Career Path Begins During Childhood

Many of the employees think of their career path and plans begins during their employment or when they already secured a job.  But basically, if we look at what becomes of a person, you can root it from the upbringing of the person, to be more specific, from childhood.

As parents, we usually groom our children’s future according to what we are or what we wanted to be.  We buy them toys and educational materials according to what we dream our children would become someday.  For example, we know that becoming a teacher means a lot of sacrifices and lot of time worked but the pay is not satisfying.  Thus, if we see this profession not favorable financially, we discourage our children to become teachers.  However, the earliest exposure of children are usually in the medical field profession (every time they visits the hospital for consultation or any medical requirements) and the education or teaching profession (by the time they start attending classes).  Information other than the two profession mentioned came from the parents and later exposure or experiences when they grew up and learn of their interest according to their special skills.

My point with this premise is to inform everyone that career pathing should be considered as early as possible in life.  Career pathing means laying down the ways to attaining expertise on a profession or job; by any other means, our vocation, line of business and source of livelihood.  It means identifying the plan of course to attaining expertise of what we wanted to be called, a doctor? a salesman? A banker?… or whatever vocation we wanted to have.  BusinessDictionary.com (www.businessdictionary.com) defines it as “Sequence of jobs along which one may be promoted within an organization or progresses in one’s career.”

Thus, in career pathing, the parents’ role plays a major part for the individual’s success in identifying their chosen career.  The best approach is to support the child’s interest and not forcing them to take courses that the parents wanted for themselves.  Support can be provided by helping them read materials on their field of interest, exposing them to the career and providing information as to the advantages and sacrifices that one may take to accomplish their chosen field.  This is not difficult nowadays.  The internet and the publications are now very affordable and even the media provides the information for the different careers that our children may take.  There are shows and programs that can provide a picture of the different field.  But before you go to your television and change the channel of what your children is watching, check first if the program is fit for their age and maturity.