HOW IS YOUR TEEN REALLY CHOOSING A CAREER?
I recently spoke with an 18-year-old senior who was getting ready to graduate.
I asked him,
“What are your plans for the fall?”
He perked up and confidently told me he was entering a local apprenticeship program to become an electrician.
Then I asked one of my favorite questions to ask teenagers:
“What led you to that choice?”
He said something I’ve heard more often than I’d like.
“I thought it just looked like a good job to have.”
And that was pretty much it.
He had no hands-on experience. No family members who worked in the trades. He had never held a part-time job, spent much time using tools, or even experienced a summer of manual labor.
He had chosen his path because it “looked good.”
To be clear, becoming an electrician might be a great fit for him.
I hope it is.
The concern isn’t that he chose the wrong career.
The concern is how little information and experience he had to make that decision.
As we continued talking, I discovered something else was missing.
He had never considered how his future work could connect to his faith. He had no framework for understanding how working as an electrician could serve a purpose bigger than himself.
Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon.
Most teens we work with have little real-world experience and even less understanding of purpose.
So here’s the challenge: How do teens choose a path for the right reasons?
This is where you come in.
Before your teen makes big decisions about their future, help them build a catalog of experiences.
That means giving them opportunities to discover their gifts, develop their abilities, and widen their view of where they can contribute.
Those experiences don’t have to point directly toward their current interests.
Sometimes variety is more valuable.
Let’s get practical. Here’s what building might look like:
Help them land a part-time job. Any job.
Set up a job-shadowing day with someone in a field they’re curious about.
Learn a new skill together. Take a woodworking class, try photography, build a shed, experiment with vibe coding, or design a T-shirt.
Complete a service project for a neighbor. Fix a fence, power wash a driveway, or cook a full-course meal.
Go on a mission trip.
And after each experience, help your teen reflect on how they can love God and serve others to develop their purpose.
As your teen builds these experiences and reflects along the way, they'll be better equipped to choose their direction.
For the right reasons.
So before your teen settles on a path, ask yourself:
Have they had enough experiences to actually make this decision?
