A question I had even before this post is when and how parents should try to change career goals of their children that they find unrealistic. A 6yo is supposed to be unrealistic, but what about a 16yo? Of course, parents can give well-meaning career advice that turns out to be bad.
Because of this conversion I asked DS14 what he wanted to be and he really had no idea. Not sure if I should push him to try and figure things out more. My sister-in-law helped her boys at some point turn their interests into very specific career goals. The boys seem very driven towards their "chosen" fields and have been doing well in high school. Not sure if they will end up in these directions, but what I do know is both boys seem a lot more driven in high school than my son and are motivated to get the grades they need to go to a good university.
My DD19 did figure out her junior year of H.S. what she wanted to study in college, and I did direct her a bit in her chosen area. I encouraged her to take a particular class in high school thinking she would enjoy it and be successful, and that turned into a love for the subject. (When she was younger she wanted to act.) I am a bit unsure how she is going to turn her degree into a successful career, so who knows yet if it was a good idea.
