Does your 12-14-year-old have any idea what they want to do as a career?

[Wendi]

As I try to make a tentative plan for high school for ds (he's finishing up 7th grade now), I realize that some of the choices will depend on what kind of field ds decides to pursue (i.e., should he take more science, more math, more English?).

 

He has no idea what he wants to do "when he grows up". He has lots of interests (animals, anime and manga, music, computers, graphic design ...). So far there is no indication what field he will end up in. Hmm.

 

Now, I know kids this age don't have to have their life figured out, and most people end up changing their minds several times by the time they "grow up". But I wondered how many kids his age have a career goal or direction in mind already.

 

Wendi

[babysparkler]

I was going to post about this as well... my 10yo's pediatrician asks my son every year and he never has an answer. The pedi always seems surprised that he doesn't have an answer, and I always wonder if it is abnormal. I'm looking forward to seeing the poll results :001_smile:.

 

ETA: My son is the kind of kid who never gets anything wrong... very, very bright with a lot of very strong interests... I wonder, sometimes, if he will keep us wondering until the day he chooses his college major just so that he doesn't have to admit to changing his mind.:tongue_smilie:

Edited April 22, 2010 by babysparkler

[Jennifer in MI]

My d.s (almost 14) definitely knows what he wants to be. He's known since he was 6 and received a rocket kit for his birthday. He wants to become an engineer and either work for NASA or for a private company doing propulsion engineering.

 

Now, to be fair, he has Asperger's and this is his area of interest. So, he's VERY focused. I don't think my 12 yo will have much of a clue when he's 14!!

[Daisy]

My 10yo wants to be a writer. She has wanted to be one since she was in first grade. :D

 

My 8yo son wants to do magic and balloon tricks at birthday parties. :glare: :lol:

 

Edited to add I didn't respond to your poll since I don't have children in that age group. ;-)

Edited April 22, 2010 by Daisy

[butterfly113]

My 10 year old son wants to be an engineer. He lives eats and breathes Math, Science and LEGOS! :lol:

[Miss Peregrine]

DD 14 wants a full ride music scholarship:D Then she wants to teach music.

[hornblower]

My ds knows.

My dd has no clue. Or if she does, she's not telling me :glare:

[Tap]

Ds15 thinks he wants to work in the Biology or Chemistry fields. He is a sophmore in public school this year and is taking Pre-AP Chemistry and Pre-calculus.

 

Last year he would have said the same but now that he has another year of math/science under his belt I see his decision getting stronger.

 

These aren't a surprise, as his interests have always gone this way. LOL

 

 

DD11 has nooooo idea what she would like to do.

[AngieW in Texas]

All 3 of mine are different.

 

At 12yo, my oldest wanted to live in Tokyo and write and illustrate graphic novels for Clamp. She's 17yo now and wants to do some type of digital art.

 

My 14yo loves philosophy, but there isn't much of a career field for it. She really likes the philosophy of mind stuff that talks about AI, so I've been steering her towards cognitive science.

 

My youngest is almost 12yo. She announced back in December that she would like to be an architect. I can see that field working well for her.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My high school choices (which I'm starting to think about since my ds is just finishing up 7th grade) will be more with college in mind. So we will do a basic liberal arts college prep with perhaps some extras tacked on. Ds does have some choices but they are very divergent. One is firmly in the humanities/ English camp and the other is firmly in the math/science camp. So I'd rather prepare him so he could do either or neither when the time comes.

[Danestress]

One is going to be a professional tennis player and the other will work for Estes designing hobby rockets:)

[Rebecca VA]

Mine wants to be ((whisper)) a professional ballerina. That will never happen, but we're willing to let her pursue her dream through high school. I can see her interests branching out into physical therapy (she'd be really good at that), stage design, or costume design.

 

She likes to write stories, blank verse, and essays, in English and in Latin. She also likes travelling, geography, and modern history. So if her ballet dream goes away, she has other interests.

[mysticamethyst]

I have 2 that know and 2 without a clue, ds1 wants to be cnc machinist/engineer. Ds 2 no idea. Dd 1 wants to be a vet, well did till this past year when art and graphic design has really made an impact with her. Dd 2 no idea, but has recently started a dog treat business and is thinking something with cooking will suit her.

[TXMary2]

My ds wants a Zoology degree with a focus on herpetology. He wants to mainly work with reptiles, but he is also interested in working with other animals, like at a zoo.

[elegantlion]

My ds has no clue. In the past it has been movie director or professional poker player. Somehow I can see him doing both.

