Career/Major Guidance and 4-year Plan for Freshman
Hello parents.
My daughter is a freshman who currently does not have any particular liking for any subject/topic/career (by career I mean "what do I want to be when I grow up" type broad career choice). She is a smart child with good grades, but her interests are more in socializing than studies. I am fine with it for now, but eventually, it will be good for her to find a pathway to major(s) and career(s); and also, accordingly, choose high school classes, extracurricular etc. My son is a senior who just went through the college application process- he was pretty much set on one subject from early years - so for him, this wasn't an issue. A friend suggested hiring a college guidance counselor from 9th grade who will be able to guide her. I wanted to know if anyone has experience with hiring a counselor from freshman year; and could share their experience. Also, does anyone have any recommendation for a counselor; or another service who helped their child go through this kind of journey to understand themselves and find their interest? Thank you.
Parent Replies
Hey there — I hear your concern & want to assure you that your daughter will find her way. id advise keep supporting her exploration and curiosities. Our kids are individuals who are different from each other. Your son did it one way, it sounds like your daughter is going to do it very differently. Try not to compare & find her lacking.
I am wondering why you feel the need for a 14-15 year old to have a career path? Yes some like your son find something early on but it’s really not the norm. Supporting her in exploring different activities and nurturing her social interactions is the best way to help her be a stable, thinking adult. She will find a path when she is ready. Many dont until after they start College. If you push her there is the very real possibility of creating anxiety, stress and discord.
A counselor can't tell your daughter what she's interested in. Let your daughter find her passion by getting many different kids of experiences while she is still a kid. For example, teen internships that may be offered thru your HS or city; joining a team or trying a new activity; part time jobs and summer jobs; youth activism. By 11th grade she may or may not have more of a sense of what she wants to study in college (or other post-HS path); or it may take until she's 25, but this has to come from her.
I agree with the other posters - this is completely normal and many kids don’t yet know what they want to be when they grow up at this age, and it’s not a problem at all. But in terms of helping your daughter understand herself better, you might want to look into the Johnson O’Connor Foundation (https://www.jocrf.org/). They do aptitude testing - assessing your abilities in a variety of areas to identify innate abilities. Based on the results they suggest different career paths that would build on your strengths, and hence would likely be more enjoyable and rewarding. This was super helpful for my son, who, like your daughter, didn’t have a clear direction. I highly recommend them.
I agree as the parent of a freshman myself, that finding someone to help them 'understand themself and find their interest' is a tall order for their tender age - but re-reading your post I think I get what you are going for. First let me say I agree with other posters that it's best not to compare her to her brother, all kids are different. I'm guessing you don't really do that with her or put pressure on her to 'figure it out.' That said, there are some interesting exercises I've read about lately that can help kids' kind of figure out what their interests might be, etc. One in particular I read about was the "Strong Interest Inventory' which is owned by Meyers-Briggs. I cannot attest to it myself, but it seems like this might be the kind of thing you are looking for. I would just caution you to be patient and maybe wait until late sophomore or early junior year to find someone to work with your daughter (and possibly administer these kinds of assessments) as she has a lot of growing to do between now and then, and it is best left to happen organically. Deep breaths mama! Good luck!