Setting up job shadows

[klmama]

Dc is having doubts about the declared major, so dc's friend suggested using free time during the break to shadow people in related jobs and in other positions that seem more appealing.  Dc is willing to give it a try.  What would be the best way to set that up?  Should dh or other relatives just ask some people in their companies the favor of letting dc shadow for the day?  Would they see dc more favorably if dc approached without dh's help?  What time length should dc ask to shadow?  Half day?  All day?  A few hours?  Thanks for any BTDT input!  

[linders]

I would sit down with DC and brainstorm any and all connections - friends, family work colleagues - that have careers of interest. Make a list of names and emails/phone numbers, then let DC do the contacting. That is important - DC needs to be viewed as a young adult, not someone who wants to attend Take Your Child to Work Day.

As far as time commitment, the more time DC and the shadowee are willing to commit to, the more realistic view DC will get. At least a full day, but longer would be beneficial.

This worked amazingly well for DS18. Three of his friends are children of doctors. He told the dads about an interest in medicine and ended up observing surgeries plus getting a 4-week job shadow for a doctor in private practice. The surgeries were fascinating, but it was the long-term shadow that was most helpful. After a couple of days, the doctor was so impressed with DS's demeanor (especially that he was very circumspect about talking about patients) that he let him observe all manner of interactions - patient interviews, ultrasound scans, biopsies, etc (with patient approval). He also made DS spend several days with the receptionist and the insurance person so he could see all sides of the business.

[klmama]

Thanks for this input. 

[Bootsie]

The benefit of shadowing (and the length of time needed for shadowing) will vary greatly depending on the field and the type of work.  I think that a multi-prong approach is usually best.  If the parent has some colleagues who might be good people to shadow, having the parent ask the individual if they would be open to having someone shadow, have they ever had anyone do that before, how long was it for, etc. would be helpful.  Then, have the child send a polite request asking to shadow if the contact seemed open to the idea.  The contact will want to know that the child is actually interested and willing to take initiative.