[Starr]

The real question is will they know what they want to do at 17 or 18. My dc "knew" at 12 and 13 but it didn't last. :D

[Brindee]

DD has a couple of ideas that she's interested in, depending on how the next few years go. She's doing some outside volunteering and fund-raising work, and getting some great experience, so maybe the two things she's interested in now will take a back seat to something that interests her in her outside experiences! It'll be very interesting to see what she chooses to do!

[Teachin'Mine]

No idea here, and it makes planning high school courses very challenging!

[bettyandbob]

My 12 yog wants to be a vet. She has always been interested in animals and her interest and pursuit of animal related activities has only grown (4H farm club, pet sitting/dog walking business, participating in a rescue my neighbor runs, and more as she finds things)

 

15 yob wants to pursue something computer engineering related. He told me something very specific, but it was so specific and government clearance related that I'd never heard of it. He's likely to change his mind again. He has wanted to get a PhD in History and Physics, he has wanted to go into game design and when he was 12 he was sure he would be a superstar as a drummer in a heavy metal band.

 

I wanted to add: I plan high school with the approach not to shut doors. The door easiest to shut is any science field, so I plan for math all the way through. I would not rush it. Math builds on itself, so each level much be solid. I know a few home schoolers who have dropped math after algebra 2. For some that happens in 10th grade. I think that puts the student in a really limited position and it's not necessary. I would only consider this for a student who truly struggles in math, not someone who just doesn't like it.

Edited April 22, 2010 by betty

[Mejane]

Both my kids will dance. They may not make any money, but they'll dance. :)

[Miss Marple]

Since I couldn't vote twice, I voted other. One son (15) wants to do something related to the chemistry field (and has known this for several years), the other (14) has no idea. And, although you didn't ask it might prove interesting, my 17 yos has no idea, and his 20 yo brother only got an idea when he was in his senior year!

[TechWife]

I voted "other." DS is interested in design and engineering, so he has a lot of educational paths and career paths to take.

 

I am going to start another thread as I have additional input but don't want to derail this thread.

[6packofun]

Considering that around 50% of college students change their major in their first year,and many more than once, I don't see what the freaking rush is.

[AFwife Claire]

My oldest ds, almost 13, wants to go to the Air Force Academy and be an engineer, just like his dad and grandpa. We are definitely stressing the math and sciences here. My 11 year old doesn't know, however. He'd be good in a lot of different fields . . . but as far as I can tell, he has no strong leanings in any direction. We'll keep stressing math and science though--that's what we're good at around here. Heaven help us if someone in our family wanted to be an artist or musician!

[texasmama]

My almost 15 yo says that she thinks about being a teacher. I don't know that she will settle on that, though I'm sure it would suit her.

 

I didn't know "what I wanted to be when I grew up" until I was 19, at the end of my freshman year at college. I don't think most kids really, truly know until later...sometimes, much later, which is why many people have second careers. My friend with a degree in accounting is now, at the age of 43, going to nursing school to be a hospice nurse.:001_smile:

[jld]

Dd14 wants to do med school. She is doing Apol. Bio I and Chem I this year, and is in the first quarter of the Saxon Adv. Math book. She got interested in medicine a few years ago when she read the Usborne Encyclopedia of the Human Body, and her interest was confirmed when she took care of her brother in the hospital last summer.

 

I can understand why people may doubt an early decision, but if the kid's interests have always aligned along a certain path (in dd's case, she has always been interested in science), I think there's good reason to trust it.

[Laura Corin]

Calvin has a couple of ideas, but they are all of the 'become an author' kind, when actually he shows no dedication to writing. So I'd say that he has vague dreams, but they don't match up with his interests in any thought-through way.

 

I'd pursue a balanced high school programme, if I were you, and be prepared to tweak later. Calvin will be studying next year:

 

Chinese, French, Latin, history, geography, physics, chemistry, English and maths. He will already (with luck) have high school credits in classical civilisation, Chinese and biology.

 

Laura

[Cindyg]

I voted yes -- he has definite plans, but that doesn't mean that that's how it will work out. When I was 12-14, I thought that I was going to live on the beach with my friends and a giant herd of wild horses. (Yes, seriously. Those were my definite plans!)

[Garga]

I'm 37 and I still have no clue what I want to do. :glare:

 

Honestly. I have no idea. If I had to get a job tomorrow, or even just choose a job just for fun...I have no idea.

[HappyCrazyMama]

I realized I shouldn't have voted because my ds is 16 but he would like to be a market gardener or some type of farmer. 19 yo dd on the other hand is clueless.:001_huh:

[Aggie]

Dd14 is leaning toward pediatric dentistry. She would love to be a dancer, but we are discouraging that because we can't afford the pre-college dance schools. We also won't invest the time her high school dance classes would take, even if we could afford it.

