick Buechner, “Your vocation in life is where your greatest joy meets the world’s
greatest need.”
While some students seem destined for a particular vocation at an early age, it is
common for today’s students to near high school graduation without a plan. Parents
can encourage informed early-career-direction decisions. It starts with helping teens
identify who Godmade them to be, then supporting them as they explore occupations,
and finally, helping them to develop goals and create an action plan. By partnering
with and encouraging them in this important decision, they can then graduate from
high school with a vision for their future.
Build Identity
Nothing is more foundational than being rooted in Christ. Assisting teens in forging
strong, positive identities is one way to help them form convictions based on truth,
and then stand firm in them regardless of what everyone else does. Google “Who I
The Undecided Student
BY CHERI FRAME, 2019 HOMESCHOOL IOWA CONFERENCE SPEAKER
am in Christ.” Print and review as a family.
Emphasize that work is part of God’s plan
and that He designed them for a purpose.
Be generous with your praise, affirm-
ing skills, and natural abilities you have
observed.
Ask questions that help identify likes
and dislikes and what is important: What
kinds of interactions energize you or
drain you? Do you like to work with facts
and data or do you prefer people-orient-
ed activities? Do your decisions tend to
be objective and logic-based or are your
decisions based on how they may impact
others? Do you like to talk out your ideas
or do you prefer time alone to make deci-
sions?
Encourage busy teens to enjoy down-
time, which can strengthen their creativ-
ity and problem-solving skills. Schedule
time to pursue hobbies and to invest in
electives, sports, and other team activi-
ties that build skills and reveal interests.
Explore Career Options
A better motto than “You can be any-
thing you want to be”is“Be all you can be!”
Researching careers online will help
teens better understand occupational
profiles that match their interests and
personalities. Set a goal for how many
careers to research. Information should
include primary duties, the education
or skills needed for working in that field,
work environment, and median wage.
Discuss your findings. A good resource is
.
Utilizing a career assessment tool at
about the age of 16 may further identify
vocations that match God-given inter-
ests. Informal assessments are readily
available on the web. These are self-inter-
preted and can lack reliability so are best
used to generate discussion. Fee-based
or formal assessments are more com-
prehensive and statistically validated. A
trained career counselor can interpret the
results to identify best-fit careers and col-
lege options. Look for a comprehensive
assessment that covers the four compo-
nents of vocational design: personality,
interests, skills and abilities, and values.
Check out
Good career planning includes build-