The Childs Career Interests - Essay Example

Topic: Dreams Lecturer: Presentation: It is necessary for parents to advise their children on the right career path that they should take but on the other hand it may end up creating conflicts between them and their children (Gysbers 2008 p 26). This is due to the fact that the child’s career interests may not concur with those of their parents, who may want to pressure them into following their own foot steps. This usually occurs due to the thought that parents may have which makes them believe that their children have no experience on the nature of concentration on the job market which may be a misguided conception. Due to their authoritative influence for example in my case, parents may force their children to take up career courses that are not within their interests (Gysbers 2008 p 32). This essay will show that this may lead to poor job performance and conflicts in the work place. It also suggests the best approach that parents should take while discussing their children’s career choice which is to be supportive as well as less authoritative. This essay is a critical evaluation of the parent’s influence, using myself as an example, on the career dreams that their children may have as well as the consequences of such influence. Every parent would be proud to have successful children, in their careers as well as life in general. Similarly, there is no child who would be proud to be a failure in the society. It therefore becomes necessary for the two parties to join efforts to ensure that only the best comes from the children’s life. While in the process, it becomes possible to experience conflicts in ideologies which may either result to a wrong career choice or disappointment in life (Gysbers 2008 p 25). In many cases, parents misuse the opportunity to guide their children into choosing the right careers whereby they tend to force them into what they themselves see as the best for their children. By doing so, they forget that every individual has unique characteristics which determine their interests as well as their hobbies. It would therefore be wrong for anyone be it the parent or friend to try and force his interests in another person. However, I believe that it is always necessary to offer various options to the child using an open minded approach whereby both parties would be willing to listen to the other person’s point of view. My career dream has always been to become a Chef but on the other hand my parents do not support this but instead, they want me to become a nurse. These are two very different careers and it may be difficult to convince me to change my mind based on the fact that I have a passion for my choice. This is so because I already conducted a research weighing both its advantages and the disadvantages. In most cases, people make their choices based on past experiences or out of admiration of people in the society who had previously taken such decisions and I am not an exception (Gysbers 2008 p 13). Since my childhood, I have always admired the kind of life that is lived by many people who are in this career. With what I see, it is evident that the career is well paying since most of them either own a vehicle or an expensively built house, things that I yearn to have. My parents on the other hand have the same opinions about nursing and I believe that their claims are genuine due to the fact that my mother is a nurse whereas my father is a surgeon. As such, they have first hand information on the merits and demerits of the profession, which strengthens their quest to make me accept following on their foot steps. By doing so, they forget to take some important factors into consideration. These are for example the fact that I am not good in the various subjects such as sciences which may enable me to pursue nursing. My favorite subjects and which I scored highly are those related to humanities and languages. As such, I feel that it would be a waste of opportunity as well as precious time to start taking bridging courses to improve on my science subjects. It would only be fair for my parents to understand that parents who allow autonomy in the lives of their children are capable of developing their career life due to the fact that it would enhance building of self confidence which can be achieved through support and proper guidance which is not authoritative (Gysbers 2008 p 40). I know that I am capable of achieving the best in the career I have chosen and I would even add more effort to better the results but with the constant stress and pressure exerted on me by my parents makes me feel confused and I feel that it can make me lose direction. It is true that support is a factor that can bring out the best in a person. If I had the courage, I would tell my parents to refrain from forcing me into achieving their dreams but instead support me to achieve my own dreams. As a matter of fact, a person is more productive in the work which brings joy and satisfaction in his or her life especially if it concurs with their hobbies (Gysbers 2008 p 18). As an example, I love cooking and I also consider it as my main hobby. On the other hand, I dislike handling sick patients not to mention that I have always hated being close to hospitals. As such, I would not like to work in an environment that does not give me the satisfaction that I need. Furthermore, every time I look at my parents when they come home from work, they always look stressed and disappointed. Once I overheard my father regretting having lost a patient while undergoing surgery. Those are challenges that I am not able of handling. My parents can’t understand my weaknesses but instead they keep on insisting that I join the profession, something which I may do just to please them. If I do so, it is possible for me to become one of the worst nurses who mistreat patients, which may result to constant conflicts with the management and in the end I may be forced to quit the job or to be fired. On the other hand, I am capable of doing extremely well in the hospitality field which may result to high achievements and promotion. I believe that a person is well suited to tasks that he or she enjoys performing, not because of the remuneration or the financial benefits accrued from such tasks. There are a lot of people who can attribute their wrong career choices to parental influence and I would not like to become one of them. This is because children will always obey their parents’ decisions just to please them not knowing that they are doing a great disfavor to themselves (Gysbers 2008 p 33). Though parental guidance is essential, it should be limited to just that, then the decision making should be entirely for the child to make. It is also essential to first understand the child’s weaknesses and strengths so as to be well guided when giving advice. This is because people have different capabilities, for example there cannot be a comparison between me and my parents. What may seem simple to them may be the most difficult for me. Pressuring me to accept decisions such as nursing whereas my main interest is hospitality may not be of any benefit to me though it might for them. The pride which they may get from my joining the nursing profession may turn out to be my downfall. In my case, I know that I may be able to acquire the highest academic grades in any institution be it of local or international standards. As such, it would save my parents a lot of money if they give up their idea of sending me overseas to study nursing whereas I can also do them proud in the local universities as long as they allow me to pursue the career of my choice. This is because success comes from self derived motivation thus it would only be a wastage of resources and precious time. In conclusion, it would be necessary to reiterate that parents play a significant role in determining the success of their children. With their support, a child may be able to make well informed decisions with regard to career choice. On the other hand, parents play a big role in confusing their children through authoritative imposition of careers, which results to poor relationships as well as poor performance in the chosen career. It is important to note that self chosen careers produce more confident and productive employees who are able to conduct their duties without feeling depressed unlike in cases where career choices are imposed to accomplish the parent’s dreams instead of those of the child. In this essay, the case of the girl is an example that represents concerns of many other children who undergo the same mental torture caused by parental authoritative approach to career choice. The nursing profession requires self motivated individuals due to the nature of the tasks involved, which are demanding and which cannot be entrusted to a person who is in the career for other reasons other than to serve. It is therefore advisable for the girl’s parents to consider her stand and offer support so that she can study to become a chef without feeling that she is a disappointment to her family. Reference 1. Gysbers N. Career Counseling: Contexts, Processes, and Techniques, American Counseling Association, 2008 Read More