 

Dd13 is either going to have to have a work-at-home job so she can stay in flannel all day, or someone's going to have to kick that girl out of the house in the mornings!:lol: She won't even play the "Whatdoyouwanttobewhenyougrowup" game with me.

[Lucy in Australia]

My 14 year old wants to be an engineer, although he's not sure exactly what type. He has always been a maths/physics lover so it was kind of easy for him to decide.

 

My 11 year old, on the other hand, is clueless. He wants to be an ornithologist but knows that may have to be more of a hobby than a career choice. We're exploring environmental science options for him.

[Wendi]

 

I wanted to add: I plan high school with the approach not to shut doors. The door easiest to shut is any science field, so I plan for math all the way through. I would not rush it. Math builds on itself, so each level much be solid. I know a few home schoolers who have dropped math after algebra 2. For some that happens in 10th grade. I think that puts the student in a really limited position and it's not necessary. I would only consider this for a student who truly struggles in math, not someone who just doesn't like it.

 

I was thinking more of what we could ADD rather than taking anything away. In other words, we'll do at least three credits of science, but if ds were to start leaning toward a career in science in the next couple of years, then of course I'd have him do even more. I'd like to nurture his interest, even though he may change his mind again! :D As homeschoolers, we have a lot of opportunity to nurture those interests and passions. So as I look at my tentative plan for high school, I see how we can meet all the basics to give him a well-rounded education, but I have a lot of ?? for the electives. I'll think, oh, ds would love a graphic design class, or joining the volunteer program at the zoo and studying animal conservation, or computer programming, or band at co-op. We can't do everything. That's fine. We'll figure it out as we come to it.

 

Wendi

 

Wendi

[fivetails]

Lately dd13 has been saying that she might like to be a hairdresser ~ but she's not sure yet. :)

[RoughCollie]

DS2 wants to be a writer, and hopes to develop an interest in something that allows him to happily support his family that doesn't involve math. He is the only one of my kids to take his future family into consideration.

 

DS1 wants to be a surgeon, physicist, or an engineer. He likes science and learning foreign languages.

 

DS3 has no clue, but his overriding interest is baseball history and statistics.

 

DD wants to move to Hollywood and be an actress. Before that, she wanted to be a physician.

 

A couple of my kids wanted to be lawyers, but we strongly discourage that.

Edited April 23, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Ester Maria]

DD12 wants to "make a lot of money via Chemistry". We talked about career options, as she's quite a serious child, and she says that while she would be interested in scientific research the most, she thinks she loves money more :glare:, so she will probably do something applied. She pointed out to Pharmacy as number one field of interest, engineering as maybe second. She's still too young to speak in any definite terms, but she's very advanced in sciences, and a very dedicated child.

 

DD13 has no precise idea on what she wants to do, but she wants to do something with languages (she really has a knack for them) or humanities. She's not as "stable" as her sister though, she's shifting interests a lot.

[happyhomemaker25]

My just turned 13yo has wanted nothing more than to grow up and be a wife and mother since she was about 10. I'm ok with that. She has some interests she would like to pursue while she is waiting and we will spend a lot of highschool doing that. I plan to just make sure she has solid academic skills during highschool and a lot of real world home ec and child care opportunities. Also part of our middle/school highschool years will be spent learning how start up and maintain a home business. I thought that would be a useful skill for a future homemaker to have.

[Denisemomof4]

I didn't vote because that age is FAR too young for any kid to have a realistic opinion of what they want to do when they grow up. Ds 18 just decided on a career path in the past half year or so, and he did nothing but change his mind until then. Still, it's not cemented in. So many people start college with one career in mind, only to switch majors.

[Wendi]

Considering that around 50% of college students change their major in their first year,and many more than once, I don't see what the freaking rush is.

 

I was just curious because I have heard people say things about certain science or engineering degree programs expecting more of certain classes on the transcript, for example. I am trying to tentatively map out ds's high school plan, and so far he has no idea what he wants to do. I know other kids his age who know they want to be engineers or whatever, and they seem very sure. I just wondered how common it is for kids his age to have definite career goals. I realize many of them will still change their minds. And it may or may not affect what classes they'll take as they finish high school. Just curious!

 

Wendi

[HRAAB]

My almost 13 yr old wants to be a nurse or at least something in the medical field. She's also keeping a close eye on her cousin who is in PA school. Whatever it is, it will include lots of math and science which concerns me greatly. I'm glad she has some idea what direction she wants to pursue since we need to be making decisions shortly.